We ended up spending two nights in Tehachapi resting our feet and mentally preparing for the desert section ahead of us. The mojave had wrecked our bodies and sleep schedules so we knew we needed the extra night. We had a normal zero day running town errands, doing laundry, and eating as much as possible, and resting up. My blisters were finally fully healed so i was excited to have fresh feet for a change. However I wasn't looking forward to the multiple long water carries ahead.
Day 39 - miles
The next section was rather monotonous some I'm going to condense it into one post. It was by far the toughest section yet. Our days consisted of hopping from one water source to the next. Which was difficult since just about all of them were at least 20 miles apart. I would wake up as early as possible and try to get to the water source by noon. Then I would take a 4 hour nap, camel up with water, and hike till about 930 or 10 that night. All the other hikers had similar strategies to beat the heat, so at every water source you'd find about 15 hikers all taking naps near the water sources. The majority of the water sources were seasonal springs that were probably only a week or two from running dry. One spring had a flow rate of about 1 liter every 5 minutes. So imagine the wait for 15 hikers trying to fill up 5-6 liters of water. Luckily no one was in a rush to start hiking as it typically got close to 100 degrees each day. At every water source Id have to debate how much water to carry. I always carried enough to be safe, but sometimes i carried more or less depending on wether i wanted a lighter pack, or to have more water to spare. Shade was also hard to come by, especially at high noon. Sometimes I had to settle for just having my head and shoulders in the shade while the rest of my body roasted. Dirt was another problem. With such little water it was difficult to wash my socks. I changed them out every time I stopped, but they became incredibly stiff from sweat and dirt after just a few days. Doing one 20 mile water carry isn't such a big deal, but when you have to do it back to back to back to back it can really wear you down, especially when it's as hot as it was. We had one 42 mile water carry on this section that was the the topic of conversation for days leading up to it. I spent 5 hours at the last spring before the 42 miler, hydrating and resting as much as possible. I filled all of my 7.5 liters of water capacity and set out on what I knew was going to be the most difficult stretch yet. They're were rumors of a water cache half way through, but with so many pct hikers going through this year, (and so many of them depending on water caches), I knew I couldn't rely on it. I let myself only drink half a liter every 3 miles, which became increasingly difficult as the miles went by. As I approached the half way point i realized i had gone through 4.5 liters already. With 3 liters left to go 21 miles I got a little worried. I got to a dirt road where the water cache was supposed to be and found no water in sight. I nearly cried at that moment. I was soo thirsty and It was soo hot, and I knew I still had 21 miles to go. I sat down in a spot of shade and looked at my options. My only real option was to sit in the shade therest of the day and night hike out. I knew i would survive, it would just be miserable. Then took a look at the map and realized it would make more sense for the water cache to be a mile down the trail at a dirt road junction. I hiked down to it trying not to get my hopes up. I was releived as a came around the corner to find 20 or so full 5 gallon jugs of water and 15 other hikers resting in the little shade available. It was my most thankful moment of the trail. I knew i could have made it without the cache, but i was incredibly thankful to be able to get a couple of extra liters to make it easier.
Despite the heat and the long water carries i still appreciated this section. I had some of the most incredible desert sunsets and sunrises so far on the trail this stretch. And as the miles went on i could Se the scenery starting to get a little greener as we approached kennedy meadows. We caught our first glimpse of snowy peaks in the distance about forty miles out of kennedy meadows and it was a huge morale boost. Kennedy meadows is considered the end of the desert and the start of the sierras. When we arrived at he general store, everybodythere applauds you (a long standing tradition for arriving thru hikers). It was such a great feeling walk up to the general store and feeling the sense of accomplishment. I was through with the desert, the long water carries, and the heat. The snowy peaks of the high Sierra awaited me next.