Day 38-45: Bears, wind and magic (again!)

Day 38

12 May 2019

Mi 558.5 - 569.8

After a nice rest at the hotel I stayed in Tehachapi to enjoy more food and repair some gear. my water filter was stuck on a bottle and I had to use pliers to unscrew it.

I got a hitch from a local who was on his way to his wife for Mother’s Day. We got lost (he didn’t know where the trailhead was) but he was still adamant in driving me to the exact spot I had stopped at a few days ago. We finally made it and I was very grateful.

I was still in wind territory for most of the day and managed to find a spot that - I thought - was protected from wind to set my tent up.

Day 39

13 May 2019

Mi 569.8 - 602.2

It turns out that the spot I had chosen yesterday was not that protected. It was one of the worst night on trail yet, waking up every 30 minutes wondering if my tent was still standing.

Still, I was happy to be back on trail and headed out relatively early. Most of today was uneventful until I came across a bear! I was deep into a podcast when I heard a noise on my right and sure enough a cub had just wandered off. I tried to get closer to him but he was very shy.

I didn’t stick around for too long as the mom was probably close by.

I also caught up to Daniel, the hiker I met in Wrightwood before I took 10 days off trail. It was nice to see he was still doing great.

Day 40

‌14 May 2019

Mi 602.2 - 634

A very hot and windy day. If it weren’t for the water caches set up by locals I probably would have had to ration my water consumption as all the streams we crossed were dried.

Day 41

‌15 May 2019

Mi 634 - 652.1

The goal for today was Walker pass, a road crossing to get into Ridgecrest. Ridgecrest is a relatively large town with all the things a hiker could dream. By that I mean a laundromat, fast food and cheap motels.

I hiked quite fast to be in time for the bus which was at 1:30pm. I made it in time and while waiting for the bus I met Jonni aka « German Jesus » and Springsteen. The former is a brewer from Germany and the other a carpenter from an island in West Virginia.

The bus finally came and Jonni and I decided to split a room in Ridgecrest. We grabbed some Denny’s and chilled in our room for the rest of the day.

Day 42

‌16 May 2019

I think this was my first actual zero day on trail. I stayed in Ridgecrest and stuffed myself with Jonni and other hikers. We got donuts, pancakes and burgers all accompanied by beers.

Jonni decided to hike out today and I stayed for another night, catching up on game of thrones and other shows.

Day 43

‌17 May 2019

Mi 652.1 - 666

My plan was to catch the bus at 2:30pm and hike a few miles. Unfortunately the bus didn’t see me at the stop and just kept driving. I had to get a Lyft instead and managed to get back on trail at 5pm. The views were amazing especially as I hiked late in the afternoon and got to enjoy a very nice sunset.

Day 44

‌18 May 2019

Mi 666 - 699

I celebrated my birthday with the longest day on trail so far! I also got some unexpected trail magic and got an amazing turkey and cheese sandwich with fresh coke. Sometimes it just works out I guess.

I finished the day with a pretty tough climb where I could see the Sierras, my next destination.

Day 45

‌19 May 2019

Mi 699 - 702.2

Kennedy meadows! A major landmark for most hikers as it marks the end of the desert and beginning to the Sierras.

I got in early and enjoyed all you can eat pancakes with hot coffee after getting, as is tradition, applauds by hikers who were enjoying their breakfast.