Hiker Town

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The days after Agua Dulce were challenging. It’s a drought year and many of the water sources available to PCT hikers are dried up. The ones that are not aren’t very attractive. Cisterns with green water that haven’t seen fresh rain water in a long time. Springs that now are mere puddles where you compete for water with swarms of flies, bees and other bugs. 

The Bloom Continues 


Available water dictates camping spots and the daily mileage. This makes the trail more social, as you’ll see your fellow hikers at every available water source and camp spot.


First Glimpse Of The Desert Floor


The days have been so hot that I, like most hikers, started my days early to hike while the temperatures are bearable. Then we sought refuge under a tree, behind a rock or other landscape feature that provided some shade for a siesta during the hottest parts of the day. 


Hiking In The Golden Hour

Then we hiked on in the late afternoon into the evening, getting ever closer to the desert floor.


Looks Deceptively Close…

My last real shower was 13 days ago. All the food I had with the exception of a restaurant meal in Agua Dulce had come from a Chevron gas station, a hardware store which surprisingly sold Two Minute Noodles and a liquor store where almost everything but jerky and snickers bars was sold out.


Now It Is Close!

So when Heidi, a fellow hiker, yesterday afternoon suggested that we all press on to reach Hiker Town, I was game, despite my exhaustion. This meant a total of 23 miles in the blistering heat, but the prospect of fresh water from an actual tap and a potential ride to a nearby food store was enough to get our group excited enough to make it.


Just Before Sunset


Hiker Town is technically a hostel, but really a loose collection of tiny houses, dilapidated cars and vans and the home of the very hiker-friendly owners with space to camp for free.


City Hall…


I made it there just before sunset. As I walked into the compound, a woman offered fresh grape water and tamales. I could hardly believe it. The most delicious meal in days!


Home, Sweet Home


Then I pitched my tent next to an old van that would shield me from the sun in the morning. It was too hot to hike the desert floor during the day and I, as well as most of my fellow hikers, planned to stay in Hiker Town until the evening and night hike the Los Angeles aqueduct. Here are some images to give you an impression of this unusual place.


The Charging Station

Laundry Room

Entertainment District 

Uhmm… Chucky is here too.

School’s Out!


To protect me from the sun, I now moved into the step van. A sophisticated network of spider webs and their inhabitants ensures that the van is virtually free of flies.


Van Life…


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