Day 32 – See You Up Trail Lt. Sparkles

Posted on June 25, 2025 by TheJessicaness

Today marks one month on the trail. I wake up feeling worse than yesterday. I don’t want to finish my dinner so that I have the bag to make breakfast so I just get back on the ATV track and continue north. I recognize a pink floral shirt on trekking poles, like balloons on a mailbox, and say hello. Trailer Park waited, to make sure I didn’t break a leg and die alone in the desert, and let me get a headstart.

I appreciate that it seems the sun is taking its time, but contrary to popular hiker belief, the sun is still on its own schedule, regardless of where my next water source is. I’m out here without the coveted FarOut app, so Trailer Park let me know we were roughly five miles from getting the next dose of survival liquid. At that point, I take a photo of the wet rock, which could be pee, but isn’t enough for me to even bother licking at.

I figure Rachel is still out there, some five miles ahead, and didn’t leave a dying wish (as her last comment), so there must be water ahead. The trail splits and I follow it towards what looks like a group canopy, but it’s just a busted structure where a horror movie about a guy who loves splinters and small hikers could be filmed, and is possibly on private property, so back downhill to the PCT for me.

Hidden in the trees is a tadpole pond and a PVC pipe with a steady flow. I grab my filter bag and prop myself on the stump in the mud and fill it halfway twice as I chug any remaining water in my bottles and refill them. I’m debating “looking for a tree” but also wondering if a bear snatched Trailer Park while he was, as Rachel encountered one in that scenario, and lived so I could tell everyone about it.

Just then, he appears, and I’m so happy that he has made it to the water too, though no one is worried about him as he has more experience surviving these situations than I do. It’s a good thing I waited for him as the trail continues over the muddy boardwalk, not back up the hill to the busted dirt road. I know he’ll be there a while as I was making drinks and finishing them before moving on.

We are 20 miles from the next water option. With some space between us (people, trail, water), I can dig my fourth cat hole. I’m not even watched by a lizard or disturbed by a fly, but I guess all pooping in the woods is more about the view than the wildlife encounters. This is probably for the best. All that worry about water and there is a water cache on the road, with an uninspected tent and a trash bin that Trailer Park will take advantage of.

He is like the buoyant diver who can safely pick up heavy trash and deliver it from its resting spot at sea or a great hiker who hates to leave others’ trash for nature to contend with when they don’t have an option not to. I’ve seen him pick up after others in our camp and am grateful he didn’t get bitten by the litter bug as seems more common in certain areas over others. I’ll stop for a snack when my activity tracker tells me I need an extra half day of rest.

This is the same watch that thinks I’m out here on the elliptical, so it doesn’t realize stopping now isn’t an option, at least if I don’t want to be rescued (a common thought among hikers who appear physically ok, but are mentally over a section or time of day). For those who don’t know, there is no helicopter with rangers and EMTs hiding just over the next hill waiting for a hiker to get injured.

When the SOS button is pushed (it does a 20-second countdown in case the button was pushed accidentally), local rescue teams are notified, and the best vehicle to reach the last known location is deployed. This could be as quick as a few minutes, especially if teams are training in the area or it could be ten hours or more, but know that this is faster than waiting for someone to miss you.

I stop for lunch (leftovers) at 11am and find shade with flies in my face and sharp leaves on my ass and legs, which is why others bring a sit pad. This spot isn’t conducive to a nap to rest away the heat of the day but 25 minutes is better than none. I figure if I can do elevation in midday, then I can also conquer a flattish terrain. With yesterday’s dinner finished, I can have a second lunch at 2pm in the slim shade of a trailside boulder.

I keep my hat on as my hands and feet are in the sun too, but it’s nice to have my pack off and let my sweaty shirt dry some while I press myself onto a ledge. A majority of the trail seems to be at an angle so breaks are also taken with strain on my knees or ankles to hold me in limited shade. Sometimes I find a flat spot just ahead but other times I find sadness at knowing I should’ve stopped sooner.

