PCT: Miles 0-703-The Desert
We did it !! We have finished with the desert and excited by the following section: The mountains of Sierra Nevada!
It has been a while, Hello! I have been walking along the path for almost three (!) Months, and having less time to share publications or be on the Internet, but I also have less desire to do so. In the cities, I am more present at the moment and enjoy luxuries such as chairs, water that does not have to filter and air conditioning 🙂 Having time to rest truly is also a luxury here, and I have been wanting to spend less than that time on my phone, and more laughing with friends around a fire or eating tacos and enjoying fully enjoying food without tricks.
The desert was beautiful, hard and wonderful, I identified 97 species of birds, I walked the aqueduct at night, I walked through wind farms and trees of Joshua, carried water for 17 miles, hid from the sun and woke up with incredible sunrises.
We finished the desert in Mile 703, Kennedy Meadows South and entered the Sierras! More about those soon …
Here is information about the PCTA desert section:https://www.pta.org/discover-the-trail/geography/southern-california/
Some fun statistics:
Total days: 51
Walk days: 45
Zero days (without hiking): 6
Nearby days (below 10): 8
# 10-15 miles days: 10
# 15 – 20 miles days: 20
# more than 20 days: 7
# of bird species: 97 !!!
Night outside: 39
-Noches in a tent: 36
-S cowboy campnoches: 3
Nights inside: 12
-Noches in a bed: 10
-Noches inside not a bed: 2
# showers: 11
-Showers inside: 9
-Outsis: 2
Washed clothes 😕
-Aspán used: 4
-We used: 2
Thoughts about the desert, and starting a walk
Time is strange here. It seems that yesterday I was sitting under a bush to hide from the heat, listening to a California Thrasher for the first time. At the same time, the six miles that took to walk towards Tehachapi in the wind seemed to take four days. It is wild to think that I went from being soaked in the rain and crying in a McDonalds to be fed, showered and comply with Mount Baden-Powell with snow in 36 hours. How did the Mission Creek section, that the path washed and stumbled upon the river rocks for hours, was a shorter time than that and felt like a week?
What a joy is to see trees
And what surprised me the desert section to the fullest. Uploading and more on multiple mountain chains, which go from heat and without shadow and bushes of thickets to sugar pines, fir trees and snow, only to return to wind farms and rattle snakes (5) and wind.
My favorite path town was Idyllwild, where I had the greatest copb salad of my life and my first vegetables on the path (Mile 180). Trail Town: Where we replenish our food, ourselves, we shower, wash everything and return again.
I was frustrated when the heat seemed to overwhelm and I rejoice when we took a cold drink from a trail angel. I sang songs aloud downhill in the wind when no one could listen to me. I saw the brightness of the Milky Way and the Full Moon Illuminate everything.
We saw our first active fire and the first bear on the road (the same day). We walked the aqueduct at night and drank coffee at 6 pm we walked to 1:30 am and then slept under the wind turbines of the second largest wind farm in California.
Life is so simple here.
All my food is in the green bag, all my clothes with orange. Do not discuss what to eat or what to use, I have used the same shirt and shorts the last 50 days.
I rejoice when there is a picnic table in the camp, or when there is toilet paper in a bathroom. I found bodywashing in hikers of hikers and took led towels from the angels of the paths that invite us to their home and talk about coffee. I feel more comfortable sitting on the floor literally anywhere, and a chair is a luxury. Simple things are so simple. They lead me to appreciate small things more and open my eyes to the world around me.
The flowers are everywhere! The new Larkspurs, Western Wallflowers and seeing family faces of brushes, lupines and balsamrootes of arc tip. And wise. So much wise! The smell of sage and lupins, seeing family trees such as juniper and weights. New trees like Pinyon Pins (and Pinyon Jays!) Leaving nowhere from the desert. Seeing the Joshua trees (not really the trees) and the Mojave desert, something completely new!
Every day, I have been maintaining a list of bird species of the day.
It gives me something to expect and be more aware of my environment instead of simply «walking through». I have 97 species of birds! Some outstanding aspects are a western chillar owl, mountain chickadees, Clark’s Nutcracker, Western Pork Media, Pygm Tachuelas and Western Blue Birds, and some «Lives», including a Thrasher from California, California Towhee, Nuttalls Woodpecker, Wrewit and Purple Finch.
It is difficult and rewarding here: I have dealt with the injuries since before the start of the path, and every day I am grateful to say «I am walking on the Pacific Crest Trail» because I did not think it would come so far. Through the pain of the feet and the rattlesnake and the shortage of water and heat, I am still very grateful to be here, doing this with my best friend 
Sierras, I’m so ready for your greatness, beauty, familiarity and difficulties
We are going to the mountains!
703 miles from Mexico
1,947 miles to Canada!
Happy paths,
Bluebird (new path of path!)
PS: The images speak a thousand words, so there are some more photos below just for fun 🙂
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