The desert section of the PCT really knows how to give you a one two punch to the nuts. Today was hard. I won’t lie, it hard enough that it made me think about finding the fastest way home.
I woke up at 0500 after a very short and restless sleep. It’s been a while since I’ve had a good night sleep which likely correlates to the fact my air mattress seems to deflate more and more every night. Thank goodness Sea to Summit is replacing it and tomorrow night should be the last time I have to sleep on this one. Either way 4 hours of sleep after being awake for 20 and hiking 18.4 miles is nowhere near enough sleep. Add to this my appetite today is non existent and the 34 degree heat it’s a recipe for a very unhappy hiker.
We didn’t start hiking until the sun was already starting to beat down upon us. Payback for doing our best to avoid its agony yesterday. We continued along the LA Aqueduct road entering into a section that had many Joshua Trees. The best part of the day came 2 miles in when we stumbled upon some trail magic left by Keith who is following the hiker bubble. He started by ferrying hikers from San Diego to the southern terminus and has now moved to the Aqueduct section. There were fruits, colas and Gatorade for all. Definitely the highlight in an otherwise punishing day.
The bridge you can see in this photo is where I hid from the sun for many hours
The PCT then enters a wind farm which at the moment was not generating any energy as there was no wind. After 6 miles we reached the first real bit of shade and potentially last reliable shade we would see for miles. Here there is a bridge as the aqueduct runs over a creek. Several hikers were already here having hiked here the night before. I found a shady spot and did my best to get some sleep. The rest of the group carried on but I decided to stay. It was already near 30 degrees and I was tired.
There were a few hikers who had a rude awaking as out of no where the dry creek bed they were sleeping on was unexpectedly filling with water. I assume some over spill from the aqueduct? It flowed for many hours. Eventually the wind did start to pick up significantly which help keep me cool in the shade but I got no rest.
Just as the temperature started to cool down I was on my way. It was still 33 degrees but at least it would get cooler and not warmer. I also couldn’t just sit still in this spot anymore. I was instantly drenched in my own sweat as I forced myself to walk towards the next set of mountains that would get me out of this Damned valley. I kept a slow pace and drank lots of water (which for some reason tasted like soap). The climb up the first foothill leading to the next camp site took me way longer than it aught to but I eventually reached it. My plan was to continue on for a few more hours but as I was leaving I saw most of the group had stayed here. I’m glad they did because I don’t think it would have been smart for me to carry on.
Tomorrow is suppose to be cooler. So let’s hope it’s a better day. I may have thought about quitting. But I’m not going to.
PCT Day 37 – PCT mile 510.9 to mile 529.3 via Hikertown and LA Aqueduct
May 11, 2026
Total PCT miles: 18.4
Non PCT miles: 0.0
Total: 18.4 miles / 29.6 km
Total elevation gain: 1654 ft
Total elevation loss: 2589 ft
Steps: 46456
Today was just wild and full of iconic PCT experiences. I woke up and was on trail by 5am in order to beat the heat into Hikertown. The trail takes the most ridiculously classic PCT “scenic” route through the foothills. I spoke to several people later in the day who chose to road walk the more direct route instead. As the sun crested the mountains on the other side of the valley I was treated to a absolutely breath taking sun rise. That almost made the scenic route worth the effort.
The plan today was to see Hikertown, an icon stop on the PCT, but spend most of the day at a nearby cafe. There we could enjoy some real food, hopefully top up our snacks, and wait out the hottest part of the day. The cafe is about 4 miles down the road from Hikertown and Far Out had a number to call to arrange a ride. When we got to the highway Ness called them and it was very difficult to understand the person on the other end. No ride was arranged and she kept insisting she couldn’t make food because she had no tortillas. We decided our next best step was to go to Hikertown to see if a ride could be arranged from there. Maybe we might have to go to Lancaster if there was no food to be found.
Hikertown is located just before hikers begin the infamous Los Angeles Aqueduct section of the Pacific Crest Trail, they arrive at a place that almost feels like it shouldn’t exist in the middle of the Mojave Desert.
Hikertown is part hostel, part movie set, part junkyard, part trail oasis, and part complete mystery. For decades it has become a legendary stop for PCT hikers. Many hikers rest here during the heat of the day before beginning a night hike across the aqueduct.
The property itself is unlike anywhere else on trail. Small themed buildings are spread around the grounds like an old western movie set. There is a sheriff’s office, schoolhouse, saloon-style structures, and tiny cabins pieced together from a strange mix of old props, recycled materials, trailers, and desert creativity. Some hikers love it. Others find it deeply strange. Nearly everyone has a story about it afterward.
