The planned early start fell by the wayside quickly; the prospect of a hotel breakfast and the failure to arrange a ride to the trail yesterday combined to delay our departure from Tehachapi until around 8.30am, which meant hiking after 9am. It’s definitely warmer by then, and the temperatures have been rising as predicted. The stretch from mile 566 where…
We had been intending to zero in Tehachapi all along, but it occurred to us that there are two roads which cross the trail, both of which lead to Tehachapi. We had left the trail at mile 558, Willow Springs Road, whilst Highway 58 crosses at 566. We decided to slackpack those 8 miles today. Slackpacking is a rare luxury:…
The night had been cold and windy, so it was natural that we all awoke early. Hornbuckle got the quickest start, but we were all on the road by around 7am and hiking fast to get warm. As we came down the hill, we turned the corner and were greeted by raging winds. My pack was light as I had…