May 4
Took a zero at Cousin Tom Smith’s place yesterday a few miles west of Tehachapi. I enjoyed his hospitality greatly – we drank beer, barbecued steaks one night and then short ribs the next, and finished the night with a round of single malt scotch. We discussed, and I believe solved, all of the worlds major problems. Sadly I neglected to write down our conclusions, so it appears that the President and Congress will be deprived of our insights.
I felt rather nervous as Tom drove me out to the trailhead on hwy 58 and I’m not sure why. This is the last leg of my hike – in 85 miles I will be at Walker Pass, starting my return to civilization. Although there will be challenges on this leg, notably a lack of water, there is nothing that will be harder than what I have already done.
Cousin Tom drops me off at Hwy 58, mi 566
But as always with fears, whether rational or not, the best thing is to acknowledge them and the go ahead and do the thing you intend to do. About 20 steps down the trail I felt completely comfortable and at home. Walking with a pack on my back, all day, every day, now seems just like what I do – as normal as going to work, and a lot less stressful. Continuing on to Canada would not be hard at all if I did not miss my wife so much.
After an easy 2200 ft climb up from the highway, the trail followed a rolling ridge through varied xeric woodlands with nice views of the mountains north and deserts east. And windmills. I was rarely out of sight of windmills, and rarely out of hearing of them either. I’m camped once again in a wind farm as the map shows few prospects of flat spots over the next few miles and the wind farms show no sign of ending. So although I’ve hiked some 18 miles into what looks like a wilderness on the map, it sounds like I’m camped near a freeway. Oh well.
Flowers in the Tehachapis, mi 572