Days 36-38

Days 36 -38
Mile 566 - 624
Hwy 58/tehachapi - Below skinner peak
Day 36 - eat all the food!
We woke up feeling refreshed after our zero day. After another delicious breakfast provided by dan we hit the trail by 7:30. It was a beautiful day with great weather. I kept my pants on and Nate even had a long sleeve shirt on. It was a little windy but we were so lucky to not have stability hindering wind like we did coming in to highway 58. We started in Joshua trees and cacti similar to what we saw in the mojave then began a climb that ended in juniper trees and great views of mountains to the north (Sierra!).















We always seem to really enjoy the uphill climbing days and this was no exception. However, our packs were so heavy, 1) because we had to carry 17 miles of water for a waterless stretch and 2) because this is the most food we have carried yet (7 days). We stopped after 3 miles just so we could eat in the hopes of reducing some weight. We met bouncer there for the first time. We tried to eat a lot all day by taking a lot of breaks but eventually couldn't eat anymore. We reached the first water source of 17 miles at about 5:00 and cooked dinner. We met story time and shaggs there. We walked on for maybe another half mile before finding a spot right behind some windmills.





Day 37 - bear country
This morning was so pretty. When we got up we didn't even want to leave camp right away. We just sat around. It was calm, sunny, clear, and peaceful. The morning hike was also very peaceful and quiet in juniper trees and it stayed fairly cool. Eventually we climbed up into a more forested section with pine and oak trees.





We got amazing views again and we kept guessing what we would see around each turn: Sierra mountains or another hill.





We needed to hike18 miles for water and made it there by 4. We filtered enough water to get us through another 22 mile dry section and ate dinner there. We walked a few more miles where we set up camp. There have been bear sightings here so we buried all of our food in odor proof bags.
Day 38 - Desert, welcome back
It was another cold beautiful morning. It started with a steep climb up to a meadow.





We know we are getting close to the Sierra because all of our climbs are becoming steeper. We can see them everyday in the distance and we are getting excited! today was a day full of wildlife encounters. We saw a couple deer, a rattlesnake, squirrels and chipmunks, and a lizard that seemed to want to pose for the camera.





After the walk through the meadow we dropped back into the desert.





It just looks hot. Thankfully there was water at a cache 14 miles from yesterday's water. While we were there we met kindergarten cop who we have been following on the registers since the beginning. He is a retired LA cop who now teaches kindergarten and is a forest ranger and he was really fun to talk to. From the cache the next reliable source was 30 miles away! There was a possible cache 20 miles away but we don't like to rely on them so we carried 14.5 liters combined away from the cache. It's a good thing we did because it was really hot, uphill, and exposed for the next 8 miles before we found a campsite and we drank 5 liters in those 8 miles and we were worm out afterwords.





We love our campsite again. It is under some wind blown Joshua trees. Just as we got here kindergarten cop left and said he was going to try to make it the 6 miles to the cache that he was relying on.





This section has been so diverse but so trying at times. Because the terrain is so different, there are also more trials to deal with. There has been wind, heat, little water, bears, steeper climbs, heavy packs, and ,as I found out yesterday, pokey plants. We have to say that so far section F has been the most physically difficult. We know many people have also had problems here but we find that even in stressful situations it is hard to be anything but happy out here.
One more note on trail names since some have asked. Out here most people get trail names. It's basically just an easier way to remember each other. Sometimes people complete an entire hike never giving away their real names. Some see it as a symbol of who you are on the trail. I'm not so hot on trail names yet because I don't feel like I'm a different person out here, I'm still just Jenna. However, if I say my name is Jenna, everyone asks for my trail name and then they remember me only by that name. So for the time being I am happy with totem. I got this name because I carry a few things with me that are important to me that I call totems and paint your wagon and tombstone started calling me that right out of idyllwild.
We miss and love everyone. Tomorrows plan: walk.
-jenna (totem)
-Be Free