Forest cowboy camp - granite boulder pile cave
Mile 604 - 626
Total 22 miles
After a very good sleep in the forest under pine and fir trees, I got up around 5 in the morning and quickly took off to warm up. About an hour later the sun showed up and I found a cozy spot between granite boulders for a sunrise breakfast. In Tehachapi I put together a very delicious and nutritious breakfast mix with oats, raisins, banana chips, almonds, sunflower seeds and little bit of sugar. It tastes best when I bring 1.5 cups of water to boil and add 3 cups of the mix, and let stand for 5 mins. But it's also OK just with cold water. About half of the oats and raisins I got free of charge from hiker boxes :-) And on a cold morning I also cooked lots of black tea (also a hiker box find).
Still in beautiful forest, I passed a trail register. Here is how a typical trail register looks like. Most hikers sign in with their trail name that they received from the other hikers. I also sign with "Snowman"; I got that name because I talked too much about snow in the Sierras and maybe also because of my research; and add Praha, Czechia.
Shortly after the register, an arrow points towards a water source of strategic importance: the Landers Meadow camp spring. It is crucial to fill up lots of water here because the next water is at Walker Pass, a long 42 miles away. Much of the stretch between here and Walker Pass goes through a dry exposed desert with very little shade. I fill up all of my water bottles: total 8.5 liters and drink one liter to fill up my throat. My water mileage in the next section should be around 4.5 miles per liter. That is close to my average water consumption on the PCT; it also means taking a break in shade in the hottest part of the day between 11 am and 4 pm. The good news is it's much cooler than few days ago, there is wind blowing, and in the afternoon there might be some clouds. I discuss the water carry tactics with other hikers, wish them happy trails, put on my heavy backpack, and start the long haul.
The first mile after the spring still goes through forest. Then things start to change, as we pass a burned area and start descending into the east-facing, dry desert slopes of the Sierra foothills. Higher peaks can be seen on the northern horizon. Could the white patch behind one of the peaks be snow? Or is it just a cloud? The Sierra Nevada - the snowy mountains - are getting closer.
There are still isolated groups of trees and boulders as the trail descends down into Kelso valley. I take a long break in the shade of a lone pine tree. Further down are only small shrubs and bare exposed desert hills.
Shade can be found only under one plant: the tree form of the yucca, also known as "Joshua tree". Isolated groups of Yoshua trees grow in the otherwise almost bare and dry desert. I take advantage of a cloud covering the sun, walk about two miles to take another long break in the yoshua tree's shade and cook a delicious early dinner: couscous with yucca fruits.
As the sun gets lower, the desert becomes alive. Lots of rabbits cross my pathway and a lizard is displaying her beautiful colors on one of the gates.
The north facing slopes of the higher mountains are remote islands of sparse forest surrounded by the sea of desert on all sides. Passing through the pines, a marker shows "1000 km". If this is correct, 1000 km equals 622 miles. That is the distance already walked from Mexico, plus some extra miles due to the fire detours. I am approximately in one quarter of the path to Canada!
In a saddle and a crossing of a dirt road, a view opens up far east into the vast expanse of the Mojave desert. The wind has picked up on strength and speed. An endangered species of turtle also lives in this area.
The sun has hidden behind one of the windswept ridges as I start searching for a protected spot to sleep. Under the Joshua trees are piles of cow poop and not much protection from wind. It is already dark when I finally find a huge pile of granite rocks. In between the rock boulders there is a cozy hidden bivy site - covered by one of the boulders, it is almost like a cave. Sheltered by the rocks I fall fast asleep in the sound of wind howling through crevasses between the giant boulders.
My water situation is satisfactory: 25 miles to go and 5.5 liters left. If I get up early before dawn tomorrow, it can be done.
Jirka/Luntamies, It is good to be on the trail with such a good story teller.
ReplyDeleteYour oat-mix breakfast sounds tasty. Go easy on the yucca fruit & seeds. Tanking up on water before leaving camp is a cowboy method of carrying water for crossing dry stretches. And I was glad to see the picture of water in the next day's Czech post. Wishing you snow in the near future. ~R
The picture of water in the next day post is "water cache". It is only for emergency use. I had enough water for the 42 miles and so I didn't need to take anything from there. Now in the high Sierras, there are no more yuccas to be found. But in a few days I'll be walking through deep snow :-)
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