May 19th, 2016
Miles Hikes: 15
Total Miles: 380
Start Location: KOA Acton Mile Marker 444
End Location: Campsite Mile 459
End Location GPS: 34.53988, -118.30820
We got a good start this morning and were hiking at 6:15. The plan was to first get to Agua Dulce and eat pizza and then decide what to do next. You can’t really make intricate decisions on an empty stomach, you know.
The ten miles to Agua Dulce were quick. We went through a very scenic area the last three miles called Vasquez Rocks. Large Martian red boulder formations erupted out of the earth like flying saucers that had crashed landed into the sides of mountains and had rusted a dark red and brown. We learned from our trail friend Banjo that a Star Trek episode was actually filmed in this location some time ago.
Finally at the Pizza place we chowed down real hard. A large veggie pizza and large salads vanished quickly . It was the best pizza we had all trail and we finally felt something we hadn’t felt in a long time…full.
We were then ready to make a decision- go to the hostel in town (Hiker Heaven – operated by the Saufleys) or resupply and hike a few more miles out of town.
Because our nick name is Team Efficiency, we decided to stay at Hiker Heaven, only to reverse that decision once we got there. The place was packed. There were no more trailers to sleep in and the yard was nearly full of tents. The only spots available were by this little creek thing that was milky white and smelled like sewage. We made the decision to stay for a little while and fill our waters and then go back to town to resupply and head out on trail for another 5 miles or so.
We are camped in a nice quiet valley with crickets and the occasional naying of horses far off in town. The moon has just risen over the ridge of an eastward mountain, as full as a silver dollar and as bright as a million stars- a giant night light in an otherwise quiet darkness. It’s quiet moments like these that are the best, when you can hear yourself breath and thoughts are as clear as the navy blue sky above.
