We set the alarm for 6:30 so we would be ready to leave when Ivy and Wolf were ready. I even got up at 6:10 ahead of schedule to pee and I started the coffee then, a full 20 minutes early. I know Bunny was awake because I knocked the boiling pot over and almost set the tent on fire. I gave myself a reward and reset the alarm for 6:45 thinking I’d tell Bunny it was 7 to hurry her up. When the alarm went off, she screamed “snooze!” What could I do? 9 minutes later the same thing. We ended up having breakfast at 7:30.
Wolf had already left to get a jump on the nearly 2000’ climb right off the bat. Ivy stuck around and finished her breakfast while we packed up. The last thing we did was fill up our water bottles for the day from the available cache. As we were filling, a vehicle drove up. I had the intention of trying to get this person to take our garbage—after 6 days, it had grown to well over a pound. The person turned out to be Devilfish, the angel who provides the water here. He actually lives in DC and comes out for a couple of months every year to help hikers. He thru-hiked the PCT in 2013 and this is his way of paying it back.
Ivy was first up the trail. I knew we wouldn’t see her again until we made it to our destination. I was wrong, though. There was a trail register she stopped to sign where we caught up with her. She put her ear buds in and disappeared immediately after. The only evidence we had of her the rest of the day was an occasional foot print sighting.
Today was no different that any other. A 2000’ climb out of the box and a tight calved Bunny equals a 5 minute routine of starts and stops. I would make sure to keep her in my sight at all times but I went on ahead. Every few minutes, I let her catch up. She insisted upon leading because I wouldn’t be able to hear her if she screamed or fell. I discovered an important safety tip for all who follow Bunny (or rather had an olfactory refresher). If Bunny slows down gradually, she is taking a rest stop to catch her breath. If Bunny stops abruptly, turn and run or pray for high winds. She is arming her B1 Bomber and is about to carpet bomb the immediate area. After the release, she laughs like Snidely Whiplash then continues on as if nothing has happened.
As we neared the top of the climb, somewhere near 6800’, the terrain turned from desert back to alpine forest. The rest of the day we were walking in pines which helped overpower the chemical warfare games Bunny and I were playing on each other. The entire day, we saw no one else on the trail. We did hear dirt bikes and four-wheelers as this section of trail passes through a large off-road park that CA maintains.
The high point for us today was that we almost crossed the 7000’ elevation. I kept looking off into the desert and thinking about the strange lights I saw last night when it finally hit me. We are above the China Lake Naval Weapons Center. I first heard about this in college when I was interviewing with defense contractors and I was told I would probably spend some time here. Instead, I chose the road less travelled and ended up working for a subcontractor to the Department of Energy where I had the safer job of building nuclear weapons.
The final two miles were on one of the off-road tracks running along the ridge. This was the worst part of the day. If we’re on trail, the trail is flat from side to side and has a soft track. The road bed was washed out and uneven which made for rough walking.
The cabin we were planning on staying in tonight is just 1/4 mile off trail. I could see from the footprints that Ivy had caught up with Wolf and passed him a couple miles before the cabin. When we got there, I was worried because I saw their tents set up. I thought we were going to stay in the cabin tonight. I saw Wolf and asked him what was happening. He said the cabin was a bit “rough.”
Bunny and I have slept in some real dumps over the years so I wasn’t fazed. Especially in France on the GR10, the cabins were pretty bad and mouse infested, yet we stayed in them. I dropped my pack and before I’d even stepped inside I asked Bunny if she had found us a tent spot. If it were raining or miserable weather, I’d stay inside, but not if it’s just cold out (like tonight will be). It does have a wood burning “stove” but from there it’s all downhill. Dirt floors with foam pads to sleep on screamed “bedbugs”. There was also some food organized on 3 shelves: top shelf—not expired; middle shelf—expired less than 2 years; bottom shelf—is there a botulism vaccine?
We set up our tent then we all joined together to have supper on the porch. The water source is excellent here and we have level camping spots in trees. As a bonus, there is a pit latrine of questionable cleanliness, but not digging a hole and not squatting are worthwhile benefits to the side trip. We had hot tea, ate, and talked until it got so cold we all had to retire to our tents. I do believe we are becoming night owls. This is the latest we’ve stayed up together in the almost 300 miles we’ve hiked together. It was 630 before Bunny and I got in our tent.
EFG