I walked aimlessly around the property admiring this chaotic place I’d read so much over the years when I ran into the owner. Hikertown was created by Richard Skagg who is or was a television and film producer. We inquired about the nearby store possibly having no food and about getting a ride to check it out. Richard owns the store and said that’s ridiculous there absolutely is food. He left and made a phone call. Less than a minute later he returned and said there is food she just can’t make burritos. He then proceeded to hand me a set of keys saying “you have a license right?” I was confused, maybe he wanted me to drive him there, I mean he is an elderly guy, but then he proceeded to tell me to follow him to the store in a grey Dodge Ram.
So here I am in the absolute middle of nowhere getting into a vehicle owned by a Hollywood producer who has known me for all of 30 seconds and driving it to the store. I have no idea if it’s insured, if it’s registered but I can tell pretty quickly it’s not the safest vehicle on the road. It pulls hard to the left, the shocks are done and the driver side door doesn’t feel like it closes completely. Fortunately the store is only a few miles away. Unfortunately he didn’t let me drive the Ferrari parked next to his house. I am however completely flabbergasted and outright confused on what has just transpired.
On the way to the store I picked up two other hikers. Marble and Sonya and recounted my story on the way to the Store. Neither were really surprised as apparently this is just something he does.
Napping spot behind the cafe.
The store did have food – breakfast and lunch was had but the resupply options were very very limited. But I was only in need of snacks and I could make it work. I asked Richard if I could use the truck later to pick up some friends at the trail head and he was good with that. He also told me to take a nap in the back building and relax. After I ate breakfast we sent a message to the rest of the group telling them to let me know when they were close to the trail head and I would come pick them up in a truck and that I would explain then.
I sat around listening to Richard tell stories about Hollywood stars and Presidents (with photo evidence to back it up) until he left to go to town. He has certainly lived a full life.
The rest of the group arrived at the trailhead around 11:30 and I met them there with the truck I had acquired and cold cola and recounted the story of this mornings events as I drove them to the store.
We spent the afternoon relaxing and trying to get some sleep for tonight’s night hike of the LA Aquaduct section. We probably should have started earlier but we finally got packed up to leave to store around 17:30 and I drove us all back to Hiker Town. I gave Richard his keys back and he actually thanked me for driving ourselves to and from the store. Before we left he recounted the story of how he and his wife became unsuspecting trail angles to a bunch of “homeless” kids after buying this property not knowing the PCT ran directly through it. I feel blessed to have had the chance to meet this man and part of me wishes I could have stayed here for a while but I’m not sure I would have ever escaped the vortex.
We set off around 1900 for the LA aqueduct as the sun was beginning to set. The walk started with lots of energy and excitement. There was a mind blowing sunset that turned into glowsticks, dancing and music. As the night went own fatigue set in hard accompanied be the pain of basically walking on concrete for hours. This was embracing the suck, a march of zombies pushing themselves until finally someone said no more. At midnight we set up camp just off the side off the road. I was exhausted, nauseated, hungry with no appetite and crawled into bed as soon as possible. There would only be a few hours of sleep tonight and I wanted every minute possible.
Walking up to a semi inflated air mattress is not my or anyone’s idea of a good time. But fortunately for some reason it never completely deflates and does maintain some semblance of comfort. Or maybe I’m just otherwise so generally sore I don’t notice the specific discomfort it causes me.
View from my tent this morning.
It was a later start today as I was hoping to give the rest of the group a chance to catch up. As a result I was treated to a magnificent sun rise view from my tent. I wasn’t looking to do too many miles today, just position myself close enough to Hikertown that I could do a quick resupply, have an afternoon siesta the start on the aqueduct section as the day gets cooler. The desert valley will be in excess of 35 C the next two days and no reasonable person wants to hike in that.
There are certain milestones on the Pacific Crest Trail that feel bigger than the number itself. The 500 mile mark is one of them. Not because it means you’re anywhere close to finished. Canada still feels impossibly far away but because somewhere along those first 500 miles, trail life starts to feel normal.
I reached the 500 mile marker just after 0800, only about 30 minutes after starting the day’s hike. I arrived alone, listening to I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers and, naturally, dancing my way down the trail. Honestly, there was no other acceptable way to cross that milestone.
A little while later Ness arrived, and the two of us ended up having a full-on dance party at the marker while The Proclaimers echoed through the desert. It was one of those ridiculous, joyful trail moments that probably makes absolutely no sense to anyone not out here, and somehow makes perfect sense to everyone who is.
