Sat. August 13        Miles today: 22          Total so far: 1,587.9      So. CA section F

Worried about another hot day ahead, we got up in the dark at 5:00 to break camp and drink some more water.  At first light we began the long, long climb up and out of Bird Spring Pass.  The great thing was, even though the morning was rapidly getting warm, we were climbing in a cool wind, and on the SHADY side of the mountain!  It took over an hour to get up to a saddle where we ate breakfast and enjoyed the “giant bonsai” pinyon pines and the wildflowers among the rocks.

Then came MORE climbing, now in the sun, but not quite as hot as yesterday.  Whew!  It took us till 9:30 am to reach the cute sign that told of the turnoff to Yellow Jacket Spring, where we’d thought we might  get water.  But tacked to a tree nearby was ANOTHER recent sign warming that the “main” Yellow Jacket spring was not reliable, and hikers should go to a different spring where you have to dig a hole, let water seep up, then filter from there.  Not good.  We looked at our water supplies and decided we could manage with what we had, thanks to the water caches.

A little while later, the PCT reached a road.   The guidebook MAPS that Mel had copied for us did not show the fact that the PCT would follow this road to the left, for over two miles, and there was no sign at the junction indicating where we should go.  We were very puzzled and worried about “Where did the PCT go?  Is it on the road?  But which way?”  Fortunately, the guidebook TEXT makes the matter clear, and even though Mel had not bothered to copy the text, in this particular case, one of the map pages “happened” to have the text explaining where to go at this road intersection.  AGAIN, it was God looking out for us.  He knew what we would need, even before we needed it!  So of course, we had to stop and thank Him. 

We’d hiked a mile or so, when we were passed by motorcycle riders in full, colorful “stormtrooper” armor.  We actually met and talked to them later.  They were all big, tall, strong, impressive guys,  but when they heard what we were doing, THEY were impressed by US!  Their leader was guy who looked just like the actor Sean Bean, who plays Boromir in the film “Fellowship of the Ring.”  We had fun talking to him and his buddies before mushing on through a large burned area, where  (as usual for that situation), the wildflowers and bees were doing very well!  Finally we came to where the PCT heads off the road and hunted for shade in the burned-over area where we could rest and eat lunch.  Shade was not easy to find!  Finally we located one unburned “island” of large trees–just what we needed.

After lunch, it was many more miles of walking through the burn, including a bright new PCT emblem on one of the burned trees.  Thankyou to whoever took the time to mark the trail!  And I have to admit, with the trees reduced to blackened pillars with no branches, you do get more mountain VIEWS.   The trail climbed up and up.  We felt as if we’d been just going uphill all day, and it was a bit tough.  But finally the trail headed down for Walker Pass.  Near the bottom, we hit ANOTHER burned area, this one very fresh (only 6 days ago since the fire, we found out.  Yikes, if we hadn’t been delayed in Tehachapi, we would have been walking right into a forest fire!   ANOTHER reason to thank God for the mysterious delay of our box!).

At last, hot, sweaty, dirty and thirsty, we reached Walker Pass Campground and decided to take a couple of “zero hours” there.  Our clothes were so soaked with sweat that when they dried out, they were as stiff as if they’d been starched!  They smelled “interesting”, too.  (Eau de trail!)  Nobody was at the campground, so we made ourselves at home.  We took off our sweaty clothes, rinsed them thoroughly at the faucet, hung them on bushes to dry in the hot sun, and also washed OURSELVES.  I even stuck my whole head under the faucet to rinse my hot, dirty, sweaty hair.  Boy, did it feel good!   And when we put our dry clothes back on, ahh!  (Especially my socks–they felt soft again, instead of stiff with sweat and dirt!)   Bill and I also drank a lot of water, and rested in the shade till late afternoon.

With the arrival of nice, cooler temperatures,  we pushed on across Highway 178 and immediately began ANOTHER climb!  But we were clean, it was lots more pleasant temperature-wise, and we got great views of the pass on the two miles of climbing to the top.  At a saddle, we found a wonderful campsite with a gorgeous sunset view, located among rocks and pinyon pines.  I considered it to be one of the prettiest campsites we’ve had yet, and we two very tired hikers got a good night’s rest.