The tiniest cloud gets blown over the sun and I appreciate the huge temperature difference, if only for a moment, as that breeze continues to blow. Back on Earth, I scare a snake from its mouse lunch. I hope it will return, but the mouse up ahead covered in ants lets me know that snakes, at least the species here, aren’t willing to eat something they left unattended.

Trailer Park and I will meet White Trash and Valentin at a large shaded intersection with their feet up after a short detour to water (which took them an hour and a half). They saw Rachel 20 minutes ago and the four of them are planning on making it to Robin Bird Spring for water and camp. I see baby quail in the bushes as the mother keeps a lookout from a high point. They are adorable, but fast and camouflaged.

There’s a sign letting hikers know we are entering private property again and to stay on the trail. I wouldn’t blame the cows for wanting to do the same with all the downed trees and random barbed wire. There is barbed goatgrass and plenty of rodent holes on the sloped path sides. I had found a place to sleep, but pressed on for the slowest hour yet. I might have made it a half mile before passing out between a rock and the trail. 

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Day 31 – Happy Birthday Soccer Mom

Posted on June 24, 2025 by TheJessicaness
Soccer Mom

Caleb is ready to dry our clothes that are still damp from hanging all night but Gert wants to surprise Caleb in the lobby at 630, so we have to wait. I wasn’t expecting balloons in front of the door and Gert was hoping to arrange them to fall in on us, but we will kick and toss the red, yellow, and three shades of blue into the room.

Lt. Sparkles and Anouska

Gert and Anouska have been inflating balloons and visiting Kohnen’s Country Bakery, a charming German shop open early, to pick up thick iced brownies to put candles in, along with plates and a banner, while half the group sleeps. Trailer Park will wake them so we can serenade the birthday boy and drink coffee to help digest the rich chocolate breakfast.

I ask the guy at the front desk if he’d like to stomp our balloons (he does seem the type), but Caleb is already taking care of the ones from the table and the pile in our room. With the first part of the festivities over, we return to chores and find the coin-operated dryer at the other end of the hotel. I’ve never seen a quarter split before but the machine won’t take it. I looked up things to do and there aren’t many options in the area.

The Tehachapi Loop is one of the seven wonders of the railroad world and was finished in 1876. It is definitely worth a visit, especially when one of the 36 freight trains, that pass through on average, is using the track. We chose to visit the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument instead and learn about a different aspect of local history.

The garden is green but the recent history here will dampen any caring person’s mood. There are handwritten accounts of kids talking about the effects on three generations of farm workers vs the government, earning a fair wage, and dealing with pesticide exposure in the 80s. Their leader was born in Arizona, served in WWII, and encouraged non-violent strikes (and a 36-day fast for himself) as a path for change towards a better future for their children.

Cesar passed in 1993 and his wife remained in their home until joining him in 2016, even as the park was established in 2012. His chain-link security fence became her privacy marker. Gert and Anouska will drive to Los Angeles to continue their vacation and we return to Lyric’s room, since he’s staying another night, to have lunch. Those hiking agreed we would start early if the afternoon temperature was 80°F or less.

Caleb drives us to Cameron Rd. where Tatyana from Australia is waiting in the sun for the Kern Regional Transit bus to drive her into town. Caleb says bye to us for a couple of days and I offer her a ride, which she gladly accepts, but she wasn’t going to ask for. The trail goes along Highway 58, so the three of us (Trailer Park, Rachel, and I) will attempt, in vain, to get a passing semi to honk their horn (like they did when we were kids).

We hit elevation and two hours later appear to be almost in the same spot in relation to the road. I have a snack, listen to the jets pass, and then continue uphill (without taking a shortcut thanks to the arrow Rachel drew in the sand). On the other side of the hills, we are met with a strong breeze, a bit aggressive, and I feel myself bracing in different directions as the path zigzags in its usual manner.

