Decisions - Wednesday, May 28

How does one hike the desert in the company of a heat sensitive redhead? With temperatures predicted in the low 90s, little to no shade and glaring sun this can be a problem.

Possible solutions. Hike at night when the temps are in the low 70s to high 60s. Use a reflective umbrella to make artificial shade while walking. Carry a spray bottle to wet hair, face and body. Provide plenty of fluids. Hide out during the heat of the day in shady bushy areas or erect a shade tarp. These are the options available to lessen the effects of excessive heat on a heat sensitive body.

We applied them all today. After getting to bed at 1:00am we woke at 4:30am with only 3 and a half hours of sleep and quickly packed up and ate. We were hiking by 5:30. The desert was in full bloom, shrubs and flowers. It was magnificent. By 10:30 we had 6.5 miles under our belts, half this days distance, and were shadily ensconced in the Oasis Water Cache, eating first lunch in the shade of overhanging bushes. The Oasis Cache is maintained by the Anderson family. There were about 10 gallons of water, a plastic Frankenstein guarding the entrance, a cooler that had pop and beer, although it was all gone, and a dozen camp chairs. So far, the heat was not too bad, we made it to the water cache with plenty of water, and we had not needed to employ the spray bottle.

We ate lunch while plopped in camp chairs, enjoying the shade and the rest. Hot Legs showed up as we were munching. He is a paramedic in Texas. He got his name because he sun burned his legs so badly in the first few days and now keeps them covered making them hot. Before another 15 minutes passed 4 more hikers joined us at the cache including Johnny Cash and Risky Business (a dead ringer of a young Tom Cruise).

Now came the tough part of desert hiking. Do we just sit in the shade until late afternoon when it cools down and then hike? We had 7 miles left to go and if we waited until 5 we would not get out until after dark. We were hoping to get to Casa de Luna, the Anderson's trail angel retreat, two miles off the trail. We had heard they served dinner every night and we wanted to catch that experience. But if we left now we would be out in the heat of the day. What to do? Decision time. Fueled by a desire to cut the seven miles down to size we packed up and emerged from the shady water cache retreat and headed up the trail. The sun was punishing but a strong wind helped to lessen its effect. After 2 miles the heat was more than we were willing to take. Another mile up the trail the map showed a campsite so we set our sites on it. We kept our eye out for a shady alcove to hide in but saw none before the campsite.

The campsite was a bare patch of ground on a ridge amongst the chest high sage with no shade. We strung our tarp over the bare ground and placed our Tyvex ground tarp beneath and lay down to wait out the sun. We had doubled the tarp to increase its sun blocking ability, but truthfully, it acted more as a greenhouse than a shade maker. I unstuffed our down quilt and tied it atop the tarp. Now we had shade! Nothing like five layers of nylon and 4" of down to stop the sun.

We noticed that no one was on the trail as we hiked and no one passed us while we stayed under the tarp for three hours. We assumed they had all stayed at the shady water cache to wait out the heat.

At 4:30 we disassembled our shelter and started down the trail with 4 miles to go. During our break we had accidentally set Sally's pack on the mouthpiece of her water bladder and drained all the water into the ground. We now had one and a half liters for the two of us for the four miles, a little skimpy to say the least.

We made it to the trail head about 7:00 after being passed by about twelve hikers. We begged a half a liter of water from Day Glo as he passed.

We caught a ride from the first car to pass, a wonderful woman named Toni who drove us directly to the Anderson's. She stopped at the quickie store on the two mile ride to let us buy some sodas. I had refrained from the water to give Sally more while on the trail so I was thirsty. I downed a quart of Gatoraide, a quart of water and a quart of Diet Pepsi before we covered the two miles to the Anderson's.

We arrived to find 30 thru hikers sitting on couches, chairs and milling around the front lawn and driveway, all clapping in time at our arrival. We were given an orientation by a hiker that was injured and therefore helping the Anderson's for a few days. Dinner was being cooked on a gas kitchen stove outside next to the driveway in the dirt as we passed by, headed for the back yard. The back yard was a couple of acres of Manzanita forest with little paths and camping spots hollowed out among the trees. We found a spot and pitched our tent as we heard the call for dinner in ten minutes.

We returned to the street side of the house to find everyone dressed in Hawaiian shirts (required dress for dinner and supplied by the Andersons) lined up for dinner while Terry Anderson barked orders on decorum. Cigarette in one hand, a paddle in the other, she warned us that as we went around the table building our taco salad we were not to hold our plates over the next pot of ingredients lest we spill the previous ingredients into it. The paddle was proffered to swat us in the butt if our plate strayed too close.

On her signal the line started to move and immediately swats were applied. The tendency is to hold your plate close to the pots of beans, cheese, lettuce, hamburger, olives, onions, sour cream and such to avoid spilling food on the ground when ladeling it from pot to plate, but this action is forbidden to avoid mixing of ingredients and a swat on the butt quickly trains one to spill food rather than transfer it. It only took two swats for me to alter my shoveling technique.

The line moved quickly and soon the 50 some PCTers were happily munching on their heaped plates while seated on the couches and chairs in the driveway. Most returned for a second plate, yours included. Some whisperings about sanitary conditions of the food preparation and serving were heard along with concerns for stomach troubles in the days to come, but everyone ate heartily.

With bellies full we sat and talked with Reverend Blisster, M&M, Hot Legs, Bam Bam and others for a few minutes. The pot pipes were being passed around as the beer flowed so we retired to our tent back in the Manzanita forest to try to catch up on the 3 and a half hours of sleep and 24 miles from the night before.

The number and variety of trail angels is amazing. The Warner Springs community center was run by retiries raising money for their center. It was spotlessly clean and orderly. Ziggy and the Bear's was managed by octogenarians Ziggy and the Bear with lots of help from younger folk. They organized trips to town for supplies and had everyone in their small back yard. Saufley's was camping, showers and cots, clean and organized. Casa de Luna was remindful of a Hippi colony with little emphasis on cleanliness but fun loving and endless free food for dinner and breakfast. What they all share in common is kindness, caring and giving.

Tucked in the forest, comfy in our tent, snuggled beneath our down quilt with bellies full we were quickly asleep.

Our experience in the desert today convinced Sally that the upcoming 40 mile crossing of the Mojave was not for her. We decided to hitch hike to bypass the next 180 miles and work our way to Kennedy Meadows, the start of the Sierra Mountains and the end of desert hiking. While in Toni's car on the way to the Anderson's Sally mentioned our plans to Toni and she happily volunteered to drive us the hour to Tehachapi on the other side of the Mojave. From there we can take buses to 9 Mile Canyon Road and then hitch the final leg to Kennedy Meadows. She volunteered to return to the Anderson's at 11:30 tomorrow to pick us up for the ride.