I stayed there waiting for the rest of our group to arrive, hoping we could all celebrate the milestone together. By around 1030 though, the shade had disappeared, my water supply was getting lower than I was comfortable with, and the desert sun was quickly reminding me who was in charge. Eventually I packed up and continued north, leaving the others to hopefully catch up later down the trail
Five hundred miles down. Countless memories already made. And somehow, despite the exhaustion, sore feet, heat, cold, injuries and endless climbs… I’m still smiling while walking north.
I took my time the rest of the day going from shady spot to shady spot filling up water from a cement cistern in the desert. I am always completely amazed how quick the scenery turns from Chappell to pine forest to burned scared area. All day long I was accompanied by views of the desert valley below and it looks real hot down there.
I had to paramedic today and was able to help a fellow thru hiker who found themselves in a difficult situation. I stayed with them until they were later picked up by a trail angel. I’m confident they will be back on trail soon. The trail angel offered me a place to stay tonight but I declined opting instead to stick to the original plan. But I won’t lie it was hard to turn down the promise of a shower and cold drinks.
I was able to make it to the planned camp site – our group still split. Early morning scheduled tomorrow to beat the heat and hopefully enjoy some cold cola!
Mmmmm water – better believe I double treated this.
Juan and Jessica gave me a delicious dinner at sawmill camp
PCT Day 34 – PCT mile 478.3 to Sawmill Camp (mile 498.2)
May 9, 2026
Total PCT miles: 19.9
Non PCT miles: 0.3
Total: 20.2 miles / 32.5 km
Total elevation gain: 4226 ft
Total elevation loss: 2418 ft
Steps: 45784
It was another early morning in a futile attempt to beat the day time heat. Up at 0400 and on trail at 0445. I could feel heat radiating from the ground as we started our first climb of the day. I felt tired and slow, my body aching from yesterdays near 20 mile day. But I pushed upwards and onwards… the miles certainly won’t hike themselves.
I reached the top of the first climb just as the sun was beginning to rise over the desert valley below. It was one of the most beautiful sunrises I have seen in a long time irregardless of the fact that I would curse that same sun for the remainder of the day. I stopped briefly to take it all in before starting my decent to Lake Hughes Road. On the way down my ankles, calves, quads and hips were sore. I place at least part of the blame on my air mattres that slowly looses air overnight.
Kit Kat and oatmeal – a perfectly reasonable breakfast.
At the road there is a small water cache and a picnic table. All the caches I saw yesterday and this one were built by an Eagle Scout troop who never had any intention of maintaining them so that work has fallen on local trail angles. Fortunately there has been plenty of water so no need. But those sources will all soon mostly be dried out and they will be invaluable to hikers. I stopped here and had breakfast knowing every minute I stayed here the hotter the next climb would get.
The next climb was slow as I took breaks in as many shaded areas as possible. Coming across a spring i stopped and drank 2 liters of water. At the top of the climb I was rewarded by small group of trees that provided ample shade. I channeled my inner hiker trash and rolled out my tyvek ground sheet and took a short nap. Later an interesting older cyclist came by and remarked the whole area used to be covered with pine and oak trees. Most now long destroyed by various forest fires.
3ish hours later I decided it was time to start moving again even though I’m sure I could have spent the rest of the night there. I waked through a burn area with significant poodle dog bush careful to avoid touching it. Eventually I returned to pine forest and the glorious shade it provided. Over the last two days I’ve noticed a significant increase in bitting insects Which adds a whole new layer of fun and excitement to the trek. Fortunately I am carrying bug spray but I’ll also likely buy a bug net in the next town stop.
I reached Sawmill Camp around 1900 and came across two car campers. They offered me Carne Asada Tacos and I could not resist. Soon there was beer and cola as well. The food was absolutely incredible and probably the best meal I have had on trail. The generosity I have experienced on this hike has in some ways honestly restored some of my faith in humanity. Thank you Juan and Jessica for the food, conversation and making me smile.
Although it’s going to be hot tomorrow as well I plan on getting a full night sleep. I’m planning for a shorter day to better line up with Hikertown and not having to spend the night there before the notorious Aqueduct section.
PCT Day 34 – PCT mile 458.5 to mile 478.3 (Green Valley Fire Station)
May 8, 2026
Total PCT miles: 19.8 (Nero)
Non PCT miles: 0.2
Total: 20 miles / 31.9 km
Total elevation gain: 4019 ft
Total elevation loss: 3573 ft
Steps: 47133
It was an unreasonably early start to the day with my alarm waking me up at 03:45. I packed up using the glow of the red light from my headlamp and surprisingly did not leave anything behind. Ness and I were on trail by 04:30 with the rest of the group deciding to start a little later. The plan was to hike until it got to hot, have an afternoon siesta and then carry on. But instead we mostly just embraced the suck and hiked almost straight to camp.
