02 May Day 36 – Better weather, for me at least

Flipped to Walker Pass and hiking south toward Hikertown. Hiked 16.7
PCT miles. At mile 541.5.

The weather was on my mind. I didn’t want another windy day. The wind wasn’t as strong and as clouds gathered the wind seemed to stop at times. As I continued to climb toward the clouds, I became a little worried about rain. I never reached the clouds, but at the highest elevation for the day a few snowflakes fell for a short while. As I lay here under the tarpon Tylerhorse canyon, the wind is kicking up and clouds are threatening. Even though I am in the desert with its reputation for heat, it has been cold so far, though I’d rather be in the desert than in the higher mountains. The mountains are blanketed by clouds and I heard that snow was expected higher up. I’m so lucky to have flipped this portion of the hike so that I am in the desert when the really rough weather rolled in.

Upon arriving at Tylerhorse Canyon, I walked up and sown the canyon looking for the easiest spot to draw water from the meager trickle. I noticed motorcycle tracks in the stream bed and recalled that earlier in the day that hikers had told me that they saw a guy riding his motorcycle up and down the stream. They asked him to stop and he ignored them and continued his destruction of this fragile stream. This water source is the first natural water source out of the Mojave desert. As it is, it dries up each year. Many hundreds PCT hikers use it each hiking season.

I saw Wallet, the guy that borrowed the trail angel’s car in Wrightwood. The trail angel told him to leave it parked in the driveway when he was finished. Wallet told me that he returned the car, but another hiker decided to use the car and the Trail Angel thought Wallet hadn’t returned the car. After several hours they figured out that another hiker had taken it and found the car.

I continued to pass Northbound hikers that I know. I was particularly happy to see the Green Lantern. Also saw Google. Saw the Aussies and Brits, but their numbers seem diminished. They had just hiked off trail to retrieve water. One guy had collected 6 liters. I broke the news to them that their was a large water cache sitting for them at the end of a 3.5 mile climb. Oh well, at least they know so they can pour out most of that water rather than lugging it up a 1600 vertical foot climb.

Some photos from the near highest elevation for the day. The last real tree before much dryer desert.

Here is what it looked like after I started descending toward the real desert.

Here are the trail switchbacks along a canyon.

Flowers

This is the first time I’ve seen one of these trees bloom. Still don’t know the name.