I woke up to the smell of fresh coffee. That trail angel hero ‘Support Bot’ treated us all to fresh coffee (ground that morning!) along with eggs and bacon.

To add to that, the sun came out and dried my tent a little and gave us a rainbow.

So back to normal service of a nice sunny day and the gradual descent into the valley, with the bonus of passing the 500 mile mark.

Better still, at the road there was a trail angel with snacks and beer!

We’ve been so lucky this weekend. A further 7 or so miles brought us to the Hikertown ‘hostel’ and the feud between the Neenach Café and the and the Wee Vill Market – more on that later maybe!

Tomorrow we walk the Western edge of the Mojave desert, but the weather is not due to be too hot. Then on to the town of Tehachapi and a zero.

If you told me today that I was in Scotland I would have believed you. Chilly, misty, and then raining – not what you expect of the Southern Californian high desert.

Freddy, fellow Dutchman The Chairman and I set off for a long day, with Little Bee sort of popping in and out of the group.

There was little to see due to the mist, and we decided on aiming for a water source 18 miles distant. Trouble was, it wasn’t there!

So wet and cold we hike on another 2 miles to Sawmill Camp and there was trail magic!

The heroic trail angel ‘Support Bot’ served us hot chocolate and homemade soup under his awning while the rain hammered down. It was incredibly welcome and so well timed.

His wife did the PCT in 2016 and he followed her all the way providing support and hot food. He is now looking after hikers for a week here. What a hero.

There are apparently bears around so we are storing our food in his vehicle.

Tomorrow we plan to get to Hikertown Hostel. Whether we actually stay there will depend on the weather. If it’s still cold and wet it will be hard to resist.

A short hike with Second Chance and Little Bee down the the road and into Green Valley.The Anderson’s residence, Casa de Luna, is here. There are only two rules for entrance; you need to put on a supplied Hawaiian shirt and get a hug from Terrie Anderson.The have a huge Manzanita forest out back with loads of camp spotsOut front there is an area for relaxing:They also very kindly have a chat to assess your bowel movements…A very relaxed and friendly place, and a taco salad for dinner.Later in Freddy turned up (he’s finally caught me) and added his usual hilarity.

The morning was cool and humid and I did quite well in leaving Hiker Heaven before 7am. I couldn’t resist a breakfast burrito and coffee before I left town.A few miles of road walk gave way to winding tracks in low hills, with mist often swirling around. Unusual weather I’m told.I caught up with Little Bee and Second Chance and we on and off walked together for the remainder of the day, with guest appearances by someone I’d not met before, Feathers.

For those who don’t know Second Chance is getting quite well known in hiker circles:I will go to Casa da Luna tomorrow, the residence of another famous trail angel couple, the Andersons. I’m only here once so I don’t want to miss the experience. It does mean I’ll only do 8 miles though.

Nothing much to say today, except a nice relaxing time at Hiker Heaven.A pleasant breakfast though:Will set off in the morning as early as I can manage.

We have broken the £1000 barrier! Thanks all 😁

After a thoroughly refreshing stop at the campground, I only did 10 miles because I couldn’t refuse the pleasure that is Hiker Heaven. But more on that later.The first few miles was quite familiar terrain:

But after crossing highway 14 I encountered Vasquez Rocks park which has been used for countless films including Star Trek

The small settlement of Agua Dulce has a Mexican restaurant with stupendously sized Margaritas

Who was I to resist?The restaurant filled with PCT hikers and we together proceeded to Hiker Heaven (https://hikerheaven.com/) where the Saufley’s open their doors to hundreds of hikers.It is amazingly organised; laundry is done for us, and we have access to all the facilities we need. The garden is a sea of tents.I met up with people I hadn’t seen for a while , including ‘Mild Sauce’ (if you don’t know who this is, you need to keep up with the blog more often 😜)

I now have a choice, it’s 24 miles to another famous trail angel at Casa Dr Luna. I can either hike some of the miles tomorrow and do the rest th next day, or take a full zero tomorrow and do a 24 mile day afterwards. Hmmm

A very productive day. Pilgrim was up and about before me but I still managed my earliest start yet, heading out at 6.25.

The weather was moderate, the trail was predominantly descending (though with plenty of mini climbs) and I was up for it, so I posted my longest day yet. The fact that I have eaten almost all my food and my pack is light helps too!

The early start meant that the low clouds over the valley hadn’t burnt off yet:

A short-ish climb led to gentle descent and contouring round the hills, and my initial destination was the Ranger Station at 17 miles.

I bumped into the Liverpool Hikers, Brian and Heidi, again. First time I’d seen them for 300 miles!

Arrived at the Ranger station but unfortunately the Germans had got there first and claimed the first picnic bench. We quickly grabbed the second, fearing that they would annex it.

The ranger provided water and also sold us soda (see, I’m Americanised now. That’s pop or fizzy drink to you).

I decided I was in good shape to press on to the KOA campground.

Just to clarify, when I usually mention ‘campground’, for example ‘Little Jimmy’s’ from the other day, it is a basic camping area with, if lucky, a pit toilet and bear boxes, and no water. However this is a proper campground as we might understand it in the UK with showers, a little shop etc.

The long day leaves me with only a 10 mile walk to Hiker Heaven ( https://hikerheaven.com/). Will resupply there for the next section.

I felt much better this morning after last night’s rest – and the day only improved!

First, I reached the 400 mile marker! I need to up my speed if I intend to finish this trail, but nonetheless I am proud to hit this mark.

Just a mile after my camp spot, there is a hut with water called Camp Glenwood, often used by local scouts I believe. Well being the weekend, some fine folks were there and I got a second breakfast of eggs and quesadilla with fresh coffee – I felt like a hobbit. Moreover we finished it off with an early morning shot of tequila! It’s lovely to encounter such unexpected generosity.

The trail today was gorgeous, the weather mild. There were literally swarms of Monarch butterflies – I’m not exaggerating to say I saw more butterflies today than the rest of my life combined.

Then came the Japanese-American day hikers who gave me a bag on mini cucumbers and a bag of trail mix. Lovely people keen to chat.

And even better, some unexpected phone reception so I got to speak with Fleur too!

Ended up camping at Mill Creek Picnic Area with a lovely man called Pilgrim, next to a ‘No Camping’ sign…

I’ve finished with the snow for a while. It persisted for a couple of miles out of Little Jimmy’s Campground then petered out. Of course once the trail became easier I relaxed and promptly turned my ankle. Ouch.

To keep things interesting there was a short 1200′ climb in the morning. I think none of those who were on Baden Powell yesterday found it easy, everyone looked a bit tired.

The rest of the day was not strenuous but I still chose a camp spot before 4pm so I could take an easy evening.