The usual zero day combination of shopping, food and this time the special treat of getting a hair cut and a beard trim!New trousers and some camp shoes/creek crossing shoes from the Big 5 Sports shop, and ordered my Bear box, some underwear, gaiters and a baselayer from REI on sale. From Kennedy Meadows north will have to store my food in a bearproof container for a good while.

Freddy as usual was up first but the rest of us rose later at roughly the same time. The wind was much reduced and there was no more snow falling.

It was a quick and easy walk down to Walker Pass where we quickly got a hitch into Ridgecrest, a small town in the desert of about 25000 people, probably the biggest settlement I’d been in since San Diego.

The eat-as-much-as-you-like Chinese buffet was very welcome, and we got a cheap room at the Motel 6 for a couple of nights. I need to fix my sleeping pad before I go mad….

The day started cold and for the first half we avoided the rain, and even had some sun. The wind was always strong though.

In the afternoon we were caught by horizontal driving hail and snow (yes, this is still the desert !)

We headed for McIver’s cabin, a small bothy and found it empty. Freddy found some firewood and lit the stove while I made coffee to warm us up.

We were just wondering whether we’d have any company when a knock came on the door and a wet and bedraggled couple came in. After peering at each other I remembered it was Henry and Melinda, last seen at Apache Peak! We put them by the fire and made more tea. Then Pocahontas arrived and was served tea too!

The cabin was a little haven from the weather and we all managed to fit.

Fiftieth day on the PCT in my 50th year!From the moment I emerged from my tent it was clear the weather wasn’t like yesterday’s. It was a pretty cold night, near freezing, but now the sky was clear and the sun starting to emerge.The inimitable Support Droid got us fresh coffee and eggs with potatoes which we gratefully demolished. He is a hero.By the time we eventually set off it was sunny and we enjoyed a pleasant walk through the high desert. The only issue today was water, so later in the day we took a detour down a dry creek bed (scrambling in places) to Willow Spring. The water trough was pretty empty, so we hunted about and eventually found a small pipe emitting a little flow of decent water. We ate dinner there (to preserve whatever we carried out). There is little water tomorrow too.The clouds just started rolling in shortly before camp. May well be rain tomorrow.

After a windy night, the morning was cold and indeed was the first time I started hiking with my down jacket. Flakes of ice were being blown off the trees and even the flowers were covered.

We made for the next water source (Robin Bird Spring), about ten miles distant. We didn’t really stop much due to the cold but by the time we arrived the wind had eased. In doing so, we passed 600 miles.

After our stop, when we crossed to the other side of the ridge, the sun started to come out and by mid afternoon it was a glorious sunny day!

On approaching Landers Meadow Camp, our destination for the night, we were delighted to see that Support Droid was here tonight, a week after we last saw him at Sawmill Camp! So a wonderful vegetable chilli was provided.

The temperature soon dropped and we disappeared into our tents. Some others there had a big campfire, and they said this time last year they were in shorts and t-shirts – this is really unusual weather.

A chilly and wet day today, woke up to the sound of rain on my tent. Ironically there is little water on this stretch and I was practically out. So after a quick cup of tea we set off on the 6 miles to Golden Oaks Spring. On arrival it was still raining and we joined Little Red, the Chairman and two others hiding in a little shelter that had no doubt originally been cobbled together to shelter from the sun!

With water available I had porridge, coffee followed by noodles to keep warm – it was only about 5°, windy and wet. Freddy and I stayed until we couldn’t keep warm then set off.

With no hurry to the Sierra (still snowbound) we are doing relatively short days for the moment, but still around 16 miles.

During the afternoon the rain cleared and we got some sun, but the wind didn’t abate. Thankfully we have a idyllic little sheltered campspot.

We walked a mile or two from the hotel to have breakfast at the Voyager Restaurant at the Mojave Air and Space Port. This is where Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic aircraft are based. It is also where the Voyager set off to complete the first continuous flight around the globe. Lots of memorabilia here.

The waitress, Christol, didn’t know about the PCT but once Freddy explained she was quite excited about it. Not many hikers come this way it seems!

A hitch out of Mojave proved impossible so we used the bus again which stops where the trail crosses Highway 58.

Now the PCT is so named because it follows the crest, and towns are generally in or near the passes. So usually when our packs are most heavy (after buying food) we have to climb back up. This day was no exception, and a surprisingly pleasant climb of 2400′ ensued.

Camped at a pleasant flat spot amongst trees, but I have only a little water left. We will hike the six miles to the next water source early tomorrow.

We got up nice and late and headed to the McDonald’s for a cheap breakfast. Mojave is a bit run down but probably a more realistic view of America than the little tourist towns we’d previously been at.

There is a bus for $3 to Tehachapi so we headed over so that Freddy could collect his package from the post office and I could do some shopping that the ‘Family Dollar’ store in Mojave couldn’t satisfy.

We met the Chairman and Little Red, and I finally caught up with Mild Sauce again. Also two new hikers:

After a while headed to the Best Western where Freddy was attempting to upload multi gigabytes of video. Met Second Chance again, he is likely to enter the Sierra with us if things tie up correctly.

A late lunch sandwich at the German Bakery was excellent, and we headed back to Mojave to eat the jumbo pack of strawberries I’d bought, with yoghurt.

There were 11 tents at the creek last night, mostly because it was the only water and flat ground around.

As always I was one of the last out but it was to be a short day so no worries.

The first 7 miles was a climb of a thousand or two feet, but not too hot.

Soon after, a fantastic local has created a little haven in the mountains with parasols, water and a hiker box!

I decided to go to Mojave rather than Tehachapi because the rooms were cheaper, and persuaded Energizer (Freddy) to share a room. It makes sense as we can bus to Tehachapi for $3 anyway.

On the way down to the road, we met a day hiker who immediately offered to turn around back to the car park and take us to our motel! Fantastic guy.

I also had my first standoff with a rattlesnake, a baby one hidden behind a gate, saw him just in time!

Today was likely to be a hot dry section so we arose early and set off before 6am – the sun rose while we were on the trail.The first 17 miles over the valley floor was hot and dry, with not shade whatsoever. We were pleased to get to the bridge and shelter under it for a few hours. This part of the trail followed an aquaduct and a water pipe taking water from the mountains to LA.The rest of the day was through a windfarm and a steep climb to the next water source. I’m very tired but a shorter day tomorrow and hopefully on to Tehachapi or Mojave for a day or two off.