I wake up at 4:30AM and start packing up camp. My goal is to get Farmer John’s house “Serenity’s Oasis” before 4PM. I eat a light breakfast and throw all of my trash away. I camped at the Messenger Flats campground last night mile 430 and they have bear boxes and trash cans. I use the very clean privy and then get walking before the sun rises. Seven and I debate what is the correct name. Outhouse, pit toilet or privy, I have heard them called all 3 back home in New Hampshires White Mountains. He’s never heard of privy. Not once he says.
Starting at bottom of the first climb it starts off in a nice pine forest. Slight breeze on our backs to remind us to start cold. Quickly I rise above the ridge line and the suns now risen. Views for as far as the eye can see! And no more head lamp needed.
As I hit the water source I grab 2 liters. I’m drinking as much as I can all day. At the next source I’ll grab 3 more. This source was kindve stagnant, I think it’ll be dried up in 3-5 weeks. The next water source is one that only runs in the morning. In the afternoon the sun evaporates it to quickly and it doesn’t flow.
As I get between the two water sources I run into crews doing trail maintenance. All volunteers. I ask them how it’s going and they tell me that they have been out clearing brush each weekend for the last three weeks. I respond that it is much appreciated and show the person my legs and how cut up they are. We chat for a few moments about the upcoming section and we discuss the rampant spread of poodle dog bush after the recent fires. They warn me about a stretch of poison oak for about 4 miles ahead. Sweet will keep my eyes open.
After bumping into the trail maintenance crew, it was a nice steady downhill to the next water source where it was actually a beautiful campsite as well. Unfortunately, all the campsites were taken from the trail maintenance crew, but I would imagine if you got there on a Tuesday it would be a perfect spot to camp for the night.
As I come down the hill into Acton I can see a large group of hikers ahead of me, as I catch up to them, I realize it’s a group of Boy/Girl Scouts and they are heading to the Acton KOA RV park for the night. We exchange hellos, they ask me 30 questions about my travels, treat me like a hero and then I’m back on my way into the mid day heat.
I hit the last water source for the day which looks to be in a green valley near KOA. Fully under tree cover with a nice fallen tree to sit on. The 7 minutes it takes to filter water always kills me. ADHD problems, hurry up. This water source is a totally different environment than I’ve been in for the last 15 miles. Mosquitos everywhere, it’s like they got turned on at mile 400. I fill up every bottle I have and prepare for the uphill slog in the midday heat.
After filling up, I start heading out. I have great cell phone service at this point of the day so I decide to call back home and thank my parents for my birthday card. After them I call my Uncle Peter and buddy Dylan. Honestly I needed this, it made the uphill miles go by easier than they would’ve. I think I spent a total of an hour on the phone, that’s at-least 2 miles in my head. Knowing I can charge my phone when I get to John’s, I also don’t care about the battery drain.
At 12:30PM I remember the advice from Seven when he says “brother if your shadow is shorter than you and the UV index is above 8, then you flat out should NOT be outside.” My hands have gotten dark as hell and SPF 50 just doesn’t cut it.
Around mile 444 I find a nice cave to enjoy a shady moment in. I lay out my tyvek and sit down and drink some water. I think about taking a nap but after 20 or 25 minutes sitting there. I kind of feel like there is thing’s moving around inside this cave and decide to get going again. I’m a little bit antsy.
It feels like four more miles and I’m at a huge tunnel that connects one side of the canyon to Vasquez Rocks. This goes underneith the highway.
Vasquez rocks is an absolute beautiful area that reminded me of the inside of the Grand Canyon. I yell into the tunnel to hear my echo. Weirdly I hear people chit chatting, it freaks me out for a moment but I remember I have no reason to be afraid of people. I’m properly prepared to handle my self. As I get through the tunnel and start walking into Vasquez Rocks I finally see the day hikers that were talking. They joke they were talking shit about me because I was yelling. I laugh and say good! That makes me feel like you guys are normal people not serial killers.
15 minutes later I run into two other thru hikers Greenhorn and Coffee Break who I have not met before. I have seen their comments on FarOut. Greenhorn just got out of high school and is hiking the trail for the first time, Coffee break is turning 50 and has hiked it previously and is coming back again to finish the rest of what he started.
I sit down for a few minutes as they leave and then jump up to catch up to them. As I catch up to them I ask them if they mind that I hike with them for a bit and they say absolutely not let’s go. We hike maybe another 2 miles through the beautiful rock formations and we get to the Vasquez Rocks Interpretive Center. We go inside to see if they have both water and anything cool to see and they had both.
Cheap Gatorade and ice cold Sprites, unlimited water and a bunch of animals that are showcased in the park that we could see. I was able to grab a icy Sprite and see a nice gopher snake and rattlesnake up close and personal. That’s as close as I ever want to be. The team took the time to ask us questions and explain to us how the park formed, the importance of the wild life and answered anything we could come up with.
After chatting with the members of the team there, it’s on to the three mile road walk to Farmer John’s. I look at my Garmin and it tells me I’ve done over 21 miles in under nine hours and it’s only 2PM. Coffee Break and Greenhorn joke I should push on and just do a 30 mile day at this point. I feel like and know I didn’t take any breaks today. My left shin feels like it’s on fire but overall I feel motivated to keep pushing myself further and further each day.
I skip resupplying in town on the way by and decide to just get to Farmer John’s and relax.
When I arrive the place is fully stocked. He has everything you could ever need. I mean everything, there was no need to go into town. I grab 2 gatorades and pay 30$ to do laundry, shower, relax and camp for the night.
He gives me the lay of the land and we talk about everything under the sun. He’s a farmer and guitar player, he hands me his Taylor acoustic and says play it for me. I start to jam for him as he does camp chores. The guitar plays very nicely like all Taylor’s do and it feels good to do one of my other hobbies besides hiking. Granted I’m rusty, I haven’t picked up a guitar in 4 months, and my hands hurt from gripping trekking poles all day but I still got it. It’s like riding a bike it comes back to you.
After playing guitar for Farmer John he asks if I partake in that “Cali green”. When in Rome I say. We swap a few buds back and forth from his home grown collection and some purple nugs I got back in Wrightwood. I joke with him “I’m a connoisseur” and his response is “ Variety is the spice of life my friend, I like you Mouse, you’re alright.”
As we talk Farmer John decides to make snow cones for the hikers already here. Flamingo, Long Legs, two folks from Germany and a few others. He slides me a blue raspberry one and it was perfect in the 4PM sun. I crush my snow cone and then jump into a hot shower. Will say, this guys property had the best water pressure I have seen since landing in California. Was like the Seinfeld episode when they get black market shower heads.
Wolf, Seven and Dallas show up a little after dinner, they stopped in town before coming here. Seven brought me tacos from the Mexican restaurant up the street. Nice! Hella friend. After crushing my tacos we all chill out on the patio. The others do laundry, relax and talk about the plans for the LA Aqueduct section and how we want to do it Wednesday night starting around sunset. We plan to grab some glow sticks and lamps so no one gets “lost.”
Around 9:30PM I head into my tent and let everyone around me know why they call me Mouse. I rustle around for an hour and then fall asleep to a light breeze.
Farmer John’s house Serenity Oasis is quite an amazing spot for hikers to hang out. His prices were very reasonable and even beat what I’m calling the Wrightwood Gala Apple index. 1.59$ vs 2.79$.
When you find your self walking through Agua Dulce after Vasquez rocks I would highly recommend stopping by Farmers John’s house and enjoying the hospitality and presence of other hikers.
The Pacific Crest Trail 