Day 31: left this windless hell hole and the cute trail magic set up to head out for Tehachapi. It’s still windy, but now also foggy and cold. I had to wear all of my gear, pants, puffy, gloves, beanie, and even my poncho just for some added warmth. I hiked the initial 8 miles down the mountain to a picnic table and a spot where we could hitch to town if we wanted. Right before was a trail registers, a nice binder you could write the date, your trial name in, and any notes you wanted. I remember Scotty and the Unicorn saying something about the cold dampness, and many others commented on the wind. I struggled to even write my name my hands were so cold. From this spot It’s supposed to be a harder hitch then you have to come back and hike the next 8 miles, so we didn’t plan to hitch from this spot. I stopped at the table to try and eat some breakfast and make hot tea since I was way too cold to earlier. I scattered my tent and fly around on posts to try and let them dry out. T kind of worked I just had to make sure a couple times they weren’t going to fly away. Meg came and we chatted for a bit, then Stats (Moritz) he got his name because this guy knows everything and would always give updates. 8.1m to town…..3m to water. 1,274 ft of elevation gain. And he is the smartest 19 year old on the planet. Hefty was behind us a bit and we took off. Fighting the wind in most of our steps. We looked drunk. We’d walk fine then BAM wind would hit and we’d take a few tripping steps off the trail to try and catch ourselves. Then you’d fight against the wind and itd suddenly stop and you’d fall that way. It was sometimes scary. You’re up high on this ridge with little control. But more fucking windmills, then finally at the top of the hill you can see switch backs going all the way to the road. In my beanie and green poncho I took of running. It helped my knees, it’s faster, and it’s fun. I kept going and going and going and going until I hit the road. Meg told me I look like a samari in my poncho. We walk to the highway and after not too long get a hitch from a nice woman who works for the wind farms. She dropped us at the BBQ joint where they have teepees set up for free Spot to sleep. But they were full. So we ate, best Mac n cheese ever! And headed to the best western to get a room. Not even going to go into the poor customer service we received. Went to get pizza, got some cheap wine from Kmart and went back to the hotel and hug with Freckles, Tim, Dash, and Tapeworm in the hot tub.

Day 30: the aqueduct day! I thought it was going to be a nice mellow day. Easy, flat lands and just road walking. And it was for awhile. Meg went off ahead, her long legs! She can move so fast!!! I listened to some podcasts a @joerogan with Dennis McKenna on physchadelics, and Sam Harris on how social media is literally designed and has specific people who make it so we spend more time on these apps. All these things just competing for our time, and none of them really do us much good. My mind is still always wandering, never silent. It’s been 500 miles and I still don’t really feel like I’m hiking the PCT, when will it? And why is time going so fast?? Ahhh. I don’t want it to end, I love this life with these beautiful people. Well after lunch SHIT GOT REAL! The fucking wind farms happened. Later, we found out we were in the middle of this during a high wind storm. We are near Tehachapi which, along parts of the PCT holds one of the largest wind farms in the country. And we had to walk through a lot of it. It was so annoying, I was getting thrown everywhere. I decided to not even stop for water or to eat, because it wouldn’t have been relaxing. I just have to keep walking and get through this. Sometimes I felt like I wasn’t moving. Then the wind would shift and shove me off the trail. FUCK YOU!!! I kept going through the farm, then up the big ridge and incline to where some trail magic supposedly was, and it’s where I planned to camp. Making this my first 30 mile day!! A big milestone. I passed the water that gave a quick break from the wind and hiked on, the ridge line was still windy but far less than on the desert floor. Finally, made it to mile 549. Camp. And Freckles, Tim, and Dash were there! It was only about 4:30 and they were hiking 8 more miles to get into Tehachapi tonight. The trail magic was just water and chairs. I tried to find a spot in between the Bush to block the wind for my tent. I found a place but it didn’t help much, my poles were bending all over trying to set up. Finally I got it up, then Meg came, then Stats! He did 32 today!!! Amazing. The wind was relentless here at camp. I didn’t sleep even an hour. My tent pushed against me and slapped all night making obnoxious noise. Stats had to get up in the middle of the night to fix his tent because the wind was knocking it down. The winds were around 60mph I think. I didn’t sleep so it seemed pointless to just lay there, but I did. Luckily though. My tent held up. Now only 17.5 miles to Tehachapi and a much needed 0 day.

