PCT Days 48 & 49 – Less Is More…Unless

We chose our campsite last night because it was relatively sheltered from the wind. And that is what we got: relative shelter. Compared to some of the sites of the last section, it was fine. I was a little cold, but since we have only 8 miles to go today, we slept in. More sleep fixes poor sleep. At 6:30 we are ready to go.

The plan

The plan is pretty straightforward today. We are heading down to Walker Pass – the passage through the Sierra Nevadas that connect the southern part of Death Valley with California’s Central Valley. California highway 178 runs through the pass.

I have reserved a room in Ridgecrest, a city on the Death Valley side of the pass. I will rest there, get more food and return to the trail to complete this journey I started two years ago.

The early hike

The air is cool this morning. It makes for great hiking. After an initial climb out of camp, we head down to the pass. The valley lies to the east.

After a couple miles the sun is warm and I am feeling comfortable. Comfortable enough to shed some clothes. Maybe all my clothes.

Yes, folks, perhaps I should have warned you in advance. Today, June 21, is the worldwide observance of Hike Naked Day. Dealer has been steeling herself for this moment for days. She has agreed to be my photographer. I do not plan to hike like this for very long, maybe 30 minutes. Some of this skin has seen very little sunlight.

OK, you get the idea.

Anyway, that’s all behind me (no pun intended). Soon I have my clothes back on, I have checked that box, and I can’t wait to get to town!

Not long after that, in a narrow stretch of trail, I see something big heading my way. No it is not the authorities coming to take me in. It’s a burro! And there are two more behind with people leading each one. Seven, Dealer and I have to back up to a place where we can step off the trail to let them by. I have a long video of our conversation with these folks, but I have edited it so you can see the last two burros as they pass.

Finally, in on of the more disturbing episodes of my hike, we meet a man sitting beside the trail. He is heading to Tehachapi, he says. That is the town we left 5 days ago. It is 90 miles away. He asks where the next water is. I tell him it is in 5 miles. He has a pack the size of a middle schooler’s book bag. He has a canteen of water which he says is almost empty. He has no map. He is wearing black denim jeans.

I tell him to turn around and go back; he is not prepared. He won’t. Is he pulling our leg? We let him pass, and then for the next 20 minutes we discuss what just happened. Should we have done more? Will he realize his poor judgment and turn back? It was disturbing. The man obviously was not thinking straight. We are all a little unsettled after that.

Walker Pass

We arrive at Walker Pass. A bus to Ridgecrest passes by here three times a day. The next bus comes by in a couple hours. It’s a long time to wait, so we walk down the road to a place where we can put out our thumbs. I have been lucky in the past with hitches. I feel lucky today. The first car that passes pulls over!

Her name is Alison. She shuffles things around in her car and we all pile into the back. A dog with mixed pit bull heritage takes his place in the front seat.

Nature Ali (as she likes to be called) is a naturalist. She has travelled all over the country observing animals. She is on her way to Tractor Supply to buy a leash for the dog in the car. It is not her dog, but she is watching him for a friend. She can’t control him. The dog seems shifty to me. Skittish. The kind of dog that bites. I am glad it is in the front seat.

She takes us all the way to our hotel in Ridgecrest. It’s about 30 miles. She won’t take any money for gas. We spill out of the car blinking in the sun like snakes that have been dumped out of a dark bucket onto a driveway. We haul our gear inside the Super 8 and get comfy. It’s time to be town animals for a while.

I consume myself with the usual chores: shopping, post office, restaurant food, editing and uploading blog posts, looking at maps of the next section. This time feels different. I can feel the end is near.

I am less than 100 miles from completing this hike – the whole thing. I an excited but nervous. What does it mean to finish? There’s an ache in me that I can’t explain. Maybe I will understand it in time.

• June 21, 2023
• Starting marker: 644.9
• Ending marker: 653.3
• Miles hiked today: 8
• Total PCT miles: 623