Agua Dulce to Tehachapi

DAY 33 (June 2)
To Tentsite Mile 471.7
5 miles

Chilled morning at Hiker Heaven.  I signed up for a ride to REI at 10 a.m. the day before and just before heading out, I saw Giggles! Great surprise and really cool. We had not seen each other since Ziggy & the Bear.

The ride to REI was a 30-minute drive. The driver was a funny person explaining fun facts about Agua Dulce. It is named like that as its water contains small amounts of Arsene which is not dangerous for humans but gives the water a slight sweet taste.  

Primarily went to REI to get a GPS device for emergency situations such as Spot or Delorme. Surprisingly staff was not very helpful in choosing either one so I needed to check Spot's website and call from
store to get more info on subscription plans. As I wanted such a device primarily for emergency situations and not for tracking routes via GPS I chose Spot which was way less expensive (even with a subscription). Dessert (German) told me earlier that there is cheap insurance to avoid rescue costs which I took as well in the end.  

Back at Hiker Heaven, I spent the afternoon setting up the device and packing my stuff.

Together with Giggles and a bunch of people (maybe 20 in total), we took the shuttle to "downtown Agua Dulce" and walked all the way to the trailhead from there on the road while some others took the shuttle directly there. when we started walking it was close to 20h already and the sun started going down. Once we got to the trailhead, it was time to get out our headlamps and we reached the trail after another 19-minute walk on a dirt road.

I really enjoyed the nighthike. The temperature was perfect for walking (still 25 degrees Celsius) and my feet felt really fresh. Saw quite a few cute mice with some sort of feathered tail hopping across the trail.

Giggles fell behind a fell behind and while I was waiting I saw that a few hikers had already set up their tents close by. Once Giggles arrived she said that she felt a bit tired and preferred to set up camp right there as there was quite a big open space. I would have walked a couple of miles more as I felt really good but decided to join for the good company.

This was to be my first night cowboy camping and it was an amazing experience. The sky was packed with stars and around us, nature seemed to be getting awake with so many birds, cigars, and other animals starting a big concert. The ground was soft, dry, and warm and I fell asleep pretty fast. Woke up a few times to marvel again at the sky and the awakened wildlife around us.

DAY 34 (June 3)
To Casa de Luna/The Andersons

Giggles decided suddenly to return to recover missed miles between the Agua Dulce grocery store and the small kiosk/convenience store

Hiked till 11.30 and could bear with heat surprisingly well. found shade below a bigger bush which slowly disappeared so I decided to walk 3 more miles at 2 pm to get to a shaded campground. Met Pickles there, took a nap, and continued hiking at around 4h30/5 pm with only half a liter of water left and still 6 miles to go.

Mentally exhausting.

Arrived very thirsty at the ranger station around 19h where I took 2 liters of water and drank 1 right away. Some people would camp there close to the ranger station and I was tempted to do so too but decided to continue although the sun was going down already. With my headlamp on I walked down the road following indications from a Dutch guy to the supermarket in Green Valley. Once there I saw some hikers who could tell me the way to Casa de Luna.

There were quite a few people (mainly the crowd that had headed out of hiker heaven the day before) and luckily there were still enough leftovers from Teri Anderson's famous taco salad.

DAY 35 (June 4)
Zero day at Casa de Luna
0 Miles

Laundry, relaxing on the sofas & taking a shower. Child atmosphere smarmy hikers left around noon for some restaurant further up on trail in order to hike out later from there and save some of the road walking due to the closure.

I initially had planned to hike out late afternoon but decided otherwise as I did not want to walk the road alone at night. Giggles arrived sometime in the afternoon and hung out too but took a chance to get a ride to the Ranger Station to camp there and be closer to the trail around 8 pm.

