Day 25 mile 518 (20% of the trail)

Headlamps are coming out of packs as everyone is night hiking to beat the heat. In the forest at night, points of light bob through the trees. It's 12 noon, 93 °F, and we are siesta'ing at Hikertown, an odd western themed hiker hangout with $10 (mostly barren) rooms and a single garden hose shower for the patrons. The beautiful Los Angeles aqueduct is coming up tonight. Twenty miles of concrete. Come at me, urban sprawl (wait don't).

Day 24 afternoon, mile 478 (18% of the trail)

I've stopped at Casa de Luna, a well known trail angel place. There's bbq and beer. Talked with Caitlyn from Colorado. She has a 9-lb base weight in a frameless MLD pack. Mine is around 14 lb. I've met a few guys pulling consistent 30-mile days. Brian has shot ahead; Squints is hanging out playing the poker. Really good seeing him again. Politics designs water treatment systems for a living and schooled me on backcountry water treatment ("Algal toxins should be neutralized by chlorine dioxide"). He's using an MSR Guardian pump which filters viruses, and is probably the most hardcore filter on the market. Bud and his wife Fret (the verb) are also new people. Bud's not taking an ice axe into the Sierra, Fret, true to her name, is.

Days 18-24 morning, mile 454 (17% of the trail)

The last six days have been pretty smooth. I've got my hiking routine together, checking maps, buying the right amount of food. I had to dodge some nasty Poodle Dog Bush in the last two days. PDB is this mean-looking plant that smells like spoilt marijuana and causes a blistering rash. The really bad overgrowths cause trail detours. I'm past the worst of it though.

I'm in the town of Agua Dulce. It's 7 am and before I head back to the trail, I'm getting a coffee and tortillas. The stretch ahead is the final portion of "desert," scare quotes because it's not really desert in the sense of low elevation, flat terrain (Death Valley etc.). It's actually hilly and should stay below 100 deg F.

At my pace, I should be at Kennedy Meadows in 12 days. KM is the unofficial start of the Sierra Nevada portion of the trail, and the transition to an alpine environment. The timing is a tad early. There's a lot of talk about the snow and I've met several people bringing crampons. One person is taking snowshoes. I'm bringing my ice axe for sure, but am holding off on any traction devices. I think the snow will be soft and tracked out enough by then, and I'll be able to chop steps with the piolet. 

Engineering

Parallels between thru-hiking and engineering school:

- Much camaraderie through shared suffering
- 80% drop out rate
- Far more men than women
- You eat a lot of instant ramen

Days 16-17, mile 384 (14% of the trail)

McDonald's was a success. I packed out two apple pies. We hiked out a few miles and camped in a grassy gulch that looked like the foothills of the Himalaya. In the morning, we set off for Wrightwood, with nearly 6,000' of ascent. The hike was uneventful and not that bad. The last portion of the hike descended into Wrightwood, where I hung out with some former coworkers (hi Jim and Alicia!). For lodging I ended up splitting a room with two other hikers. Within an hour the sink stopper broke, we found the toilet didn't really flush, and the shower trickled. My climbing buddy Ron visited from LA and he filled me in on his sufferfest Cactus 2 Clouds 2 Cactus hike. The next day, Brian and I found a much nicer place via CouchSurfing. The host was an electronics guru with a chill dog. In the morning we started toward Little Jimmy campground, 26 miles away, the first stop on our trip to Agua Dulce (next town on the PCT).

I got to the campground at 7 pm, where the host invited me to the campfire. There's this ancient feeling of safety sitting next to a fire in the woods. It feels like you're protected. Some young people today describe cities as feeling safer. Campfireish. The host was leaving soon for the Israel National Trail, which runs north-south for 600 miles. I poured some water I heated on the outdoor wood stove into a Nalgene, and held it for warmth in my sleeping bag.

Day 15 mile 320 (12% of the trail)

There is a hot spring directly on the trail and it is everything you could ever hope for and more.

The other big topic on the trail is the McDonalds coming up 22 miles away. Seriously, we've had like four conversations about it in the past 48 hours. We're all getting quarter pounders, mcflurries, and a shitload of apple pies. Oh my god the calories, I can't wait. 

Day 14 mile 295 (11.1% of the trail)

Hiked a marathon. Hunk, Squints, Brian, Aisha (New Zealand), and I have made a good party. They're all crazy fast and runners. Flower (Netherlands) is camped here with us and has an awesome Fjallraven winter expedition tent. Thing looks bomber.