Day 29: woke up cold as shit. As we waited for Hefty to get all packed up we decided to be goofy and move around. I started dancing around and doing jumping jacks. Then Hefty joined in and we played ninja! So fun and a good warm up! We got a late start due to the cold and moisture in the air. Why is it so damn cold in the desert? Apparently it’s because there are no plants around to absorb sunlight and retain the heat. So when the sun goes down…so does the temp….dramatically. We began hiking and it decided to hail on us, but before we knew it we were at mile 500!! How? What? How is it going so fast? It’s funny to think how big of a deal it was to hit 100 miles. Now 500?..wow. “But I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more “🎵🎶19 miles for the day and we hit hiker town. Not sure how to explain it. It’s like a set for a play. Everything has labels on it, even though it’s all just bedrooms. But it was nasty. We saw Striders room and Meg and I knew we weren’t going to stay there. So we headed out and the boys stayed. We didn’t walk far, but far enough away. Walked Past lots of old gadgets and tools just sitting there in the desert. Then there it was, the aqueduct which tomorrow we will be walking along for many many miles. Potentially the most boring part of the trail. Fortunately this part of the aqueduct was not covered so we got to camp next to some nice calm water. It was one of my fave campsites yet. The sunset was unreal beautiful. We sat and enjoyed our waterfront dinner and I had another guest join me, a spider that kept coming around. It was on my stuff, then on my tent. So crazy. I took it as my spirit animal for the moment. It’s all about being creative, patient, and open with your life. We weave on our webs ya know? We create our own destiny.

Day 28: I woke up and had a bunch of pancakes that Terri made the hikers. Fully carbed up and ready to go! Little foot was giving rides back to the trail and we hopped in. Planned for a short 20 mile day since we started later than usual. The day overall had a lot of elevation gain, it wasn’t necessarily hard but just consistently there. Ate lunch with some beautiful people, my fam plus Dash, Freckles, and Tim, on a dirt road. I used all my battery up and spent a long time trying to find a way to listen to the Warriors play off game. I hate missing these games. But we always seem to be leaving the day they play or arriving to town the day after. I wrote very little in my journal today and nothing really stands out. Also just wrote it was cold and windy, and a trek to the water from camp.

Day 26: hiker heaven= AMAZING! It’s so beautiful how kind people are to us for no reason other than they want to share love and give. I am so beyond grateful and can’t wait to be a trail angel in the coming years. But today was rough, literally felt worse than maybe I ever have in my life from eating too damn much. Me and the gang had quite the bfast feast. A $2.50 apple pie from Meg, Cinnamon rolls from Hefty, Lemon pound cake from me, cookies with fudge from the hiker box…I think that’s it. Yea I ate like 2 pieces of pie, a cinnamon roll, a few cookies, and basically the entire pound cake because it’s so good and nobody else eats it! I felt sick all day. While the fam had pizza I struggled sitting in the restaurant trying to not get sick. And instead of taking a ride back to the house I had to walk. Why did I do that? Also, I don’t want to say much because it’s not my business to tell online but it is funny how as hikers we become totally comfortable talking about our poops with each other even while eating 😂. Today I also learned Calvin, Twister, got into medical school! So I made him a card and got him a big slice of Tiramisu I’m so happy for him. He got his name from the day I did my big 29 miles with Moritz. He was camping with Hefty and Meg and Simon, when his tent literally blew away from the wind. They all had to go searching for it and found it, torn up. 😢 but it made for a good story! When we got back the gang packed up to leave but I had to stay and wait for a care package from my PCT mentor and good friend Halle. I hated having to wait behind but it ended up being so worth it. She got me so many amazing things! Homemade cowboy cookies, best things ever! Yogurt pretzels, D. Choc almonds and espresso beans. Nut butters. Ahh so thankful. But now my pack is really fucking heavy because I already resupplied so I have double the food I need. But I paid for this food so I’m not tossing it. So I packed up and headed out. I didn’t plan to go far, just get to a campsite. But me being me I went 8 miles hiking into the dark. I had really been wanting to camp alone and Meg and I had talked about it. Apparently I passed them while hiking and didn’t see them but she was kind enough to let me go to camp solo. Such a good friend ❤️. Except some guy ended up camping right next to me..oh what the PCT teaches you.