Rachel is still ahead of us, so dinner will be me and Trailer Park in the shade of a bush with pointy leaves that poke me through my clothes. I will get passed by Umi at 630 pm and then catch up to him and Trailer Park at ten miles hiked for the day. We’re on a rough ATV path and I’m done at 715, so I set up my borrowed one-person tent (that Jessi used once in a museum-like setting) and struggle to fall asleep.

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Day 30 – Taking Lyric to Tehachapi

Posted on June 23, 2025 by TheJessicaness
sunrise at camp

I’m up early at Redwood Meadow Campground, but sadly I’m not the only one. The couple is out collecting more wood to add to their bonfire, with part of a log sticking out of it, while Site 11 is stomping branches into their fire ring. Caleb was worried that I would wake the others but these campers are motivated to keep their fires going, even during quiet hours.

I’m not the only one who’s been getting used to being ready before the sun so we’re able to leave camp as the sun crests its first hill. We drive out, with Gert and Anouska behind us, to some agreed-upon spot in the middle of the desert along the aqueduct to collect some hikers and leave others to continue on foot towards Cameron where they can hitch into Tehachapi or Mojave. Trailer Park, Rachel, and Lyric will meet us at the cars.

down to the desert

We drive further up to see Ravi, now known as Dobby, the free elf, coming down a hill as he tells us he was looking for our car. He has face paint on and a story to tell, but Josh and Seeker climb out of their shady hiding spot to greet us and enjoy soda and stroopwafles, thanks to Lt. Sparkles and Anouska. Trailer Park wants to check on a package delivery at Hikertown and Rachel is excited to return for the dogs, and both want to show us how hiker-friendly this place is.

Trailer Park negotiates forwarding his soon-to-arrive mail while I throw a volleyball for one of the five dogs on the property, this one being the most social of the group. The place looks like a town out of an old western, which provides hikers with a bed in a box, which is the cherry on top after a shower and laundry, whether by hand or machine. Hikers are an easy bunch to please.

Johnsondale Bridge

We decided on lunch at Denny’s in Tehachapi as they still serve breakfast in the afternoon and those who walked out of Hikertown did so last night and have built up an appetite. A majority of us ordered the red, white, and blue pancakes (strawberries, whipped cream, and blueberries) and Trailer Park also ordered a burger to make his meal a brunch. We have agreed to stay the night here and hike out tomorrow afternoon.

We are able to get our rooms next to each other at a hotel. Once we’re all cleaned up and clothes hand-washed, I will take Trailer Park and Rachel to Walmart to resupply. Lyric is along for chocolate milk and ice cream (even though the room has no freezer). I set a time limit for Rachel, but it’s Trailer Park, I’m going back inside for, as he’s got a small cake for Caleb’s birthday tomorrow.

Anouska near the aqueduct

Once we’re back in the rooms, I’ll wait for all the necessary repackaging so that the trash can be bagged and the packs one step closer to being ready for tomorrow before deciding on where to spend some time together that isn’t the rooms or in the busted chairs by the pool. I mention the Dog House Saloon but their patio looks like it’s in full sun, so we drive to Savannah’s Old Town Saloon.

The bartender lets us know the pool tables are open but the kitchen is not (they don’t have one), so Gert will take Anouska to P-Dubs Brew Pub so she can eat. We joined them after a few more rounds, enjoyed dinner (while they played arcade games), and instead of bowling thought we’d return to Savannah’s for darts.

dog at Hikertown

Not sure if a timing issue or maybe the owner was on the premises, but this time she was asking for IDs (to make sure we were all 21+), so we returned to the room to sing “Happy Birthday” to Soccer Mom, then had a slice of blue and white cake.

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Day 29 – Meeting Anouska

Posted on June 22, 2025 by TheJessicaness

The good thing, or not, about having to be dressed, or not, and not pee in the middle of camp is that you teach yourself to hold the urge longer than you’ve ever needed in the morning (unless you have siblings, one bathroom, and no woods or fenced backyard). Rachel and I also use this time to pack up our bedding, but that wasn’t the plan this morning. I didn’t want to get up in the dark.

