May 26

603-629

We sleep in until 7, because Amber’s Dad is meeting us at the next highway crossing and we are a little ahead of schedule. The terrain appears very different.

We are in the forest, where we have been previously on this trip,but this time it feels different. It feels more like a living ecosystem than a small outpost of pines on the top of a ridge. The Sierra officially start at Tehachapi pass and go on for 400 miles until Mt Lassen, a volcano in northern California. It is the longest single mountain range in the contiguous USA. The Appalachians out east are subdivided into different ranges with different geological histories, the Rockies are similarly separated. The Sierra, with their distinctive granitic peaks, are a singular geological range, and they will be our companion for the next 700 miles of trail.

We walk through a mixed pine and drought resistant oak forest. The trail is littered with endless piles of acorns.

It is easy to see how this area can sustain larger mammals like bears. Our time in the pines comes to an end as we descend back down into the usual mixed chaparral and sand of the high desert.

Temperatures are scorching and this next stretch of trail is made possible by locals who cache water for PCT hikers. Without their generosity and time, this stretch would be exceedingly difficult to get through and would require several gallon water carries. We come across a cache at a dirt road crossing and see a man parked with his truck. He offers us cold beers and bagel sandwiches, which we eagerly gobble down.

As the sun sets, we try to hike hard to take advantage of the cooler evening temperatures. We camp out in the open shaded by a singular Joshua tree.