6/17/2023
Section: Mile post 430.4 to 444.3
Distance: 14.23 Miles
Moving Time: 05:42 hrs
Elevation Gain: 1,098 ft
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We are firmly back in the desert and, spoiler alert, I did not get my enchiladas…today. Our stage this morning took us along the border of the Angeles National Forest and the San Gabriel Mountains National Forest, occasionally straying into one or the other as it traveled west and then north towards Agua Dulce. It was a hot day, though nowhere near as hot as it could be this time of year on the edge of the Mojave desert, for which we were very thankful. There was no denying by the end of this day though - we were back in the desert and would be for at least another nine days.
We woke around 5:30 am. Some people who had camped by us were already hours gone but others were also just waking up. I got up and packed my things before making grits while Amanda organized her things in the tent. By the time we were ready to leave we were the last ones in the campground, Sean having left just before us. We migrated out to the road and then up to rejoin the PCT, Amanda telling me about how she had thought she had heard something dying in the night not far from our tent. “Glad it didn’t wake me up,” I joked as we made our way around the north side of Messenger Peak. Sean later told us he had heard it too and thought it was a screech owl.
The day was already pretty warm. We made our way west staying on the opposite side of an east-west running ridge on a forest service road. As we approached the western reaches of the ridge, the afternoon’s path could be seen far below as a gray cut in a far off ridge. Before we reached those sections though we were delivered to an out-of-service ranger station. At this point we truly were on the last of our food reserves, though Sean had given us a spare salami the night before, evidently having overpacked for his next resupply at Lake Hughes. Thanks Sean!
We arrived at the North Fork Station and, speak of the devil, Sean was there taking a rest near some water jugs. He smiled and waved us over explaining that if we walked up to the gate in front of the station the custodian would likely bring us some trail magic. Sure enough, as we approached the station a kindly old man came out smiling and asked if we wanted a coke or Gatorade. We both smiled back and said Gatorade. He came back with 2 cold Kirkland Gatorade alternatives as well as a cliff bar and rice crispy apiece. We talked a little bit and he told us that the main wave of hikers was really starting to ease. Evidently no one had stayed at the station the night before, despite typically being a very popular spot, for the first time since the season had started. He also said we were lucky because, in another two weeks, it would likely be triple digit temperatures at the station. After conversing a while we both thanked him profusely before making our way back to the water station. Here we finished our Gatorades before making our own electrolyte mixtures and drinking those as well. Sean gave us each a Kirkland brand Kind bar and we had it along with the rice crispy treat and cliff bar. After a few minutes we all got up and headed on down the trail together.
We talked for miles as we descended further and further into the desert. At times we passed through white sandy trail that shot the heat directly back up into our faces. Sean talked about his job on the board of the Sierra Club and we talked about ours as well as all the places we had each traveled to. The time passed quickly this way and eventually we reached our final water stop before the Soledad Canyon Road. Sean filled up and we carried on covering the last 3 miles in an hour and a half or so.
The trail dropped down to the Soledad Canyon Road and, wouldn't you know it, more trail magic! The group that had stayed with us the night before at Messenger Flats was composed of about 8 people, one of which was named William. William’s dad had flown out from Maine and was trail angel-ing for these few stages. He had brought subway sandwiches, beer, drinks and lots of snacks! We joined the group in a covered gazebo type structure and chatted with them all for the better part of an hour. William’s dad was taking their bags up to Vasquez rocks for them so they could travel light and when he heard we were going into Acton for resupply he offered us a ride which we graciously accepted. We said goodbye to Sean and the rest and said we would catch-up in a few days.
We made a quick run into Acton and quickly resupplied, trying to not repeat the mistakes we made in Wrightwood. After collecting our haul, William’s dad took us back to the trailhead. We thanked him and hiked a quarter mile down the road to the KOA where many hikers stayed the night. There we did laundry and took showers, happy to separate ourselves from the dirt of the trail. We also received the package my parents sent us - thanks Mom and Dad! In it i found my Arcteryx puffy and the new Fitbit I had ordered as well as many tasty treats to supplement the shopping run. It always seems like too much stuff until you lay it out and take it in! Afterwards we set-up camp and Amanda watched our things while I headed back to the lobby to grab a pizza and chicken pot pie for Amanda. There I found Phillipp, Charlie and several others we had left in Wrightwood. We talked and caught up while I made the meals, happy to see some familiar faces. I helped Phillipp and the rest of them order pizza from the Acton Pizza restaurant and then headed back to Amanda where we settled down for the evening hoping for an earlier, and cooler, morning the next day.
