We left Tehachapi sad to be leaving behind Peter and the end of our relaxing stay, but so excited to start crushing miles and get closer to the Sierras!

Our day started out pretty rough, hitting trail amidst our second wind advisory warning and an immediate five mile climb. The wind was so strong that we would lean into it just to stay upright; when the wind hit us from the side, our heads leaned well past our feet.

Luckily, the climb ended and trees started to pop up providing more shelter for us to make it 16 miles in to our camp site and water source. Though tiring, we were so happy to be amongst the pines again and out of the wind.

My dad picked us up the day before after a 16 mile hike out through the windmills and unforgiving heat. We were so happy to finally be off our feet, much less in a car with AC, Gatorade, and fruit!

Peter was the trail angel of the zero day, meeting everyone, freely offering up the car and rides to and from various locations around town, and joining us for any activity or chore we wanted to do. Thank you Dad!!!

Of the 48 hours we spent in Tehachapi, we spent approximately 20 sleeping, 8 eating, 14 doing chores (laundry, packing, cleaning, post office, shopping, planning, fixing gear, downloading, icing), and 6 truly relaxing. Relaxation for us looked like a brewery, a swimming pool, and doing nothing in a hotel room.

We wished we had more time. But our next zero is on the horizon at Kennedy Meadows, just 140 miles away!

We woke to the whooshing of the windmill above our campsite and the billowing winds that almost knocked out tent over in the night. The wind brought in close to freezing temps and mist as we packed up at 5 am and hit the road during sunrise. The cool air is actually our preference, and we were able to hit big miles in the morning as we intended (14 by ~ 10:30 am).

The windmills today were wild in the mist. They faded in and out of our vision, and the constant whooshing sounded ominous in the wind. If I were ever to write a murder mystery, I think windmills would set the tone nicely.

We knew we had to hit 26 miles today due to the circumstance with water. We had plenty today, but after the campsite 26 away, we had a 40 mile water-carry to overcome. The easiest way to handle this it “camel up” (read: drink as much as possible) right before you leave for a big carry so you don’t have to carry as much.

We took many short breaks and got to camp surprisingly early at 4:50 which was a dream! Settling in at camp can take an entire hour easily, and can leave little time for leisure but today we had time for socializing, journaling, reading, and even an early bedtime.

We are not excited about the crazy water carry, but plan to pack out 5 liters tomorrow and top up these 5 liters if necessary at a water cache about 7 miles in.