Day 15: Tehachapi Slack- pack

Start: Mile 558.5

End: Mile 566.5

Miles Hiked = 8.0

Yesterday, I completed a short 9.5 mile hike and then hitched a ride to The Best Western Plus in Tehachapi. It was 11am. About an hour later Donna arrived. I had only been on the trail solo for five days but it was still good to see her. I would really prefer to be hiking the trail together but it just wasn’t meant to be. Donna had a very noticeable limp and could barely walk. I wondered how she had hiked so far just a week ago.

We went to a local BBQ for lunch and then picked up what had originally been “our” resupply when I had mailed it three weeks ago.

By the time we returned to the hotel our room was ready and I enjoyed my first shower in five days!

Our original plan, when we were hiking together, was to do spend the night in Tehachapi, do an 8-mile “slackpack” the following day, spend another night in Tehachapi and then continue north on the trail. As a reminder from last year, a slack-pack is a hike where you only carry what you need for the day – usually food, water and maybe a layer or two of clothing. It’s a common way to knockoff a few miles with a light pack, usually when you’re in a town. We slack-packed twice last year – once in Idyllwild and once in Big Bear.

The weather report was forecasting a storm that would start in two days and last for three to four days. One of the nice things about being a section hiker is that there is no pressure to “get your miles in” every day. So after considering all the options, I decided to complete the slack-pack as planned and then go home for a few days. The trail wasn’t going anywhere.

So after pizza for dinner and a good night of sleep, I got up and slack-packed the 8 miles. There was more wind and therefore more wind turbines.

Then Donna and I drove home to wait out the storm from the comfort of our home. On the way we picked up our dog (Beau) from my sisters – we hadn’t seen him about three weeks.

Thanks for following.