Mile 566.6 – More than Magic

Mojave, CA

Crossing the Mojave

“Since we last wrote you at Hikertown, mile 518.4 of the trail, we have traveled across the flatlands of the Mojave following the controversial aqueducts of Southern California before climbing over the beautiful Tehachapi mountains. We enjoyed cool weathers with a constant wind, and the sun did not peek through the clouds until late monday afternoon. Joshua trees mainly fill the landscape amongst sand and gravel. They release a toxin into the ground preventing many other plants to grow nearby.

On Tuesday night, we slept next to the aqueduct at an area where there is a faucet with non-potable water for us to filter and use. I met a friend there who followed fellow hikers Jim & Wendy to the camp site. He seemed to be a stray dog we named ‘Mojab’ who was cute as a button and super sweet. He spent the night camped out with us before heading on his on journey in the morning after breakfast.

The trail has been mild, with minimal elevation changes, and we both are so excited for the Sierra in the near distance! We recently purchased crampons and our ice axes are being sent to Kennedy Meadows where we will prepare for the beautiful mountain range.

Wednesday morning (May 26), we met up with Uncle Carl and Aunt Donna at Denny’s located in the truck stop town of Mojave, where they treated us to breakfast before we headed out for their home in Victorville. Justin and I both ate chicken salads with cranberries and candied pecans which we know is not a typical breakfast but we both were happy to satisfy a craving for fresh greens, something you do not see on the trail that often. There is the occasional patch of Miner’s lettuce which grows in the hills, but it gets quite old to munch on after a while.

On the way home to Victorville, we stopped at a Sports Chalet in Palmdale where Justin bought some new socks while I searched for a new pair of shoes. Many have worried about my socks issue, which I have resolved by buying a few pairs of women’s biking socks which work beautifully. Shoes, on the otherhand, are hard for me to figure out. I have returned to women’s shoes after a short stint in a men’s pair that led to a blister on my heal due to the larger heel cup. I am finding it quite difficult to find shoes as my heel is small, toe box is wide, and women shoes are rarely found in stores above size 10.” – Melissa

Good Ol’ Food Talk

“We get many laughs about our obsession with food from those of you following our blog. Well boy oh boy do we have some good food stories for you!

Little did we know all the amazing food Uncle Carl and Aunt Donna had in store for us! Upon arriving at Uncle Carl’s and Aunt Donna’s house, I immediately headed to their kitchen counter top to enjoy some of her famous chocolate chip cookies that have been waiting for us for the past 200 miles.  Aunt Donna prepared grilled tuna melts and we relaxed and looked out the back windows at the steep mountain backdrop we so recently navigated.

After a pleasant afternoon of washing ourselves and our clothes, our lovely hosts suggested we go out to Chili’s.  ‘CHILI’S, are you serious!’  Melissa was estatic! She savored every bite of her buffalo ranch sandwich. I had one too many bowls of the Tortilla soup from the endless soup and salad menu.  The thick chocolate milkshakes topped off the meal and we were catching our breaths and smiling the whole ride home.  However, our night wasn’t complete until we dove into french vanilla ice cream topped with homegrown boysenberry dressing and whipped cream.  We were officially stuffed and slept so soundly.” – Justin

The Power of Trail Magic

“This incredible hospitality comes with fantastic questions and curiosity about the trail.  Trail magic, as it known along the trail and so rightfully called, has changed both of our lives and impressions of mankind. We have met so many people who open their homes, cars, and hearts to our cause and are just fascinated by our travels. For example, the help of amazing Jo.  Jo, a kind,  bubbly grandmother, and of course, Trail Angel, drove out of her way from Tehachapi to give us a ride to Mojave from the Highway 58.  We received her number from our hiker friend, Plod, who had recently been dropped off by Jo about 10 miles back. She generously gave us a ride to town and refused gas money.  She provided words of encouragement and told us she would read our blog, so THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH JO.

While we waited for Jo to arrive, another car pulled up with a sweet woman asking if we needed a ride – her husband was passing by on the interstate and saw us and called his wife to help us out since he knew right away we were PCT hikers! Lauren waited around until Jo showed up to make sure we were safe.

The night before we met Jo and Lauren,we were finishing a 23+ mile day when Justin turned to me and discussed his concern about our water levels. It was true we both only had about half a liter left, and still needed to cook dinner as well as hike 8 miles in the morning to the Highway. No less than three turns in the trail, about .3 miles or so, we stumble upon a camp of 8 tents and two men sitting at a picnic table. Turns out they were part of a 9 person ‘ACE’ crew working on Trail maintenance! ACE is the American Conservation Experience and does incredible volunteer trail maintence on many trails across the country.  It was quite ironic that two miles before we came across their camping area, we had left them a love note tucked away under one of their many handtools about their superior trail building skills that included 2 miles of graded quality newly built trail.  Steven and his crew invited us to share grilled cheese sandwiches, chips, and peanut butter stuffed pretzels as well as refill our water bottles.  They inquired about our hiking, but we were more interested in their commitments to service as many of them came from abroad (Israel and the UK!).  It was obvious they were working harder than us by their calloused hands, dirty faces, and torn jeans.” – Melissa & Justin

A Pleasant Zero Day

“Thursday (May 27) morning we awoke to pancakes, bacon, eggs, coffee, and orange juice that was followed with a chocolate chip cookie of course.  Aunt Donna polished up her hair cutting skills as she cut both mine and Melissa’s hair.  Her many years of  experience are quite obvious.   In addition to the great food, plush recently-vacuumed carpets, comfy bed and smiling family portraits, we are so appreciative of the computer use, and taxi service for our re-supply, but more importantly an opportunity to share smiles, old stories, and memories with family. Tomorrow, we head back out to the trail to climb another windy mountain.” – Justin