Day 25: Woke up at 6am and started the 18 mile hike to Hiker Heaven. But at 9am I did something very unusual. I stopped and took a 45 min rest and decided to eat “lunch”. That way I didn’t have to stop again before getting to town. Hummus and spinach wrap! So good!! The next and last 10 miles were brutal. It was really hot and I so badly just wanted to be there. I took off on the uphill and just decided to race against myself. I was craving a cold Gatorade so bad. Ran, literally, on the massive downhill to Vasquez Rocks. They’re famous for being in movies but I didn’t care at all. I was ready to be done!!! I had a bit of a road walk into town which seemed crazy long, but finally I found a small convenience store and got a Gatorade and Pineapple Coconut popsicle. Heaven! Stats came up a few min after and we headed to walk the extra bit to H.H. But local Jim was too the rescue. He was sitting eating with some friends and offered us a ride of his tractor. Hell yes! And then we were there! We opened the gate and there were teepees and dogs, and horses, and chickens. Literally heaven. The garage was stacked with organized resupply boxes. One teepee had computers and internet stuff, one awesome loaner clothes for us to wear while they do our laundry. The back yard was massive. Tents scattered as well as small trailers. Soon all my friends were there with me. Meg, Hefty, Moritz, Crusher, Emi and Russ, Prince, Meatbolt and more. And got to know Tim and Freckles a little more at dinner! Now going to sleep looking at the big beautiful moon ❤️

Day 24: above the clouds! Today was much better I got up and ate a donut I brought from the bakery for breakfast! Best idea ever! Then headed off, it was cold and I worried about slipping more but soon the snow was gone from the trail as I headed down to the road. Finally, just walking again. Today was just 24 miles because of a fire closure not allowing camping I knew I had to camp at a ranger station at mile 436. I was in a much better place today as I got to hike above the clouds, listening to Nahko. It was mystical and beautiful. I met Crusher, from Tx on the way to water. Super cool dude! At H20 the rests of the fam made it there and we hung out, and the talenti cup came very useful at this trickling water source!! Met Dash at the water, this is where I first remember meeting him, and Tapeworm was there too. And we finally got Zeph his trail name! Trash bag, no wait what if you’re at the bar talking to a girl and someone yells “HEY TRASH BAG” haha no bueno, good save Tapeworm. So we changed it to Hefty! We were cracking up!!! This came because he was carrying multiple trash bags in his pack. As a liner and giant food bag. And he’s really skinny so it made it funny ironic. Kept on cruising to camp where we had a fun tent city. The whole gang was there, Em and Lou showed up at dinner and we sat at a table cold chatting before all drifting off to sleep in our warm bags ready to get to get to the Sauffleys place, Hiker heaven tomorrow ❤️❤️ only 18 miles!