I waited half an hour, usually only done in class or on the road (in traffic), before I left the tent. I return with the intent to sleep more but I’ve already taught myself to get dressed and get moving. Caleb is already in the car to be out of the wind, so we drive to my blogging spot to warm the car up and wait for the sun to rise. We will have breakfast there and return to camp to watch the animals frolic in the morning rays.

Anouska and Lt. Sparkles

We walk the trail before the day-use crowds arrive, have a snack, and collect parts of the tree left at another site in case our guests from the Netherlands want a fire later. Gert “Lieutenant Sparkles” and his wife, Anouska, who has achieved the National Pentathlon Cross at least ten times, want to spend some time with his trail family before a vacation in Los Angeles and a return flight home.

We are delighted just for their company, and their quick quips that prove their English proficiency, and grateful for the stroopwafles (straight from the source), even if we can’t pronounce them correctly. We take them on the Trail of 100 Giants and they are like kids with their energy and curiosity. It’s enjoyable to be around such a fun and smart couple, a type we seem to be surrounding ourselves with more these days.

I talked with a grandma on the trail because I noticed so many people in the same shirt, and she let me know that 22 family members made the trip, minus one grandson. Perhaps when our nieces and nephews are older we can do some awesome nerdy family activities that we didn’t have the money for growing up. Back to camp to set up tents, have soup, dinner, tea or coffee, and more stroopwafles!

We sun ourselves on the warm rocks and listen to the witch’s cackle from the picnic area and have a laugh ourselves. The guys will go to collect more water and when I see two people destroy a mouse’s home, I offer the firewood we have and let them know site 11 has more. There’s so much wood here, if only they knew better which to collect, as people have already damaged the environment so much for these animals just trying to keep up. 

Lt. Sparkles

Darin comes by to thank us for being great camp guests and asks if we need anything before he takes his weekend off. We thank him for the hiking recommendations and kindness. Back at the table, I learn that Anouska is the fourth sister and that all their names end with A. She will happily go to bed first, excited to be camping in America, as we stay up another hour learning more about mountaineering from Gert.

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Day 28 – Parker Meadow

Posted on June 21, 2025 by TheJessicaness
Soccer Mom taking in the view

Caleb is getting water from the creek when I find him. I help carry it back to camp and then we walk and watch the birds and chipmunks around us. There is a phone signal some four miles from camp, so we drive there so I can edit and publish posts. I’ll get a bunch of writing done while we move between the sun and shade as the temperature changes throughout the day.

Soccer Mom finding a good campsite

We stop at Parker Meadow and get to see Search and Rescue training in action. The tent and vehicle setup is similar to movie depictions, but the permission to throw rocks or use bear spray on the people running around in red shirts is only in real life. We see a bunch of four-wheelers and up on the hill, we hear, “I was fucking around with everyone else’s, I didn’t even put it in four wheel drive.” Each driver will wave as they pass.

SAR Basecamp

We meet Red, one of the sheriff’s office’s trainers, who is looking forward to finishing her last 200 miles of the PCT with her husband Grizzly. We continue up the sandy path that sends little particles onto our pants and into our noses with every step. It seems more obvious here but it is also what happens every day on the PCT, which I’m sure occurs on other trails but I’ve never felt so dirty as I do walking through the desert.

The day-use lot and any campground spot are taken, as is the space near the entrance, when we return. Caleb will move the full-lot sign barrier as Darin recognizes us and calms a guy wanting to know where to go.. perhaps park near a no-parking sign like other vehicles on the road. We attempt to walk the trail in the afternoon but the amount of human traffic is too much.

SAR trainees

We will go up the road and explore a softer sandy road down a decline to see more big trees, hidden in a valley, and plenty of piles of dead wood just waiting to burn in the next wildfire. We find an abandoned five-gallon shower bag in need of some repairs and it feels good to rinse my hands, even though the chipped polish shows how dirty my nails are, after a seven-mile day.

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