Day 18: Lake Fire Detour Part Two

Yucca Valley - Pioneertown Mountains Preserve ranger station camp
Mile 24 - 31 of Snowman's Lake Fire detour (~ mile 15 - 22 of "Magician's Lake Fire" detour)
Total 7 miles
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Note: this time I make an exception and write today's post in English for other PCT hikers interested in walking the fire detour.

... Dnešní zápis výjimečně píšu podruhé za sebou anglicky jako info o požární oklice pro poutníky za mnou. Brzy to vynahradím.

After two marathon hiking days in a row (27 + 26 miles) my feet are telling me I need a rest day. And on the PCT you've got to listen to your feet.
I sleep until 9, wash dirty clothes in the laundromat, and spend most of the day shopping and eating and sleeping around in Yucca Valley. The Big Lots supermarket has lots of cheap and nutritious trail snacks. And there is another store where they have dairy free dark chocolate! I eat the whole chocolate in one go. And then go to Del Taco Mexican fast food and eat a big veggie burrito and large fries. This is the insane hiker hunger.

A nice park with picnic tables provides shade for afternoon siesta. Nearby is a groundwater recharge facility.

The best cultural stop in Yucca Valley is Desert Christ park with huge statues of people from the gospels.
There is Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well; Jesus with little children; the 12 apostles; Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane and the apostles sleeping;  the empty tomb; and the risen Christ.

Around 5 pm it gets cooler - time to walk a few miles and find a place for camping out of town. The Pioneertown Road has low traffic and a wide shoulder for walking. There are big rocks and a few old ranches along the road.

After a few miles one car stops. Lucas, a ranger from the nearby Wildlands Conservancy Pioneertown Mountains Preserve, asks me if I'm a PCT hiker and tells me I can camp at the ranger station 3 miles down the road. The station has restrooms and water. My problem about finding a safe camping spot is solved!

One mile later I enter a town with a funny communist name: Pioneertown. It only has a few farms and ranches and a saloon bar Pappy and Harriet's - a perfect stop for dinner! I chat with the locals at the bar, drink two small beers and eat a big veggie burger. One of the locals, Steven, helped building a section of the PCT around Deep Creek Hot Springs - a few days walk from here. I'm already looking forward to a naked dip in the hot water!

Shortly after sunset I find my way to the ranger station. Greeted by frogs and a friendly dog, I fall fast asleep in the shelter next to the picnic tables.