Woke up and went to the bakery with Meg and had the most delicious cinnamon roll ever, and a bfast burrito. After we headed to the store and found Calvin! We sat with him and the guys and ate ice cream before heading out at 12. Our hitch was hilarious, so hyper and happy. She was sweet. Then we headed up to the summit of Baden Powell. Another snowy mountain in the desert. The way up was pretty great. I crushed the switch backs and slowed a bit on the snow but Made it up. There was no trail in the snow just footprints to follow, some that led to nowhere. At the top I met up with the gang. It was cold and windy but a nice couple was there for the day and offered us their hot cocoa and peppermint schnapps!! After the summit it was all downhill. Literally and figuratively. The guys took off as they are good with the snow but Meg and I are a bit slower. I fell about 4x today and one was off the side and I had to use my trekking pole to stop from sliding and climb back up. Literally 20 sec after I got up I heard something behind me and Meg fell in the exact spot. She couldn’t get back up so slid down until a rock stopped her, then we found a path to be able to use branches to get back to the trail. We’re both annoyed and I’m doubting myself. Am I even athletic? Why am I so bad at this? Can I make it through the sierras? I don’t think I can. I don’t know if I can finish the trail. Why are the damn trees dumping snow on us? I’m sick of being cold and wet this isn’t fun. It’s dumb. Why am I out here? We got to Little Jimmy CG and everyone I Love was there but I was in no mood I just wanted to eat and be warm in my tent. But I hung by the fire with everyone for a bit feeling bad for being so negative. Today there were lots of doubts. Am I ready for this battle? This is so much more mental than physical, I see that now. What if I can’t finish? It’s supposed to rain more tomorrow….UGGGHHH. And there’s supposedly lots of bears around here, I hope none come.

Day 22: Week 3? Already? I got almost emotional thinking about it. Why is it going by so fast? Craziness. Today was brutal, but the most beautiful day yet. Didn’t start until later than usual, 7am, but we had 22 miles to get to Wrightwood and about a 5,000 foot climb. T rained on us all night, and continued to rain, and sleet and snow at the higher elevations. Luckily we camped where we did Tapeworm told us it got down to 17-18 degrees at the top last night. A snow storm was coming in so I played no games. I hiked the 22 miles straight only stopping a couple of times to go to the bathroom. I knew in the morning I wasn’t going to want to stop so I pre-made a PB tortilla wrap to eat later. I hiked most of the day alone, from what I can remember. Following Moritz footsteps and knowing Megan and Zeph were a little behind me. It’s so funny how we all came to recognize each other’s foot prints. In the early afternoon I ate my wrap and continued walking. It was so beautiful. Walked through inches of snow, through and under ski lifts, lots of pine trees with snow lightly covering them. Then I passed through a Burn area which have a certain energy to them, but this was so different since it was covered by fog and snow. I knew I was getting close to the road and started walking faster. I was crashing. I had been cold all morning and had barely eaten anything. Colin down the hill I could hear the cars and there it finally was! I stood for awhile trying to get a hitch but no luck. Then Megan came down the hill and within a couple minutes 2 kind women picked us up. One worked in Mojave which would be a town we’d be at soon. They dropped us at the hardware store and we called around to trail angels trying to find a place to stay. But every hiker was staying in town due to the storm. And now it was coming down hard! I haven’t seen it snow that hard in many years. Moritz met us at the store and brought us literally the best veggie pizza I’ve ever eaten. Then us 3 headed to a bar to meet Tapeworm, and Z came soon after. Tapeworm offered to let us stay in his room. The owner didn’t like it and made us pay extra, he was rude. Wrightwood is such a beautiful town. Small and quaint And everything is in walking distance! The people are beautiful and look at us hikers as heroes in a weird way. They’re so supportive and surprised by what we have accomplished so far. 350 miles of 2,650. After settling in, showering, and watching some tv we headed to Mexican food. It was amazing I had the best vegan burrito. Any burrito filled with French fries is to die for. And all my loves were there. Prince, Lone Wolf, Hummingbird, Simba, Emi, and Russ. So nice to see them. (And literally right now today I am missing them tons, so rare to find such beautiful people)