5/14/20, mile: 567, elevation: 3,845 ft.
Jesus H. Chrysler! I have never experienced wind like this save for maybe sailing or in an airplane. There’s a reason they put these wind turbines here…
The wind overnight in camp was all over the map. Being in a small canyon (despite the trees and shrubs) was still a noisy affair. And wind turbines are NOT quiet. I learned to recognize a gust coming when the turbines would make a distinctive ‘thunk’. No, not relaxing, and there’s no getting a full night sleep. Hell, I can’t sleep through the night in a sleeping bag, regardless.
The alarm woke me at 0400, I was on trail by 0500. It was very cool, almost cold (low 50’s) and did I mention it was windy? With the wind from the northwest, I sometimes had a quartering wind; better than a headwind, but still work. When conditions were ripe, the tailwinds allowed me to run uphill. Yes, I ran uphill. It got crazy enough that on the ridgetops if I jumped I would get blown off of the trail. The gusts were unpredictable, so sometimes your feet wouldn’t land where you thought they would. It was almost like being drunk. Crazy.
And then the trail climbs higher, up into the zone where the clouds are zooming over the ridgetops. It gets colder and windier. I’ve seen it before in pics, but I’ve never been able to really lean in to the wind…check that off of the list I guess. It’s hard to believe that it’s mid-May and I’m in sight of the Mojave Desert and I’m in conditions like this. At one point I even yelled and screamed at the wind and mountains; picture Lieutenant Dan in the hurricane scene of Forrest Gump. Unlike him, I don’t think I made peace with God. Not yet at least. But it did feel good. Why not, right? Crazy.
It was such a relief to start descending and get Highway 58 within sight. It’s still over 2 miles away, but I don’t care now, I’m dropping in elevation, getting out of the wind and it’s warming. This whole section, not a sign of any other hikers. Just me. By the time I get off the trail at Cameron Road, I’m elated. I talk to the cows, they just stare blankly. And I do not care. I’m almost skipping down the road to the overpass. I call Safety to let him know my status, and he’s still struggling to get a ride. And then he abruptly says, “I gotta call you back, the CHP just pulled over.” Uh oh. So, I continue walking to the overpass. I call a hotel in Tehachapi and make a reservation for us and then text him the info. It’s just after 8am and I just banged out this section like a monster.
Turns out that was the easy part. Getting a ride, not so much. No Uber cars available. I try hitching. No joy for 40-minutes or so. I go back up the onramp to try installing Lyft when a car pulls up. She saw me on the freeway from a mile away on her way to work in Tehachapi and took the offramp to check on me. She was such a sweet person, worried about me being cold in the wind. For such a short drive, we had a great talk about personal satisfaction and happiness. I hope you find what you’re looking for.
And Safety? The kind officer gave him a ride into town and even a compliment. “You don’t smell nearly as bad as other hikers I’ve picked up.”
Welcome to Tehachapi!
Savior out.