Day 69, Wednesday, May 1. TM 444.3, Soledad Canyon Road—(8.2 miles)

Something strange happened over night. I noticed it the first time I got up to pee and confirmed it on the second time I got up. I even got up a third time just to make sure it was true. The sky’s cleared off. After two days of cloudy skies, fog, and drizzle, we have returned to the desert without even getting out of our tents. 

I told Bunny I was going to wear shorts again. Farsighted Bunny said she was cold and was going to stick with long sleeves and long pants. She listens to me as well as I do her when she tells me not to drink a gallon of iced tea before bed. I show her by getting up 3 times in the night to pee. She’ll show me by sweating her ass off. Maybe, just maybe, sometimes our spouses are not the idiots that we give them credit for being. Nah. 

I’d like to say I planned for the extra food stops we made the last couple of days. In fact, I did know ahead of time about Newcomb’s Ranch Cafe and the pizza delivery at the fire station and I ‘hoped’ we’d get both, but I wasn’t counting on it. Maybe subconsciously I planned on hitting both of them because we were pretty much out of food this morning. All we had for breakfast was coffee I had planned on and magic fruit I hadn’t. The pizza delivery guy gave us apples because I tipped him well. Bunny got us a huge naval orange in the parking lot the next morning while I was taking down the tent. Todd, the caretaker, gave us two cuties each. Magic fruit and coffee for breakfast. 

About a mile into our hike today, Bunny became very crabby. Not really that unusual of an event at that point except today it was for a queasy stomach instead of her hip. I had one last trick up my sleeve. I had kept one packet of trail mix hidden for just such an event…a crabby Bunny. Without fat or protein for breakfast, the carbs just don’t last long. Bunny has one of the most sensitive constitutions of anyone I’ve ever met. A few nuts and raisins put her back on the path to the Acton KOA. 

After the stomach issues were resolved, the heat and sweating kicked in. Did I mention that I told her NOT to wear long sleeves and pants? Hell yes! I never learn. Did it help the situation any? Hell no, you’d think I’d learn. Will I do it again in the future, the next time she doesn’t listen to me? Sadly, yes. When will the woman learn?

We stopped at Mattox Canyon Creek to have a drink and cool down in the shade for a few minutes. Cliff Hanger caught up with us here as we were getting ready to leave. We had just made the comment that we were glad to be getting out of the desert with it getting so hot. Not only is water going to become a much bigger issue, but reptilian life is going to become more active and aggressive. 

Truer words could not have been spoken. Not 5 minutes down the trail, I saw the fastest snake I had ever seen. I couldn’t even begin to get my camera out. I considered waiting for Bunny in case it made a return appearance, but it was booking so fast downhill, I knew she’d be in the clear. I got to the next shady spot and waited for her to catch up. I asked if she’d seen the snake and she said “thankfully, no.”

We rounded the curve into the full sun and an aggressive rattle started. This one was not backing down or moving. I asked Bunny if she saw this one. She said “You’re walking first the rest of the day.” I took that as a yes. We waited for it to get under a bush before we started going, but each time I moved forward, he started rattling again. We waited 4 or 5 hours (maybe minutes, but it felt longer) and tried again. RATTLE!  I tried tossing some rocks near the bush to convince him to move on (not to hit him and piss him off even more). I finally was able to push some bushes back on the opposite side of the trail to give myself 5-6’ to get by. Bunny was having none of that. The snake had hypnotized and frozen her in place. 

The spell was broken when two mountain bikers came up behind me. Bunny had to feign bravery to get around the turn. We did manage to scare them enough to get them to dismount and run around the curve. After they were out of sight, we both looked at each other and said “Thank god this is our last day in the desert.” The final three miles to the KOA were on high snake alert. Once we crossed the road and were turning on to the trail leading to the KOA, Bunny got brave again and started to lead. I reminded her to watch for snakes in the tall grass. I got the lead back. 

We made it to the camp office and found Daniel and Springsteen already in the hiker lounge watching CNN and snacking like mad. Daniel was perusing the refrigerator and freezer section to decide what to gnaw on next. He found the pizzas which caught Bunny’s eye. I went straight for the Hot Pockets because I love the extensive thought and creativity that went into their jingle—🎶 Hot Pockets 🎶. Pure marketing genius. 

After 5 pints of ice cream, Springsteen decided it was time to move on. He’s definitely ready the AT half gallon challenge. Cliff Hanger registered for a campsite and rented a towel, but discovered the KOA was out of conditioner. She took it in stride, but I was frantic. How will I ever comb out my hair without conditioner? Luckily, a young lady staying in the campground heard and brought us a bottle of conditioner and a couple disposable razors. She told us she had hiked a section of the AT a few years back and understood. She also asked if we needed a ride into town to resupply. I offered to buy her diner if she would take us into town later. That’s how we met Megan. 

Megan took Daniel, Cliff Hanger, Bunny, and me into Santa Clarita for supper. She is originally from Maine but studied acting in a bi-coastal program 2here she spent 2 years in Hollywood and 2 years in New York. She’s now a full time RVer. She and her mother drove cross country last October in 11 days and Megan has been living here at the KOA ever since. She works as a special events bartender while she’s trying to get a break in acting. I called her Penny but she pointed out she doesn’t work at the Cheesecake Factory. 

We spent a couple of hours at an upscale burger joint talking about trail life, college, politics, healthcare, and insurance. We were all flying free and loose after exposure to CNN this afternoon. I tried to switch to Fox to get the alternate opinions on today’s hearings but couldn’t locate it. The cable package doesn’t include Fox News. I’m liking California more every day. The time flew as I downed a gallon of iced tea which my wife warned me about. What does she know? She wore long sleeves and pants today. I’ll sleep fine tonight. 

EFG