We woke up again at 4:30 am. At this stage, the routine is on autopilot. In fact, I was having one of my best nights in a few days when the alarm went off, but the prospect of another hot day and 20+ miles got me moving.
Hummingbird, Shepherd, and I prepared in silence, each doing our own thing: packing our tents, heating water, and eating breakfast. Nate was still asleep. He usually starts a little later than us. We passed it shortly after leaving camp as we began another long uphill climb.
The morning consisted mostly of avoiding the infamous poodle bushes. These beautiful plants, covered in purple flowers, were everywhere around us and lining the path. Despite their pretty appearance and light scent, they are very irritating and can cause serious skin rashes.
It didn’t take long for Shepherd to move forward, while Hummingbird and I settled into our usual rhythm: up, and up, and some more.
After almost three hours, we stopped for a quick snack. Once again, the flies made sure we didn’t stay long. Some of them had even started biting my legs, leaving me scratching like crazy. In the end we gave up and started again.
That morning we didn’t see any people. Most of the trail was in the shade of the forest, but there wasn’t really a nice place to stop. We decided to wait until Sawmill Campground to have lunch.
As usual, lunch consisted of tortillas, tuna, smiling cow cheese, Cheetos, and a generous amount of M&Ms mixed with peanut butter. More importantly, it was the perfect opportunity to take a nap.
A strong but pleasant breeze chased away the flies, although it was cold enough to take out my sleeping bag. I think I fell asleep less than five minutes after laying down on my mat.
A couple of visitors finally woke me up while Hummingbird was still trying to sleep. They were Goosechase and Smokey, who we had met a few days earlier. Smokey is on his way to becoming a Triple Crowner and they are both from North Dakota. We chatted for a while before they left and we went back to packing our bags.
The afternoon passed as smoothly as possible without incident. The nap had given me new energy and my backpack finally seemed willing to cooperate. It was still hot, but the alternating shade and sun, combined with a steady breeze, made the hike quite pleasant, all the way to 500 miles.
We arrived at camp around 7 pm after a detour to a water cistern that required some creative stretching to get to the water.
Surprisingly we were the last to arrive. Shepherd and even Knightrider, usually famous for being the last to arrive at camp after walking late into the night, had already been there for a couple of hours. Also there was Arthur, a British hiker we had met the day before.
We shared dinner, enjoyed good conversation, and all went to bed early.
The plan for the next day was simple: hike about 15 kilometers to Hikertown, spend the hottest hours there, and then tackle the Aqueduct section and wind farms at night, as most hikers do to avoid the desert heat.
Hummingbird and I spent about three hours descending through the last stretches of forest before emerging into rolling meadows and open valleys.
The view over the Mojave Desert was stunning. The contrast between the green and brown forested hills and the yellow tones of the desert was spectacular. In the distance we could already see the wind turbines and solar parks that would soon become our landscape.
We arrived at Hikertown around 11:30 am. Shepherd and Knightrider had arrived an hour before us and were already having lunch at Neenach Market, a few miles away.
We had heard many stories about Hikertown and were curious to see if it deserved its reputation.
I can understand why some people find it strange. It’s essentially a collection of small buildings decorated like an old Western movie set: a bank, a saloon, a doctor’s office, a sheriff’s station, a casino, and more.
But honestly, I liked it right away.
Sure, it takes the cliché a little far, but there was something charmingly old-fashioned about it. More than anything, it felt like an attempt to bring some life and character to the middle of the desert.
A man was asleep inside one of the buildings when I entered and asked where the bathroom was. Instead of getting upset, he offered me a soft drink and explained that someone could take us to Neenach market.
I couldn’t help but feel a little sad that Hikertown was so empty. Clearly a lot of effort had gone into making it a welcoming stop for PCT hikers. You could camp there for free, there were decent bathrooms and showers, huge boxes for hikers, charging stations, shipping services, and even free rides into town.
Another hiker was also there, injured and limping badly. She could barely walk but she was determined to keep going.
After a while, we were told to knock on the door of what seemed to be the only real house in Hikertown.
Richard responded, surrounded by four or five dogs of every shape and color imaginable, all thankfully friendly.
While we were talking, I noticed a huge limousine parked outside. Considering the strange atmosphere of the place, I couldn’t help but ask about it.
Richard explained that he had worked in the film industry years before and somehow ended up purchasing several limousines. Apparently several, including three parked around Hikertown.
He then casually asked if we wanted a ride to Neenach Market.
How could we say no?
And so it was that Hummingbird and I found ourselves riding in a limousine, covered in trail dust, looking like complete hiker trash while sitting in the back of a LIMO.
Definitely not something I expected when starting the PCT.
At Neenach Market we joined the rest of the group. Rabbit and his friends were there, along with a lovely Dutch couple we had met in Agua Dulce, Arthur, Shepherd and Knightrider.
The place was fantastic. There was air conditioning, a charging station, showers, food, and enough cold drinks to keep hikers happy for hours.
I treated myself to a bacon cheeseburger and two Dr Peppers.
We spent most of the afternoon relaxing, catching up with everyone, and planning the evening. FarOut was open on several phones as we discussed water sources and possible campsites. The goal was to walk about 17 miles, starting around 4:30 pm once the worst of the heat had passed.
At one point, a man walked by and asked what we were all doing there. A hiker explained the PCT to him.
Apparently he had never heard of it before.
He entered the store, returned a few minutes later and handed us each a bag of jerky.
There were seven or eight of us.
We are left speechless.
He barely understood what we were doing, but he decided to support us in the simplest and kindest way possible.
His name was Ron and once again the trail reminded me how generous people can be.
Around 4 p.m., Lisetta, who works at the market, offered to take her back to Hikertown. Somehow, six hikers and all of our backpacks managed to squeeze into their vehicle. Arthur probably deserves special recognition for surviving in the middle front seat between two other hikers.
After many laughs and many thanks, we returned alive.
Shepherd came out first, then Hummingbird and I, followed by Knightrider and Arthur.
A couple miles later we regrouped at a water source and officially began our night hike.
The first kilometers followed the Aqueduct itself. We stopped at a tap to fill our water bottles.
The irony was not lost on us. We walked alongside the infrastructure that supplies water to Los Angeles while carefully counting each liter we carried.
Knightrider and Arthur soon caught up to us and the four of us walked together under a beautiful desert sunset.
Honestly, we were a little disappointed when the aqueduct disappeared underground after just a few kilometers. But the Joshua trees, golden sunset light, and vast desert views more than made up for it.
We stopped for a quick dinner before continuing into the evening.
When the darkness settled, the stars appeared. We chatted as we walked, occasionally falling into a comfortable silence. Our feet hit the asphalt. We crossed paths with Rabbit’s group several times. We passed through Lancaster at night, saw kangaroo rats, saw a snake, and watched the flashing red lights of wind turbines spinning endlessly in the distance.
When we finally stopped around 11:30 pm, we had traveled a total of 26 miles/42 km.
We were completely exhausted.
Setting up our tents seemed like too much effort, so we just camped like cowboys.
However, one thing puzzled me.
There was still no sign of Shepherd.
I sent him a text message.
No response.