The cool morning air and moonlit path was a great way to start the day and we made good time up the steepest climb of the day. Slowly the sky began to lighten and the sun started to crest the mountain peaks. By 09:15 I had hiked 10 miles and was feeling great.
Fortunately there were plenty of water sources and two water caches on this stretch which really helped keep the backpack feeling a little lighter and allowed for faster miles.
Going up the second climb of the day I briefly used my sun umbrella but eventually put it away because there were too many overgrown sections of trail.
We arrived at a memorial bench for Bob Kimmerly who was the visionary of the Leona Divide 50 where there was plenty of shade and seemed like a great place to take a break. Unfortunately there was a sick hiker using the bench so we stayed far away. There have been significant reports of Noro virus spreading between the town of Green Valley and Hikertown which is the section I am now in. With limited ability to wash hands Noro can quickly spread amongst thru hikers… let’s hope i can avoid catching it.
We sat in the shade for an hour and decided to just do the rest of the miles to camp now instead of waiting for it to get cooler. As a result I was literally raining sweat but I also managed some pretty quick miles. Thankfully there were lots of shaded areas to get brief reprieves from the sun.
As I got the the road a day hiker offered me a cold Gatorade and it was very refreshing. A short walk down the road I am now camped at the Green Valley Fire Station (National Forest Services Fire Department). As it is right next to a road I’ll hear cars pass by most of the night. But fortunately I have earplugs and am exhausted so I’m sure I’ll sleep well.
My air mattress is no bueno. The patches did absolutely nothing. I had reached out to Sea to Summit yesterday by email and they responded today that they will replace the pad free of charge as there is a known defect with it. A lot of outdoor companies really do try to help thru hikers quickly when they have warranty issues with gear. If this all pans out they will certainly have me as a customer for life!
A first for me today – I got bit in the lip by an ant while resting in the shade. It was the last thing that ant ever did.
Even after a giant town meal, a shower and donning clean clothes I did not sleep well last night. The primary culprit for this gear failure – my air mattress has a slow leak. I woke up multiple times and had to put more air into it making for an uncomfortable and rather annoying night.
Today we are doing a proper “nero”. Loosely the definition of a Nero is when you only hike a short distance (usually under 10 miles) and is typically done before going into town or leaving town. Functionally, especially when leaving town it helps avoid vortexing ie spending way more time in town then intended. Some hikers have been known to vortex for days in popular trail towns. So the goal is to get everything done you would normally get done on a zero day with enough time to hit the trail and get a few miles in.
My first goal Of the day was to see if I could find and patch the leak in my air mattress. I got some dish soap and water, filled the mattress with air and started searing for bubbles. I checked around the valves- no issues, the bottom of the air mattress assuming I put a whole in it- no issuss, around the seem on the side of the mattress, again no issues. Finally I checked the top of the air mattress where I found two small leaks in the welds that hold the insulation in place. This is likely a manufactures defect and I have emailed the company to see if I can get it covered under warranty. I’m not sure how well a patch will do because of the locations but I suppose I’ll find out tonight.
Next was breakfast. The Serenity Oasis in Agua Dulce is located at the northern end of town and it’s a 0.3 mile walk to the 4 restaurants and only grocery store in town. I spoiled myself with their cheaper steak and eggs and I probably should have just spent the extra money on the good cut of meat. But it was still delicious and very filling. I then did my resupply at the grocery store. It’s 6-7 days until the next major town but only 3 days to a place that has a small market. So I decided to carry 3 days of snacks and 7 days of breakfast and dinners. This small town grocery store wasn’t optimized for hikers and also not cheap at 92$ USD.
Coming into town yesterday I noticed my trekking pole tip was done. Now I’ve had these poles for a while so it wasn’t too surprising. It is possible to replace the tips but it’s not the easiest thing to do. Fortunately Farmer John had replacement tips for sale and has done more than his fair share of them. A few minutes later and they were good as new.
The heat has officially arrived today and it was 29 degrees out. I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the shade or under the outdoor mist set up at the Oasis trying to keep cool and chatting with hikers. There were definitely significantly less hikers showing up here today than yesterday. It was really tempting to spend another night here but we stuck to our original plan.
At 1630 as it started to get a bit cooler out I started back on trail with Ness. The worst part about town is leaving because that is when your backpack weighs the most. We only hiked 3.8 miles before finding a decent camp site with the rest of the group joining later. We plan to be up really early tomorrow to hike as much as possible before it gets too hot then hopefully find a shady spot to wait out the worse heat of the day.
