Chap. 35 – Aqueduct and Astronomy

The first half of today moved like molasses. Boostie and I did the laundry when we woke up around 7am and then went to Neenach Market for breakfast. Our tram finally got a ride from Hikertown and joined us for several hours.

We all tried our best to take naps on the cots in the back, but the room had no air conditioning, so it seemed impossible to sleep for long. After a couple of hours of trying to take a nap, I gave up and packed my things.

There is a shuttle that runs from Neenach Market to Hikertown and back, but it seemed very unreliable. We told the driver we wanted to return sometime between 5 and 5:30, but then he promised to take a hiker to Hikertown at 6:15 and didn’t want to pick us up until they were dropped off to save gas. It’s only five miles and we couldn’t wait that long. We tried unsuccessfully to hitchhike for about half an hour when a guy in a van at the gas station offered us a ride. Eureka!

I’m glad I managed to fit 4 people in 3 seats.

Finally, in Hikertown, the energy began to build. What had been a quiet and sleepy day quickly turned into an electric and exciting night. We covered ourselves in glow paint, sparkles, glow tattoos, and glow sticks. At 6:30 pm, about twenty of us walked together toward the Los Angeles Aqueduct.

Getting it ready with glow paint, sparkles, and glow sticks!

The PCT follows the Los Angeles Aqueduct for about twenty miles, along the desert floor. That’s why we walk it at night: it’s too hot! As the sun set behind the distant mountain ridge, we walked in single file along the aqueduct. After a few kilometers, we stopped to eat something and regroup a little before the stretch of road.

At our second resting place, we were all feeling fantastic. No one was feeling too tired yet, the stars and galaxy spread out in the sky above us. 70’s music playing on someone’s speaker. I stayed lying on the road, just below me. I felt the sand on the road, picked up some and felt it fall between my fingers. It felt like such a gift to just experience that moment.

Blurry photographs, vivid memories.

A couple of us saw the same shooting stars and gasped at the sight. One of our friends thought he saw another one seconds later, but then realized it was the ashes of someone’s joint they were smoking. That made us all laugh for a while!

A hummingbird moth landed on our friend who wants a hummingbird moth tattoo… how special!

At 30 kilometers, our bodies were on autopilot. My legs kept moving, but my mind shut down. I felt happy and tired, but I kept putting one foot in front of the other. At the last water source before camp, we all gathered to find the tap.

«Guys, look at that!»

We all look up and see something passing through the atmosphere. Space debris? Satellite? It took a while to cross the night sky, but the line behind it was crazy. We all looked in amazement. Then I looked to the right and said, «Uhhhh, what the hell?» Everyone turned to see a giant fireball that seemed to be hurtling towards us. My heart was pounding in my chest. This is not a situation I expected to be in here. Rattlesnakes, bears, of course. But this?

It lasted about 5 seconds before dissipating and my heart rate quickly recovered. We all wanted to believe it was something from space burning up in the atmosphere, but we soon discovered that we had witnessed a SpaceX launch. It’s still cool, I guess… but at the time, it felt like something extraordinary.

(To be continued…)

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!

For more information, visit the About page of this site.