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| Hiking | 9.15 Miles |
2,100 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.15 Miles | | | |
| 2,100 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Continuing my trip around SoCal, I started heading for Lone Pine and decided I needed to stop and do a small part of the PCT since it was so close. I've been a little apprehensive to touch the PCT because I want to keep it as virgin as possible for a thru-hike, but eventually I concluded it is hard to spoil a 2660 mile trail by doing a few miles. I had an urge to satisfy anyway.
The exit to the trailhead going west bound on the highway was closed, so I had to go all the way to Tehachapi, turn around, and take the exit going east. The reason why the exit is closed, is due to the construction/clean up work being done after a recent landslide. For the first mile the trail was sometimes buried under a few feet of soft dirt. Because this part parallels the highway it wasn't a problem to follow.
After paralleling the highway for about a mile, the trail begins to climb away from the highway and the scenery begins pick up. I climbed for a bit before running into another hiker who was doing a segment up to Walker Pass. We got talking for a bit about the trail and long distance hiking in general. She has done about 1200 miles of the PCT so far.
We eventually got around to asking names, and then I found out this was "L-Rod" (Donna Shauffery), the section hiker who also hosts other hikers at Hiker Heaven. Anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of PCT culture knows about Hiker Heaven. They see and host just about every thru/section hiker on the trail.
I was star struck for a minute. I've watched a lot of documentaries on the PCT, and she has been in just about every single one of them, either as a hiker or a trail angel. And here I was, out on a random hike on the PCT, and I just happen to run into her. The conversation from here went more in depth about the PCT and the upcoming season. I mentioned that a thru attempt of the trail was in the near future for me, and she sounded excited to get to host me. We ended up talking for about 30 minutes.
I continued on up the hill, the climb now slightly more strenuous, and eventually stopped once I reached a good place to take a break and turn around. I enjoyed a nice ice-cold Dr Pepper I had taken from my ice chest just before starting the hike, and soaked in the views of the Mohave.
On the way back down I passed L-Rod again, we said our goodbyes and I told her I was looking forward to staying at Hiker Heaven in the near future. I almost decided to grab my overnight gear when I got back to the truck and try to catch up with her again, but with the sun setting, and feeling a little tired, I decided against it. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
