I skipped about 20 miles of road-walking between Wrightwood and here and got back on the trail at 3 Points. There was a little snow at the beginning.
Natural Water! Still quite rare.
A tiny spring.
No more snow. The trail was so pretty on the north-facing slopes with the oaks and big cone spruce.
Looking toward Highway 14 and Acton
Heading toward Soledad Canyon
Yet another burn area to walk through. The Vasquez Rocks and Agua Dulce beyond.
Starting up toward the Vasquez Rocks.
Looking back toward where I was yesterday. I camped somewhere down there in an RV park and that pale area is the burn zone I hiked through.
Hard to see but every now and then I'd come across these bees nests in the ground. The bees were sort of grayish and bubbled out of holes in the ground.
Agua Dulce
Highway 14 is above me and I'm about to go through a tunnel beneath it.
Immediately on the other side of the tunnel is the Vasquez Rocks park.
It too, like almost every single day so far, was a burn area.
The biggest horse print I have ever seen. That's a men's size 10 shoe, too.
Hiking the road in Agua Dulce
Another one of those signs that made me happy to arrive. Sometimes when I arrived back in civilization all dirty and carrying a pack I felt more like a bum than a person with a wad of cash and an empty stomach.
The Saufley's. They had tents to sleep in and porta-potties beyond them.
You could pick up mail on the left and get news and information and sign-up sheets on the right for the cars to take you to Los Angeles or wherever you needed to shop.
To do your laundry you select a towel, basket and loaner clothes. Put your dirty clothes in the basket and leave them for Donna while she washes your clothes. You get to wear the clean clothes after a nice hot shower.
Darren (100 Canadian Snow Kittens) relaxing at the Saufley's
Back on the trail after one night at the Saufley's
The trail was pretty once we crested the ridge and went to the north side.
A surprise Oasis in the chaparral
The Oasis was a preview of the Casa de Luna up ahead
Me, enjoying the lounge chair. I didn't drink that beer, though.
Still morning and a nice cool one so far.
Me and Voyager
The weirdness at Casa de Luna greeted me when I arrived. That's Data, Snow Kittens and Li'l Wrangler (Brandon).
It was easy to tell you found Casa de Luna. There were chairs and a futon with someone sleeping and coolers of beer, a big sign on the garage and hiker junk and other stuff everywhere.
Mrs. Anderson. She greeted you with a hug when you arrived.
The manzanita grove was really cool to camp in.
I picked a spot near some wooly blue curls.
I only stayed one night at Casa de Luna and didn't partake in the oil wrestling debauchery that night. I continued on the next morning toward the Antelope Valley. That's a sag pond lake on the San Andreas fault.
A water source on the trail.
Better do what he says. He's the boss.
The 500 mile mark
If the trail ended here and skipped ahead to Kennedy Meadows, it would be nice.
Poodle-dog bush (Turricula parryi) growing in a burn zone on the PCT. Glad I did not touch this as the plant will cause contact dermatitis like poison oak.
A small sag pond on the San Andreas Fault.
Welcome to the Tejon Ranch
Thank goodness it was May something when I was here.
Descending into the Antelope Valley. It's really more like the Carrizo Plain in appearance, at least at the south end.
Hikertown. Last chance for water before you cross the desert.
