Date: Wednesday, June 28th 2023
Day 37
Miles Hiked: 0
Mile 564ish (Tehachapi) to Mile 582.7
- Trail: I restarted after the Highway 58 overpass, so technically this is no longer a continuous footpath. The climb out of Tehachapi (2500' with water carry) was worthy of all the hiker complaints, but after finishing it, the trail provides a nice 700' valley dip on a dirt biking road to round out the experience. 😂 Personally, I'm not convinced that mixing hiking and dirt biking or four-wheeling is great for safety, but the BLM seems to believe otherwise. After this, it's possible to just make out the beginning of the Sierra Nevada, since Olancha Peak is 75 miles north. Lots of bear scat and mountain lion prints in this section!
- Campsite: A relatively sheltered site after an unmarked stream and before Golden Oaks spring. The wind was still very strong--I might cowboy camp in future because I'm worried about the tent.
- People: Ran into Gummy Bears and Babyface at a shady spot. They decided to camp a half mile up, by the spring.
- Tomorrow: A potential 20 mile water carry to Robin Bird Spring. There's another spring 11 miles ahead, but it's a two-mile detour downhill (and back up). Bears are active there, so I'd have to hike down with my pack.