Rattlesnakes, Wind and Long Water Carries

Days ten through thirteen were challenging because of all the food weight I had on my back along with often having to carry up to four liters of water due to some 17-18 mile stretches between water sources.

You’re not going to believe this, but I had another crazy incident with bees the first day I was back out on the trail. I was sitting on a nice bench around 10 am having a rest and an energy bar on the side of a hill near Tehachapi when I heard a really loud buzzing sound. I looked up in time to see a giant swarm of bees heading my direction. I instinctively hit the ground face down and hoped they would just fly by. And that’s exactly what they did. They were probably 20 or 30 feet up in the air and within five to ten seconds they were past me and going out of sight.

Later that day I fortuitously met Roger the beekeeper and told him about this incident. He said that the old queen and a bunch of the worker bees were most likely going to find a new hive location since there would be a new queen at the old hive. Apparently there is usually nothing to worry about from them while they are in this travel mode…as long as you leave them alone!

It was another hot day and I had a 1600 foot hill climb to do so I waited like an actual hobo all afternoon in the shade under the Highway 58 bridge before starting up the hill at 6 pm. Roger came over to chat with me for three hours after he was done with his beekeeping. He was an avid gold prospector as well so he showed me a bunch of examples of gold powder, flakes and nuggets.

The hike up the hill was tough and I encountered my first adult rattlesnake; a Mojave green who rattled at me and then slithered away.

The following two days were quite windy and again, I had long distances to go between water sources. I saw a second Mojave green rattlesnake but this one did not even rattle or move. The temperatures were chilly and he was in the shade and it was windy so I think he was too cold to do anything.

The wind on day thirteen was unbelievable – the most wind I have ever hiked in. I estimated that it was around 40-50 mph. I found myself on exposed hillsides just getting pummeled by it. It took me nearly 30 minutes that night to put up my tent; a process that normally takes about 5-10 minutes. I had sand everywhere inside my tent which had been blown in by the intense wind through the night. I put in earplugs and slept like a log even though the wind was whipping my tent around like a sheet.

Trail Facts:

• Trail miles walked – 177
• Current PCT mileage marker – 631
• Current Audiobook – Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose
• Current Podcast – Planet Money by NPR
• Additional PCT Thru-Hikers I’ve met – Highlander, Plinko, Cabana, Forest Gump, Terminator, Mike
• Additional wildlife seen – Pronghorn Antelope, Mojave rattlesnake, western gray squirrel, Douglas’s squirrel