Day 37

17 Miles

Not much sleep last night. The guyline that split back in week 1 has been tied back together a couple times, but usually holds just fine. Last night the line pulled through the tensioner around 11:30, and then split again at midnight. At that point we replaced it with a bit of cordage we had picked up in Wrightwood, but hadn’t used yet. I’m a dummy and should have done that already, but was going to wait for our zero in Tehachapi. Marie helped me get the new line run while frantically trying to keep the wind from taking the tent in the middle of the night. Oh, and a big spider decided to crawl on my foot during all of this so it was not a fun time. The wind went on for a while, but the new cordage held perfectly. In the morning we filtered water out of the dwindling flow of the creek that was beside our campsite. We carried out for 25 miles plus water for cooking because the water sources from here to the highway are dried up and the caches are not reliable. The climb up out of Tylerhorse canyon was fine. Sand isn’t fun to walk on because you always lose a bit with each step, and most of the climb was sandy. The grade wasn’t too steep though, so it went smoothly. At the top at mile 549 there was an oasis. Trail angel Daniel had set up two umbrellas for shade with chairs, had a fully stocked pantry of fresh fruit, and just refilled water jugs. It was a welcome surprise to every hiker that came through: Shortstop, A.L.W.A.Y.S (a long walk after years of software(hah!)), Tiger Blood, and Mosey. We thanked Daniel and headed up a bit further to find a spot for lunch. We found a little spot in the trees (the few that existed in this stretch) and ate. While we were there a little bug fell near me and I poked at it a little. It looked like a little rock with arms and would pull them in when threatened. Didn’t think much of it, but later at the hotel I found what might be a tick bite. I suspect that bug had bitten me and I hadn’t noticed. Of course, I started googling for ticks and such and I think it was a Pacific Coast Tick, and as long as it wasn’t carrying any diseases I should be fine. I’ll have to keep an eye on the bite the next few days to see if it develops into anything. Cruising down towards the highway, we passed a bunch of windmills and dreaded the night of wind-interrupted sleep we would surely endure. Instead, we chose the shorter path and took a hitch from Willow Springs Road. To my delight, Magic Man (trail angel from Lake Morena and again at Scissors Crossing), was there doing his thing. Was nice to see him and (very briefly) catch up. The hitch into town was from a guy paying it forward. He had done sections of the JMT so was into hiking and happened to be driving home from work. He dropped us off at our hotel, we checked in, and then browsed the hiker box. Ready for our double zero of relaxation.