WINTER WONDERLAND

FROM GAILA:
Before Dick left I was told not to worry until after the 6th day. I forgot to ask him THEN what I was supposed to do?  This time I made sure I knew the rules.  He said, "NOTHING! Not for two weeks at least."  That's easy for him to say - RIGHT? Meanwhile, I am enjoying time with my mom and friends and all is well. (A couple photos at bottom of blog).


FROM DICK:
Day One thru Six:

It rained all night in Lake Isabella. I slept behind a Baptist Church and caught the 5:20 a.m. bus to Walker Pass. By morning the rain had turned into a sleet storm and when I was getting off the bus at the pass everyone was shaking their heads at this crazy man. Five inches of snow was expected but then that was cancelled.  A day later we got the 5 inches.

My worry was not being able to find the trail, but as it turned out it wasn't a problem. There were no human tracks (I never saw another hiker due to the bad weather). So whenever I lost the trail I would look for animal tracks and I could see a little depression. Animals take the path of least resistance so I followed coyote, Bobcat and mountain lion tracks.  If there had been more than 5 inches I would have been in trouble.

Setting up and taking down my tent was a pain in the ass. In the morning it was frozen and when I set it back up at night there would still be snow stuck to it. I am not a big fan of winter camping. I had no idea we were going to get a snowstorm. I had not planned to bail after only hiking 5 days and 85 miles but I kept dreaming of a hot bath.

Great shuttle system 

So I decided to get off the trail and catch a shuttle at Hwy 58 that would take me on a 10 minute ride into the town of Mojave. I got a room at a Motel 6 and was very disappointed when I was told none of the rooms had bathtubs - only showers. That's what I get for going with the cheapest place in town. At least I could do a load of laundry and get everything cleaned up and dried out (including me). I was also dreaming of food, so I headed out in search of a big juicy hamburger.
After a big breakfast I'll be shuttled back to the trail. I'm expecting this section to be flat. I'll be following the LA aqueduct south. I've just hiked 85 miles in cold/freezing weather and now I'll be hiking into the Mojave desert for the next 85 miles in warm/hot weather.

I am so happy with my new gear. My 5 degree sleeping bag is worth it's weight in gold and it's actually lighter than my old 30 degree bag. My possom gloves keep my hands nice and warm. I had on four layers of clothing for 5 days/24 hrs straight.

  

Thankful for my Altra Lone Peak 3.5 Mid Mesh hiking boots. It's like walking on clouds. 

 My gear http://packtoterblog.blogspot.com

For at least 20 miles of the trail it was very windy and there were hundreds of windmills. I even ate lunch sitting on a broken one that had landed near the trail. That must have been one hell of a windstorm to break that apart!

TO BE CONTINUED......

Another interesting RV spotted in the campground.

Enjoying hikes with friends

Waiting for a table at Postino's in downtown Gilbert! Well worth the wait.