Today was an early start for a town day. We caught the bus into Tehachapi to get breakfast and run some errands. Lunch was some excellent and very satisfying Greek food, and then we headed across the street to see a movie.

After the movie it was time to do a little work on our day off. We caught a ride back to the trailhead from yesterday and set out to hike an 8-mile section with minimal gear. Hikers call this slack-packing and this is the first time we’ve tried it. Keith graciously carried his pack, some water and our jackets. I walked without anything on my back for the first time in a long time and it felt wonderful. The wind was still bad but much better than yesterday. We had incredible views into the Mojave desert and could see hundreds of windmills of all different models and heights. It was hypnotic. The wind was still strong but not as bad as the previous days.

Before long we reached a ridge and could see the highway and train tracks down below. As usual, we had a few miles of frustratingly gentle switchbacks before we reached the ground. Sometimes they even went up a little, which to me defeats the purpose of building them for descent. Once back on the ground we were more protected from the wind and had a short roadwalk to the highway overpasses. We were briefly delayed by a long passing train, one of many that pass through Mojave and blare their horns all night.

We were going to catch the bus back to town since this is known to be a tough hitch, but while we were waiting a couple came up the off ramp and offered us a ride. Heather and Damien are starting the PCT here but got to Tehachapi too late to return their rental car, so they decided to drive out and see the trailhead. Their misfortune was our gain and we got back to the hotel nearly an hour earlier than we would have by bus. We had enough food to stay in and avoid the wind while we finished up the rest of our chores in preparation for leaving tomorrow. This will be a tough section but it will be exciting to finally reach the mountains!

– Posted from the PCT

Location:Pct mile 566