Tehachapi

Matt and I both decided to cowboy, sleeping outside without a tent, at hiker town.  I woke up in the middle of the night with a full moon beaming down upon me, thinking it was someone with a flashlight.  Before the moon came out, the stars were amazing.  Awoken quite early by the call of the many chickens they had running around near where we slept.  Still did not get on the trail as early as we would have liked, but I did get some fresh eggs.  They were almost orange, so I am curious as to what all the chickens ate.  Hiked along the Los Angeles Aqua Duct for a short stint. It was warm with no shade. We survived and made it over twenty miles to the next water source. It was a nice little creek in a valley. Matt got going the next morning before me, and was able to avoid charging through the heat of the day.

We strolled into Tehachapi unsuspecting victims of what was to happen. We did not know where to stay and both of us were getting hungry. We ended up getting a room at a hotel just the two of us. Greatly enjoyed it. Relaxed. Go in the hot tub and pool. Went down to the bar where everyone we asked said people went on the weekend. Had a fun time mingling with some random people. The next day we were headed out of town walking through the art fair, and we ran into a very kind lady. She said she was headed to a great place for meat just up the road. We had heard this from others and told her we would met her there. She had a seat saved for us when we got there. Got to talking to her, and she invited us to come stay on her 60 acre ranch in a 25,000 acre gated community. Of course we said we would love to join her. We stopped at the store and got quite a few steaks for our stay on the ranch. Loved it there! Did some odds and ends for our dear host, and greatly enjoyed the conversations we carried to the wee small hours in the morning. We eventually got a ride back to the trail. Hiked a bit and she picked us back up and we went back to stay at her place for couple more nights. She and Dutchess, a friend of hers, then brought us up to Kennedy Meadows. From there we have enjoyed some spectacular views in the Sierras. Have eaten fresh caught golden trout at a campsite far removed from society above 10,000 feet. Climbed the highest point in the contiguous forty-eight to watch the sunrise. Continue to enjoy each day. Suffering from blisters due to the new super feet and boots my mother was so kind to send to me. We are moving slowly with heavy packs full of food and in no rush. The weather has been spectacular, and we have the food to take our time. Each day brings new and kindred spirits into our lives.