On my 21st day on the PCT, I hiked from Bear Camp along the Liebre Mountain ridge, then descended north into the Antelope Valley and arrived at Hiker Town near Neenach and Lancaster.
From PCT mile 504.0 to 517.6 Total: 13.6 miles 4/27
Once again, I woke up super early, in the dark. It seems to be my modus operandi. In fact, rather than using Bigfoot as a trail name, I could easily have been named Early Bird, except that I met the true Early Bird last year, in 2022, up in Onion Valley while Vicki and I were Trout Fishing. We gave her a ride to the Post Office in Independence, and the two of us traded blog names. She is quite the hiker, having completed the Triple Crown, so check out her blog if you have the time.
Anyway, I got going before dawn. I admit that I was also looking forward to getting a hamburger at the grill near Hiker Town, although I wasn’t entirely sure about staying there. The place seemed a bit odd. But in a totally harmless way. Like most of us Thru Hikers, when you come to think about it!
It was easy hiking along the ridge, and I was all alone, being the first one out of camp. Very peaceful. When the trail turned north and began descending a long ridge toward the valley, Storytime caught up with me. I had a feeling that she may have been jogging a bit. Apparently, last night, I had promised her a spare Pop-Tart that I was carrying. When she found out that I was already gone from camp, well, she couldn’t let that Pop-Tart slip away forever, now could she? I laughed when she mentioned it, as I had forgotten. We sat down on a big fallen log and ate some morning snack together. I gave her an extra Cosmic Brownie, too. We talked about the trail, and especially the upcoming heat wave. It had already started today, but it was supposed to get much hotter tomorrow and the next day. Highs in the nineties down in the valley at 3000 feet elevation. I wasn’t looking forward to it, to be honest. Anyway, within a few minutes another tramily member arrived and the two of them blasted away in front of me. They were fast! Maybe she hadn’t been jogging, after all.
Down at the bottom of the slope was a creek and road running east-west. I stopped in the shade near the creek and took off my pack. Then I scrambled down to the stream and scooped up a bunch of water and splashed it on my head. It felt great, as the day was seriously heating up. I also soaked my hat, as long as I was there. This creek ran along the giant straight crack in the earth that was known as the San Andreas Rift Zone. Yes, the famous fault was directly beneath me. But all seemed calm at the moment. So on I hiked, into the hot sunshine.
There were some rolling hills just north of the Rift Zone, and the trail meandered through them in its typically annoying way, taking far too long to get anywhere. But at least the wildflowers were blooming, and I have to say that they made not only the miles but also the heat worthwhile.
Just the same, the heat grew oppressive at noon, as I got closer to Hikertown. The trail rounded a corner, and I could see it out there, just beyond Highway 138. I stopped and stared. Beyond Hikertown, the trail followed along the Los Angeles Aqueduct, directly across that huge valley before me. In fact, it was seventeen miles from Hikertown to the next water source on the trail, all the way on the other side where the Tehachapi Mountains reigned. I was seriously sweating, even in the dry air, and I sucked down the remains of my water greedily. I wasn’t excited about crossing that thing tomorrow, with an additional ten degrees of temperature. Sounded like asking for a case of heatstroke. But there was nothing that I could do about it now. Maybe I would stay at Hikertown an extra day, until the heatwave broke. At least there was a store, so I wouldn’t use up my hiking food while waiting.
Then I continued down the trail toward the highway, and the end of a thirteen mile day, a bit shorter than my usual fifteen. And it got even hotter. Where was the breeze the weather report mentioned?
I crossed the highway and entered the whimsical domain of Hikertown USA. There were already some hikers present. All around me were small buildings, wooden sheds in actuality, that were painted with amusing Wild West names like Livery and Saloon and Bank. These were for rent for ten bucks per night, or you could tent camp for five. They even had a trailer with air conditioning for a bit more. There was a shady central ramada with chairs and a table, and it had power for charging electronics. There were phones all around this crucial spot.
But I didn’t have time for that, as the van to the store was about to leave. They gave free rides to and from the store, which supposedly was owned by the owners of Hikertown. Very convenient for hikers, and profitable for them. Win Win. There was also another store further down the highway, but you had to hitch there. I didn’t care about that, so I took the ride right away. Then I ordered and ate my burger at the store. It was good to have something besides oatmeal, pop-tarts, cosmic brownies, and ramen for a change.
It was still midafternoon when I came back, and it was hot. I decided to try taking a shower using their primitive open-air setup, which had a propane heater for the water. Just the same, it worked just fine. I had no clean clothes, but at least I was a tiny bit less stinky. PCT hikers tend to get a bit on the ripe side after a week on the trail.
I headed back to the shady zone and snagged a seat at the table. It was fun chatting with all the hikers. Some were heading south from Walker Pass, which they had flopped to after encountering snow near San Jacinto Peak. They were all hoping that the snow would melt enough by the time they got there. After that they would flip up north beyond the Sierra, which would be solidly buried in snow until mid-August, at least. Yes, 2023 was a weird year to be a NOBO thru hiker.
As I sat there, checking out the weather report, I began to have second thoughts about crossing the desert in the heat. Not surprisingly, the latest forecast called for the heatwave to last another three days, at least. I looked around at Hikertown. Could I survive that long in this place? On chips and sodas and burgers from the grill? I wondered how hot it got inside those little wooden sheds they were renting. Staying in a tent would be impossible.
I called Vicki at home. She was leaving later on, on a redeye flight back east to her nephew’s wedding, so getting home with her wasn’t going to happen. But would my son be willing to drive up here to get me? It was a three hour trip. He sounded willing enough. I made the tough decision to bail back home yet again. My son might not arrive until ten PM, but I didn’t care. I was here to enjoy this hike, not participate in a sufferfest, and that was that.
After that, I hung out, but with a different feeling. I didn’t have to decide where I would sleep at Hikertown.
Storytime and her tramily arrived and tried to take a nap in the late afternoon shade. Without much success. They decided to do the classic night hike across Antelope Valley. This is a tried and proven method for late Spring hikers to get things done. And I have to admit that hiking at night is fun. But I was here during a Superbloom Year, and I was not going to miss the flowers. No way, no how.
Since I was heading back home to the land where Cosmic Brownies grow, I gave a few to Storytime and the ladies of her tramily. Sorry guys, but chocolate fudge brownies are more of a lady thing (myself and my sweet tooth notwithstanding). The men didn’t care, as they had just resupplied at the store. Storytime said that they would eat the brownies at midnight on the trail. I liked that idea very much.
They all hiked out once the sun was setting and the air had cooled. It looked like fun, and I felt sad that I wasn’t hiking with them. But it wasn’t going to happen. Storytime gave me some postcards to drop at a mailbox, and I said goodbye. They were a fun group.
After that, I hung out at the table, and had to put on my wind layers. The breeze had kicked in, and it was cold. Another gentleman at the table was a section hiker from Washington, and he was trying to get back to LA for a plane flight. He was using his Uber app, but there were absolutely no takers, even for a long expensive fare like that. Eventually, he asked me if I could help him out. The LA airport wasn’t very far out of my way. He joined my son and I later on that evening, and even chipped in forty bucks for gas! Nice.
I drove the whole way home, as my son had already done his part. It was a bittersweet thing, bailing out on my hike. Especially when it was only for a heatwave. I felt like a wuss. But once home and in my comfy bed my mind was changed. I swore that I would drive back to Hikertown in my own car, and continue on from there. And I would see all those beautiful flowers for myself.
For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page
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