Hiker Town to Tylerhorse Canyon – 6-4

By 5:30, when the rooster woke me up, it was already warm. This didn’t bode well.

But, today was my birthday. And Elizabeth was kind enough to put 35 candles into 2 Hostess cupcakes. No, she didn’t check with the fire department first.

We left Hiker Town, to begin the notorious aqueduct walk across the Mojave floor. It was famed for being the most desert-y part of the PCT’s 700 desert miles: Hot, dry, dusty, monotonous.

This section of the trail (mostly) follows the L.A. aqueduct across the desert. Lest this sound easy, (since aqueducts have water), keep in mind that the aqueduct is almost always covered.

By 7:30 in the morning, it was 85 degrees outside. I realized I was carrying two down jackets now.

We did have good cell phone coverage around here, oddly enough. I tried renting my bear canister (a Bearikade Expedition) while I walked, but the manufacturer’s website didn’t allow me to check out on my phone. I called in, and the owner said he’d just ship it and work out payment later. I hope this goes as planned.

The walk was monotonous and hot, hot, hot. Largely, it was just miles and miles of dirt road like this:

There was the occasional landmark, but not much.

We started guessing at what objects in the distance might be trail magic. None of them were. We found two water caches. They were both empty. There was no solid shade, anywhere.

There was, however, a bit of a breeze. If you’re going to be crossing the Mojave on a 110 degree summer day with no shade, you might as well do it near a wind farm. (Two down jackets are unnecessary, however).

Surprisingly, there were quite a few desert rabbits. Very small, about the size of a softball when rolled up. Too skittish and quick to get a picture of, though.

In early afternoon, we reached a bridge. This bridge was the only good shade on this stretch of trail, so it was a traditional point for hikers to rest during the hottest part of the day. The small bridge had maybe 20 hikers huddled in its small rectangle of shade. As the sun moved, hikers would leave the sunny side and move to the newest part of the bridge’s moving shadow.

I laid down, and on my 35th birthday, took my first nap in the dirt under a bridge.

Later, half awake, I heard someone shouting on top of the bridge. I couldn’t tell what they were saying. Hikers sat up from their naps, looking concerned. Were we trespassing, was it the police? Was a flash flood coming? Had the aqueduct broken?

The shouting became clearer: “It’s the Andersons! The Andersons are here!”

We scrambled up the slope, to the top of the bridge. Terrie Anderson was opening doors on her van to reveal coolers of cold soda, and boxes of pizza. “Now who wants the first sno-cone?” she said, as she produced a sno-cone maker from the passenger seat.

In case you’re wondering, strawberry-lemonade sno-cones served in 110-degree desert heat taste like magic.

Sno-cones, soda, and pizza consumed, we got packed up and left. There was still a ways to go today.

The remainder of the day went directly through the wind farm. It was still well above 100 degrees, but the breeze helped a lot.

Some of the turbines were huge.

We also noticed a shepherd, his sheep, and his dog in the distance.

Finally, we reached our destination for the night: Tylerhorse Canyon, which is a sheltered canyon with a creek running through it.

Many hikers were camped there, and the area was showing signs of overuse, but the limitless supply of water was well appreciated.

In camp, I spilled my water, tore my food bag, realized I’d left my stove fuel and lighter at Hiker Town, and went to sleep, thus ending my birthday.