Agua Caliente Creek to Tule Springs – 5-16

Note: The date is wrong on some older posts. I’ll be fixing that later.

I woke up feeling feverish last night. I think I caught a cold having lunch on the golf course restaurant’s patio.

We rose out of the valley that contained Agua Caliente Creek, and found ourselves in high desert again, for many, many dry miles.

The only water in the area was a water tank belonging to someone who lived out here, and didn’t mind if hikers took his water. At the trail to his house, we found a sign promising not only water, but shade.

When we walked in, a man in the kiosk above addressed us: “Welcome. We’re putting on some burgers in a bit. You want veggie patty or regular? And help yourself to anything in the cooler.”

All we were expecting was unpotable water from a tank, so this was a nice surprise. We placed our orders, and opened the cooler. It was stuffed full of Tecate.

As the burgers cooked, we sat down in a sun shade, and chatted with other hikers who were fleeing the sun and accepting the host’s hospitality. They ran the gamut from hippies to businessmen, young to old, but we all had a lot in common. We had the same concerns: water, sun, miles, etc. And we all wanted burgers, cold drinks, and shade.

The burgers were served. My veggie burger was just a patty with a slice of cheese in a bun. I put on ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise, and took a bite. It was delicious.

Really, it was nothing special, just a frozen veggie patty. It was still a little frozen in the middle. But I was expecting to get dirty water from a tank, and instead was eating a burger in the shade. It was delicious.

We finished our burgers, and the chef walked over again. “Dessert”, he said, and handed us Otter Pops. They were even more delicious.

Apparently, the host has parties every night, but we still had miles to cover, so we headed out.

We had learned that the next water was not nearly so far as we’d read. Contrary to the PCT Water Report, Tule Spring was running, and The Guzzler wasn’t empty.

We set up camp at Tule Spring, near another tent. Suddenly, agonized moaning started coming out of the tent. The woman inside, Andy, was treating her blisters. She’d had very bad luck with shoes.

Elizabeth looked at her blisters, and said they were the worst she’d ever seen. Andy couldn’t walk very well, and the way to the spring was tricky, so Elizabeth got her some water.

The next road is about 15 miles of desert hills. There’s no other way out. I don’t know how she’ll do.