SoCal Magic

The northbounders told us all about how there are tons of awesome trail angels in Southern CA, and that has been so true.

We’d arrived in Ridgecrest in the afternoon and sat ourselves down at a semi-shaded table in front of a Papa John’s, trying to find a place to stay near a laundromat. Because hikers hate walking when in town. While we were searching on our phones, a Papa John’s employee named Sandy came out to our table and asked us what we were doing. We thought we were about to get kicked out of the only shady spot we could find. Instead, she said she lived nearby and offered to let us stay with her. She had to work until late that night, but she said we didn’t have to walk the few blocks to her apartment. She’d call another trail angel friend of hers and see if she could give us a ride. 10 minutes later, we were hanging out with her dogs and two other hikers who were staying with her. We spent the night watching Twister and eating a medium pizza each (it’s tradition), and Sandy took us back to the trail the next morning.

Our next town stop was Tehachapi, where we’d planned on taking a bus from the trailhead into town to find a motel. Evan was ahead of me and got to the trailhead before me. When I caught up a few minutes later, a trail angel named Cheryl happened to be there dropping off three hikers and she offered to take us to her house for the night. We shared dinner with her and her husband, she cooked us breakfast the next morning, and he took us back to the trailhead afterwards.

These people have restored my faith in humanity. I can’t believe how much effort they put into helping total strangers.

We ended our day a few nights ago at my favorite trail magic yet, the Mile 549 Bar and Grill. This spot was fully stocked with water and snacks, along with a small hiker box and an adorable little seating area. Few things make me happier than surprise cookies and bananas on trail. The following morning, I was treated to one of the more memorable sunrises I’ve experienced.

In conclusion, the desert is magical.

Except for the aqueduct section, which was 20 miles of suck. Flat, boring, hot. But I do have the aqueduct section to thank for forcing us to do our longest day yet – 31.4 miles.

And just for fun, here’s a small collection of signs that warned us that wind turbines want to kill us.