June 5, 2008 Pacific Crest Trail

Destination: near Sky Ranch gate
Miles: 20

Adrian:
Is it me, or does Kirsten eat like it's her final meal (last breakfast in this case)? I had a half order of french toast and bacon at the cafe before heading out, she had something called the Paul Bunyon pancake stack plus a side of pork sausage :)

The big news is that after 8 trail miles this morning we crossed Hwy 58 and officially entered the Sierra Nevada, range of light. Make no mistake that the hills still look quite like they did before we entered the new range, but geographically we are there. So today, June 5, is the day we start our epic traverse of the Sierra Nevada Mountains from south to north by foot. That speaks volumes...ya know?

Wayne, a trail angel based in Tehachapi, gave Kirsten and I a ride back to the trail and the day started with rolling grasslands mixed with 100-foot high wind turbines. Fortunately for us, and not so for the wind farm owners, the wind was far less than it was when we descended to this point two days ago. We kept an eye out for the cantankerous Mojave Green Rattler with its neuro and respiratory toxin venom, by far the most dangerous snake we'll see on this trip.

I bought an Ace bandage for the shin splints and it seems to help. It's still very tender. I'm staying off the ibuprofen because the pain is not so bad.

Believe it or not, I actually got my first blister today. It's a small one on my right pinky toe. Thankfully, I caught it early and taped it up before it could grow larger than an eighth of an inch across. I suppose I was naive to think I could go the distance without a single one.

We camped on a nice ridge with good views to the east, which should provide for a nice sunrise and early sun to warm us up. It's chilly tonight and winds are moderate out of the east. The sky is clear and the stars are great.

Tomorrow we finish off this 25-mile waterless stretch at Golden Oak Spring and start an 18-mile stretch to Robin Bird Spring. After that the water situation ease a bit.

Kirsten:
I'm not sure why I continue to stuff myself on the mornings we leave a town and plan on hiking 20 miles. This morning was no different. I ate many large pancakes and a sausage patty. Then back at the motel room I pounded down a bunch of strawberries and a large juice drink.

It shouldn't surprise me then when those first five miles seemed to go on forever. It's as if the pancakes and syrup were riding along in my pack this morning, slowly dragging me down.

This is probably the heaviest my pack has been since starting the trail in Campo. The first water source is 24 miles away. I carried five liters of water to get me through today and the four miles to the source tomorrow. And then there is the food. We have been stopping in towns every four or five days - about 100 miles. This time we're hiking 144.5 miles to Kennedy Meadows. It doesn't help that I've developed the appetite of a Sumo wrestler.