Day 24 - Friday, May 21

Tenting in Agua Dulce's finest trash-strewn vacant lot (mile 454.4).  Walked 22.5 miles today.

On the trail by 6:40 this morning.  We started with a gradual climb followed by a long but gradual descent down to the North Fork Ranger Station.

The ranger told us that we were lucky that it's been a really pleasant spring.  Not too hot, but also fairly dry.  We hung out there for a bit and snacked before packing up and hitting the trail again.  From here, it was just under 8 miles to the Acton KOA where Snowflake and I both have resupply boxes waiting.

While it was 8 trail miles, it was more like 3 miles as the crow flies.  The trail took such a long route around the mountains as it wove up and down, back and forth.  We could see the campground with at least 3 miles to go.  Finally, we reached the road and did the 0.25-mile walk to the campground.

There, we met Dean and a TON of other hikers, most whose names I didn't get.  Sophie, Micro, and Sam were the ones that I remember.  We got our boxes and loaded up our packs with way more food than we need for the next few days.  We stretched, loaded up on water, and chatted a bit with the other hikers here about their recent journeys.  About 1:30 a bunch of us set out for the typically hot, dry, and shadeless 10-mile stretch to the town of Agua Dulce.

That's the best way to describe it.  In the first 9 miles, there were exactly 2 trees casting shade on the trail.

After this stretch, we reached the tunnel under highway 14 which seemed to go on forever.

There were a couple from a large hiking group already waiting there.  Over the next 30 minutes, a bunch more showed up and when we started out again, there were 10 or 11 of us hiking in a line together. 

We gradually spread out over the next few miles as we walked among Vasquez Rocks (which is where Star Trek - not sure which one - was filmed).

The rocks were impressive and reminded me of those at Uluru in Australia.  Walked and chatted with Sam for a bit.  He's from Philly, so it's nice to meet another east-coaster out here.  After the rocks, the trail became a road walk as we literally walked through town.  Went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner and a guy one table over invited myself, Flying, and Snowflake to stay in his guest house tonight.  We declined because we want to get going early tomorrow for another big day.  We're camped in a vacant lot next to a strip mall along with about 20 others.

It looks like a homeless tent city here, but as Flying pointed out, there are literally tens of thousands of dollars worth of backpacking gear sitting on this lot right now.  Crazy.