Wrightwood to Tehachapi, 190 Miles (Mile 370 to 560)

"Cold, hot, cold, hot, cold, hot. This is how it's been on and off since Wrightwood thanks to a few cold fronts that moved through. I have less then 150 miles of desert left to traverse and truthfully I am ready to be done with it! The desert is dirty, really dirty and dusty. It's always windy which means you get sand blasted every single day. The inside of my nose is chapped beyond belief and my skin is so dry it's flaking off. It's still beautiful though and I am grateful for these experiences because I know they will be short lived. It's crazy to be in pine forests for days then to emerge into desert on the other side. The next 150 miles are some of the toughest on the trail as it skirts around the barren Mojave Desert. I'll be hitting just as a heat wave sets in! Should be interesting!"

 Hiking up Baden Powell and a birthday treat of bacon on a honey bun!

Mount Baldy off in the distance

Sunrises and sunsets on the way past mile 400

"This is the dreaded Poodle Dog Bush. It smells like marijuana and is extremely toxic to the touch. It grows in recent burn areas. We spent days dancing around this stuff. Thankfully none of us came in contact with it."

Sunset selfie!

Vasquez Rocks, if this looks familiar to you it probably is, while you most likely have never been there, some of your favorite tv shows, movies, and commercial have been shot here!

Green Valley

A tiny section of trail that reminded Whitney of being back east as she power by mile 500!

You never know what you'll find around the next corner in the California desert!

Hiker Town, this place is literally in the middle of nowhere.  Whitney paid $6 to spend a night in the garage out of the wind and the sand...hiker trash luxury :)

"Hiking the LA Aquaduct. We got an early 4 am start to avoid the heat of the day. This is a 17 mile long, hot, dry stretch of trail that was completely flat and mundane. But there was lots of trail magic."

Hiking through the windmill part as she makes her way through the final section of the Aquaduct

"Then, all of a sudden, there is TRAIL MAGIC IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT...OKNOTOK is a group that participates at Burning Man every year. They had a friend hike the PCT a few years back so now they do trail magic every year. SUCH awesome people. They cooked us hot dogs and sausages, had ice cold beer and water, made chili lavender popcorn and had a huge assortment of snacks not to mention comfy chairs and SHADE!"

Approaching Tyler Horse Canyon

Passing through a burn area

Mile 560, crashing at the airport runway in Tehachapi

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