DAY 36 (June 5)
To Upper Shake CG (Mile 493.4)

Detour around powerhouse closure. Got up at 4 am. Started walking at 5 am

Walked back to the ranger station to pick up another liter of water. Met Giggles who was about to start breakfast and had a coffee with her. We started walking on the road for about 2 miles and then turned to Lake Elisabeth Rd. Around 9.30 and after roughly 6-8 miles we arrived at the Rock Inn a restaurant. Despite the hour, we decided to have breakfast (unfortunately would be hotter once we had finished).

Interestingly, we passed by a place where apparently ostrich races would take place. We took a quick look and although we stayed quite a bit away from the fence, two ostriches approached rapidly and made some weird movements in front of us.

Around lunchtime, we decided to take a nap below a shaded tree which looked like a perfect place to have a siesta: with branches reaching almost to the bottom providing shade all around and protecting from views from outside.

DAY 37 (June 6)
To Tentsite Mile 510.9

Giggles left early that day as her bladder had leaked that night and she wanted to get to the next water asap.

I felt a bit tired of hiking that day and also a bit homesick. Plus the were a lot of annoying flies driving me nuts.

Long lunch break in the grass from 1.30 to 4.30 pm close by a water cistern. 

Late afternoon I passed by the cosy horse trail CG but decided to walk a bit further until 7 pm. I finally set up my tent at a small tent site by a dry spring. My feet were hurting: one with a blister, the other one's shin muscle tense which hurts especially downhill. Was very hot that night but impossible to let the tent open as a lot of bugs/flies around. Slept very well despite the heat.

DAY 38 (June 7)
Wandering the Aquaduct 
To Hikertown/Highway 138 (morning) / To approx. Mile 527 (night)

The alarm went off at 4.20 am but I felt cosy in my tent so I stayed a bit more. Had breakfast after cleaning and taping the new skin of my blister and discovered that cold coffee with milk powder is delicious too … at least when on trail and when it is warm already in the morning. Too lazy to get out (and clean) the stove again, just wanted to get going while still having my beloved coffee :)

Finally took off at 6.20 am. The walk to Hikertown was quite easy, with no big ups and downs, no stones, just flat ground, arrived there around 9.30. A bit of a bizarre place but cool at the same time. Especially as I did not see anyone in the first place. The whole scenery looked like a town in a cowboy movie where it’s hot and everyone hangs out in the bar. Really bizarre!

Giggles and Legs had spent the night there camping. Good finds when checking hiker boxes. Needed to stock up a bit as I had eaten more than expected the last few days since picking up my box in Acton. Especially running out of snacks/bars and tortillas/bread for lunch (and wet wipes!)

Had a chat with people already there and when Bob, the owner, showed up had a ride to the small shop/bar about 4 miles away. Got a burger and my groceries and hung out in the airconditioned room with Pritica, Neon, Hawaii, and another hiker couple.

After going back to Hikertown did laundry, showered, and tried to relax despite the heat. I was not tired enough to sleep though (or afraid that I was getting even more tired when sleeping).

People started out hiking at 6 pm and with Giggles we left at 7 pm. The temperature and air were perfect for walking and it was a great feeling walking along the aqueduct with open water.

The trail made a turn and then ran parallel to the "old" closed aqueduct pipeline. When we walked alongside some properties I recalled that I had read some hiker's comment somewhere that there may be stray dogs in that area. Shortly after mentioning that to Giggles some dogs came running from the property we were just passing by. Luckily there was a fence so not much of a worry. Once we continued they suddenly appeared again and the small dog could pass through a hole below the fence. He was barking at us and almost seemed more scared of us than we were of him. Shortly after that though the bigger dog managed to get through the fence which scared the both of us quite a bit. Luckily he did not come down to the road and just ran alongside the property.

Once it got dark we continued hiking without headlamps for quite a bit as it was not that dark despite the new moon. At around 10 pm My feet started to get sore and I just did not feel like walking anymore. I was looking for some spot to pitch my tent and finally set it up behind some bushes. Giggles decided to take a break and a quick nap but still wanted to continue. My tent held up perfectly against the wind and with the help of my earplugs, I eventually fell asleep despite the still prevailing warmth.

