As we start to move closer to the Mojave desert, the land leading up to it has kind of started to give us a preview of what to expect in the not so distant future of our hike. The trail takes us up and down and around sparse mountains only to spit us out in dry, hot, and desolate valleys. After we cross this waterless stretch of land in the sun it has us climbing once again only to repeat the same type of hike we did the day before, almost as a rinse and repeat type of cycle.
As we approached our third day of expected climbs and desert we came to a surprising sight. A small cluster of houses called “hiker town” sitting in the distance and not far beyond it was the Los Angeles Aqueduct glimmering in the hot sun. “Hiker Town” was a strange little place. Mainly consisting of one house sitting in the center of a plot of land, surrounded by small little movie set type houses. These little houses were for the hikers to sleep in overnight and you could take a shower if you so pleased with a five dollar donation.
Later we actually got to meet the guy who bought the land “Hiker Town” sat on and we found out that he was a movie producer at one point in his life, and helped produce and pay for movies as big as “Gone in Sixty Seconds” After a break in the strange little town we pushed on towards the LA Aqueduct. The Pacific Crest Trail follows this aqueduct for a good bit, as you weave in and out of sand embankments and between two sets of mountains in the distance.
Luckily you could see the actual aqueduct pipeline slightly exposed from wind erosion removing the dirt that once hid it from the public view. It made for some fun late afternoon hiking on something other than dirt for a change, and out here every little new thing is a big thing. Wish us luck as we hike through more desert and make our way north towards the Sierra Mountains.