Day 34 – Tuesday, June 27

Tehachapi at PCT mile 558.5 to 572.9

Day Total: 14.4 miles

It is so nice to sleep in a real bed! We slept in late, and then made our way to the hotel's breakfast where we ate several families' worth of food. 

Our friend from the first day, 3G – also known as Sarah – got into town last night with her parents, who are visiting from Missouri. They offered us tasty clementines and pudding, and drove us to the grocery store where we resupplied.

We bought enough food to make it to Kennedy Meadows, 144 miles north. This is the most food we've carried at once and the weight is noticeable. This stretch is also one of the driest on the trail, so we carried five liters of water, enough to go 24 miles to the next water source. 

We ate lunch at a neat, old diner where we were waited on by a 4th grader. She was very interested in our hike and asked lots of good questions. After we paid, she told us she would like to hike the PCT some day!

We got a ride back to the trail about 5 p.m. and cruised the first eight miles in the wind. The terrain was exposed and windy while walking through more windmills. We crossed over a big highway and then the trail followed the road for a while. Not the most scenic miles, but interesting nonetheless. 

We climbed up and up for the rest of the day, and as we did it got windier. An hour later it was the windiest hiking I've ever done.

Dust was blowing in our faces. My eyes stung. I was leaning into the wind so hard that if it stopped, I certainly would've fallen.

Stephen saw a coiled up rattlesnake. 

We got up to a campsite hidden behind a few little pine trees about 10:30, a spot that was slightly sheltered. We set up the tent in the wind and tried to sleep.