On 5/30 we did 20.2 miles to just south of Green Valley and slept at 3,711 feet. On 5/31 we did 21.7 miles to Saw Mill Campground and slept at 5,000 feet. On 6/1 we did 19.4 miles to Hiker Town and slept at 3,050. On 6/2 we took a zero at Hiker Town. On 6/3-6/4 we night hiked 24 miles to Tyler horse Canyon. On 6/4-6/5 we night hiked 24 miles to Tehachapi for a resupply.
So we just entered to Mojave Desert, it's hot, like real hot. There is a national heat advisory in southern California which is a great time to enter the Mojave, the thermometer is reading 100 degrees in the shade. I thought of some good analogies but I believe Robin Williams explains it the best: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gwsyU0PD1zc.
It was quite an impressive view coming down the last mountain and looking at the flat desert floor below us disappear into the horizon. I would have appreciated it more if the reality of crossing the desert wasn't starting to sink in. They call California the Golden State... I think it's because when everything dies from the heat it turns golden yellow. Apparently we have been miss judging our water consumption in the heat and arriving at our water sources completely dry. It's a real concern that we will sweat out all of our water and get dehydrated far before the next water source. In order to reduce the risk we are going to do what every other mamamal in the desert does and go nocturnal.
On 6/1 we arrived at Hiker Town, which is definitely one of the most bizzare/unique places we have stayed. The town is on private property and comprised of old western movie set buildings that you can sleep in. The old western town isn't the most bizzare part, it's all of the weird memorabilia and the dolls with guns that gives this place a very strange vibe. While the place is strange it did provide shade to protect us from the sun and allowed us to rest up before the push to Tehachapi.
After taking a zero day, we left Hiker Town around 6 in the afternoon and for next 20 miles we followed the Los Angeles aqueduct through the dessert. The aqueduct is above ground for about 7 miles of the hike and quite fun to walk along/atop. The aqueduct, which is stealing- I mean 'conveying'- water from the eastern Sierra to LA, is a giant steel pipe and eerily exposed and vulnerable. It was a moonless night and by 10 pm the stars were lighting up the sky. Our camera phones are not capable of taking night sky pictures so you will have to trust us it was gorgeous and silhouetted with Joshua trees. I don't know if it is normal or if we caught it at the right time but there was a shooting star every 5 minutes. Between the late night hike and an early morning push, we made it just short of 24 miles where there was a small creek to get water and rest during the day. Over night we had a few hour 'nap' under a wind turbine, getting up at 5 am and pushing for the canyon. We set up our tent in the canyon to sleep away the day. The tent does a good job of keeping water out, but the fabric is translucent and won't keep out the sun's heat. We ended up draping our extra clothes over the tent for additional shade, but I think the tent turned into a green house and we were having to drink water ever 30 minutes to make up for the sweat we were losing while we tried to rest. The second night and day were similar, though the terrain was mountainous and the wind howled. Now in Tehachapi, we have another 130 miles of the Mojave left and are learning how to appreciate the desert which includes a lot of cussing and daydreaming of swimming pools.
Leaving the Mountains and heading into the desert.
She's a keeper?
Unique rock formations before Aqua Dulce
Fred and Ethel celebrating 500 miles
500!
Hanging out at city hall in Hiker Town
Fred and Ethel with the weird dolls in Hiker Town
Following the aqueduct
Walking thru the US largest wind farm, 1,600 MW