Today’s milestone – we passed the one quarter mark.We are glad we started early because straight away we had a steep ascent in the cool of the morning. The day heated up and we had more ups and downs. Somehow it always seems that there are more ups than downs!For lunch we feasted on a fresh sandwich that we had bought in Onyx the day before.Can someone with better access to Google please identify this little mouse?We have camped on a saddle at 7000′ which has great views but the wind is picking up so we might be in for a cold and noisy night.

Last night we were both woken in the middle of the night by a terrible noise. It was like the screaming of a tortured animal punctuated by the barking of a dog. It was completely dark outside and the sound was not close so we tried to get back to sleep but it was quite unsettling.

We are currently hiking in the habitat of the endangered Californian desert Tortoise but he has remained elusive. This Hare however was in no hurry this morning and obligingly posed for a photo in the sun just below the trail!

This section of the PCT – from Tehachapi to this point – has been particularly beautiful with the trail passing through sheltered forest in the higher reaches and back to desert terrain lower down.

At about 3:30 pm we reached water at the campsite we were aiming for after hiking 22 miles in good time. We were able to hitch a ride into a tiny one store town where we ate enormous sandwiches and followed with ice-cream. We bought a few snacks for the trail before catching a ride back to the campsite.

We had planned to exit here at Walker Pass but, since we made good time getting here, we have decided to push on through to Kennedy Meadows to complete the desert section of the PCT. We now expect to be on trail for another 2 1/2 days and hope our warmer and drier weather lasts.

We started off at 6:40am and made good ground in the cool early hours with fine weather, a good path and an easy descent to start us off.

Perhaps because we were relaxed with less effort, we noticed more wildlife through today’s hike. Small chipmunks ran across in front of us and we saw a few small white furry (? mice) scuttle along the trail in front of us, moving much faster than we could. We also saw a snake slither into a bush to the side of the track and, on closer inspection, discovered it to be a rattle snake requiring us to make a small detour to keep a safe distance.

Today’s milestone: around midday we passed the 1000km mark which was conveniently signed for us along the track.

The afternoon saw us climb to the top of a rocky hill with splendid views over the desert and nearby hills. Descending again we finally came to the water cache which was well stocked and, having completed 22 miles, we decided to leave the next ascent for the morning when we are breakfasted and feeling fresh. Also this way we avoid dry camping further along.

Today was similar to yesterday – started out bleak (but no rain or snow) and cleared up to become warmer with more sun. All In all we did 22 miles, which seemed more tiring than usual for some reason.

The trail was quite pretty with pine forests, streams and twittering birds.

Today’s mile-cone: we passed the 600 mile mark.

Nice as the Holiday Inn was, we were starting to get cabin fever. In the morning we could see that snow had fallen on the surrounding hills. Trail angel Jeff again gave us and two other hikers a lift back to the trail where we commenced a 2000′ climb, at times battling against strong winds.

We hiked up into the clouds and found snow and ice clinging to the trees.

Over the summit, the weather improved although it was still cold (I guess about 5 deg). Also we encountered some long stretches of mud.

But it was great to be hiking again and we put in 21 miles before setting up camp in a sheltered spot, with the background hum of yet another wind farm.

Although we are keen to get back on the trail, the forecast of rain and snow and overnight temperatures of zero, prompted us to book a fourth night in the motel. Hopefully we will get back on the trail tomorrow morning.

Still, we had a relaxing day. In the morning we went to a nearby church. They were very friendly and welcoming.

Afterwards we went to a popular bakery and enjoyed some sandwiches and pastries. We were served by a lady from Melbourne, and I had a Bundaberg ginger beer.

The afternoon was not so encouraging, as we read more and more Facebook accounts of hikers grappling with crazy weather up and down the trail. Most people are opting to move off trail for some time until conditions improve.

As we said yesterday, we are staying another night in Tehachapi due to forecast bad weather. But the morning was supposed to be OK so we took the opportunity to do an 8 mile section from one trail/road intersection to another.

The flowers above are Californian poppies, the state floral emblem.

After waiting till 10am to post some boxes, we were fortunate to be able to join another hiker who had the same idea. He had organised a lift both to and from the trail points.

So we had a beautiful sunny day cruising along with virtually no gear, just water, snacks and rain clothes. This is known as slack packing.

The photo above shows why Tehachapi is renowned for its wind farms. You may not be able to see but there are hundreds of turbines in the above 360deg view.

Trail angel Jeff (shown above) gave us a lift back to Tehachapi (thanks Jeff). The photo also shows the point where Cheryl Strayed (from the book/movie Wild) started her PCT journey.

So we spent today in the hiker-friendly town of Tehachapi. We have a difficult decision to make over the next week. 2019 turns out to be an unusual year wrt the weather. There has been about double the usual amount of snowfall in the Sierras and ongoing snowfall throughout the California section with colder than usual temperatures and increased rainfall.

We will reach the Sierras before it is safe to pass, even for those accustomed to snow hiking. Once the snow starts to melt the river crossings become dangerous.

One option is to skip past the Sierras to somewhere in northern California but unfortunately northern CA has received 4 times the usual amount of snow and is also hazardous.

We only have a forecast for the next few days and we are expecting thunderstorms here tomorrow followed by 80% chance of rain over the next day or so with temperatures dropping to about 15 degrees.

We have booked to stay here in the motel for another night and then our plan is to hike on to Lake Isabella. We will probably then go north to Dunsmuir (near the northern border of California) and commence a southbound hike at least for a short section of trail, keeping our options open should conditions become unsafe. We think we will then be able tackle the Sierras later in the season.

We headed out under foreboding skies, first a climb into the mountains which fortunately were not covered in snow but the air was cold and we had intermittent rain.

The climb felt more strenuous as we were well loaded up with water for hiking through a dry stretch. When we reached the summit it became apparent that we could make it to the highway crossing by the end of the day rather than requiring another camp.

At the highway we caught up with a couple of young hikers who were married at the end of last year and are spending their honeymoon on the PCT. Steven made a phone call to a trail angel and 20 mins later as we shared a ride into Tehachapi the heavens opened and rain poured down.

We chose the same motel as Steve as it is close to the post office, which we will visit tomorrow to pick up our resupply boxes. We will make this a “zero” i.e. spend two nights here for the benefit of a full day off.

We woke early and got going by 6:20 despite the cold and damp, spurred on by the promise of a hearty breakfast after the first 7 miles. At that point the trail meets highway 138 and we had a phone number to call for a free lift to a resupply store (Wee Vill Market) where we could purchase a meal.

That also included a lift back to the trail so by 10:30 we were off again. This time the trail followed an aqueduct giving us a nice easy path for the next 17 or so miles.

This desert floor section is usually very challenging because of the heat but we are hiking in unusually cold weather. The distant mountains, mostly covered in cloud today were also sprinkled with snow which fell just 3 days ago. Although the black clouds had dissipated by the time we drew near, the wind picked up in ferocity and the sun had no chance of warming the day. I hiked all day in my rain jacket for warmth and Rob kept his thermal top on.

With Rob’s expert tent skills we are snug in our bags listening to the hum of the windfarm turbines all around us.