Week 7 On The Trail

6/7/2022

Hi, this week I have found a pine cone larger than my head, walked across part of the Mojave desert, and driven a 35,000 dollar off-road Mad Max machine! But the main news is of a hiking disaster.

Slightly easier to hiking the trail!
Watch me go!!!!!
Thank you Derren!

For a few weeks I have been hiking with two other PCT hikers, Romar and Kari. A couple of days ago in Agua Dulce, while setting up her tent, Kari got a splinter in her thumb, the sort of thing that happens frequently along the trail. However, two days later an infection set in, and Kari's thumb swelled up like a cartoon thumb that had been hit by a hammer. at it happened, we had to come off the trail that day to resupply, so Kari was able to seek medical advice. Antibiotics and a tetanus jab failed to do anything, and as the pain got worse, the swelling continued, and discoloration spread up Kari's arm, she admitted herself to hospital. Long story short, Kari and quite a major operation on her thumb and wrist, spent almost a week in hospital, and is now off the trail recuperating at home in Washington state. What a bizarre way to for your dreams of hiking the PCT to be dashed. Kari hopes to be able to rejoin us further up the trail- we wish her well. When we came off trail to resupply, as usual, we hitch-hiked to the nearest town.

The guy who gave us a lift, Derren, was also towing an off-road-hot-rod. which he was taking to a campground on the PCT, for a father's and sons weekend. Luckily enough it was the same campground that we were headed to so, after dropping Kari off, and completing our resupply of food for the next hiking section, Derren too Romar and I with him. Not only that, but he also let us drive his vehicle. Wow, what a beast that was, fart too ,much power for me to use, it was like a wilt animal, trying to race off uncontrollably whenever I touched the throttle! Great fun though.

Romar and I continued to head north to Canada, crossing a section of the Mojave desert, where temperatures were due to be mid to high 30's centigrade. Part of this section also followed the path of the Los Angeles aqueduct, which is basically a massive buried pipe, running for hundreds of miles, from the Sierra Nevada mountains (which I will be crossing soon) to Los Angeles. So hot was it that we night-hiked parts of this section, aided by a full moon, which meant we did not have to use our head torches. We eventually ended up in the town of Tehachapi where, as is not usual, I had to see to my calorie deficit, and eat far too much food.