DAY 39 (June 8): Under the bridge
To Tylerhorse Canyon

Took Ibuprofen for pain in my lower shin bone that had already started the night before.

I had a slight pain all the way to Cottonwood Creek & Faucet (approximately 7 miles away from where I had camped) but nothing that would keep me from walking. Also, the sunrise and morning were stunning so I did not pay too much attention to it. The way to the faucet took a bit longer than expected (either due to me taking too many photos or due to walking slower). When I got there the only people left there was the young couple I had met at Hikertown before. They were filling up water and left shortly after (heading to Tylerhorse as well).

I filled up my bottles, had a snack and when I was about to leave Buttonizer and Tortoise arrived. We briefly talked and they headed down to a shady spot below the bridge. I crossed the latter and realized that the pain had gotten worse and that I would not be able to make the 7 Miles to the next water in that state; not in a reasonable time or not at all. I turned around and joined the two others below the bridge. Tortoise (a former triathlon runner) gave some good tips on how to deal with it (ibuprofen, massage, ice, and most importantly rest) and before leaving gave me some of their Ibuprofen tablets (I thankfully took them although as a reserve but had already taken the maximum dose of 600mg that morning).

The thought that I had to spend my whole afternoon below the bridge, unable to join the others at the next water spot where we planned to wait out the heat left me a bit disappointed at first. I went up to the faucet again, grabbed and filled a water container, headed down to the shade again, and started wrapping a wet towel around my foot to let it then rest on my backpack.

Not long after that a hiker arrived and bit by bit the space under the bridge filled up with some 15 people who had either hiked out from Hikertown at night or had camped somewhere in between. I met some hikers I had seen somewhere before and finally had some good company.

To our surprise, a guy arrived with sodas, fruit, and burritos! Trail magic!

After this little feast, everyone tried to take a nap. Not easy though with the heavy winds that suddenly started blowing, swirling gravel all around. I kept on switching between wrapping a cold towel around my foot and massaging it in the hope that it to get better and to be able to hike out late afternoon to Tylerhorse Canyon campground.

Some hikers started heading out as early as 3.30 pm (understandably as it got uncomfortable with all the wind and sand) but I felt it was way too hot still. I finally left at 5.30 anxious about how my foot would feel. It was not pain-free but ok to walk. Unfortunately, I accidentally got off trail shortly after leaving. I only realized it when I suddenly saw a footpath going up a hill wondering where it would lead too. Apparently, I was not the only one missing a turn. Once back on track walking became very exhausting as the trail basically crossed the wind farm. Heavy winds from ahead almost made it impossible to walk; at least it did not feel like moving forward.

At some point, two girls that I knew from hanging out under the bridge passed me and suddenly I was wondering why I did not use my tracking poles to support my foot! Instantly had the feeling walking became easier, not only for the support but also as it gave some kind of a rhythm to my walk.

DAY 40 (June 9)
To Tehachapi
17 miles

Woke up a few times at night and was still tired in the morning. Could not figure out a comfortable position with my leg on top of my backpack. Always felt like sleeping on the side but refrained from doing so in the hope that putting my leg up would help reduce my ankle's swelling.

Most people had already left camp, just saw Allegra arriving and filling up water by the spring. Once I started walking I felt it was still better than the day before. Also, it was a lot of uphill in the morning which is easier on the ankle than downhill.

Took a short break after the first major ascent and Benchy caught up. We walked together and stopped for a longer lunch break around 11.30 and Allegra joint for a while shortly after.

I walked the remaining 8 miles alone (Benchy left a bit earlier) in 3.5 hours which is not too bad taking into account my foot issue. When reaching the highway there suddenly was Legend (a "famous" trail angel) distributing Oreo cookies to everyone arriving. Together with Benchy and Bourbon, I hopped into a young lady’s car who gave us a ride to Tehachapi.

I checked in at the Santa Fe Motel where - after taking a shower - I rested my foot on a big bag of ice on the bed.