The Adventures of...: Days 32-33

Day 32, 4 miles, endpoint PCT mile 566/Mojave

We left the windfarm early in the morning for a downhill hike that led to Highway 58, our ticket into Mojave. The hill off the windfarm was windy (duh); my face stung from the strength of it pummeling us as we walked. It was a relief to get to lower elevation and out of the high-impact wind area.

It wasn't even 8am when we got to the highway, and before seeing it, we were worried there might not be any traffic and it would be too early to hitch. However, from nearly two miles out we could see the massive highway, complete with semi trucks, multiple lanes of traffic, on and off ramps, and plenty of cars speeding down its flat, open pavement. We were now worried there might be too much high-speed traffic, and hitching would be hard for another reason. It's difficult for cars to stop and pick you up when they can barely see you before thy have passed you by.

There was no other way to town, so we figured we had better try for a ride. It took about 15 minutes before a car stopped, which really isn't bad in the hitching world. We were picked up by a nice couple on their way to LA. During the short trip they asked us why we selected Mojave as our resupply town, as opposed to Tehachapi, another neighboring town option. The only real reason was because the Motel 6 was next to the grocery store (after the experience of traveling a distance to get to the store in Big Bear, we wanted convenient shopping). However, we learned from our drivers that much of Mojave had shut down, the freeway was re-routed away from it, and there wasn't much left in the town. They inferred Tehachapi might have more going for it, and after spending a day here so far, they are probably right.

Mojave is the kind of place that feels lost to history. The train runs straight through town, and it seems like it may have been a bustling town back in the railroad days. But now there are a lot of empty storefronts and large, vacant gravel lots. Our hotel is right by the grocery store, though, so we have everything we need.

This stop has been a busy one: we bought food to last us through most of the Sierras, so we will have several shipments going out. I also spent a lot of time trying to figure out where a lost package I had sent to myself was; turns out I didn't send it to Mojave, it is back in Agua Dulce. I made a mistake and then forgot where I sent it, so I am still trying to figure out how I'm going to get it re-routed. We also got caught up on bills from home and some other boring stuff. Town stops are nice, but the trail is definitely more relaxing.

We still have one more full Mojave day tomorrow, so no hiking just yet. My feet are happy.

We had no idea what we would wake up to after setting up the tent in complete darkness!

Trail view... more wind!

and more wind!

Carla loves posing in this weather!

Trail views.

Leaving the Cameron Ridge Segment. Signs like this are rare.

Day 33, 0 miles, still in Mojave

Today’s rest day was only somewhat restful. I went to the post office for shipping boxes, went back to the grocery store for more food items we would need coming up, organized several week’s worth of food and separated it out into shipping boxes, got caught up on the rest of our bills, did some more laundry, and worked on some other miscellaneous chores. Luckily, there is not much to do in Mojave, so I don’t feel like I am missing out on cool stuff in town by hanging at the hotel room or grocery store all day.

We finally feel like we are ready to hit the trail tomorrow, with only a few things left to do (I’m still not exactly sure where my box from Agua Dulce is going), but overall I think we are in good shape. My feet are feeling much better, and I have brand new socks and shoes, which is huge (we have a sock/shoe shipment sent to us from Josh’s mom at home about every 500 miles). When Josh put on his new shoes (the same brand/model, just a new pair), he said he felt instantly taller. Our other shoes have definitely worn down so much that there is just not much left on the soles.

We have arranged for a ride back to the trailhead tomorrow morning with a guy named Ted who lives here in Mojave and drives hikers around. He charges $5 per person for his services, but I think this time it will be worth the $10 to get to the trail and not be stressed out by trying to hitch. It has been a bit cool and damp today, which would have been perfect hiking weather. Tomorrow is supposed to be hot, with a long 17 mile waterless stretch. Our timing could have been better, but you just can’t plan the weather.