Tehachapi Challenge

Tardy mentions something called the “Tehachapi Challenge.” A 24 hour challenge to get from hiker town mile 517ish to Tehachapi mile 566ish under 24 hours passing through the LA Aqueduct. There’s really two options to hitch hike into the town of Tehachapi and we are choosing the first option as it seems easier to get a ride being an actual road way/highway and not a dirt road.

I plan to do this stretch over night. Most people do it over night to avoid the blistering desert heat and make it a big party. This week’s weather for us is nice and cool but we still want to do it over night. We spend the day lounging around hiker town, Richard the owner lets some of us drive his Ferarri and we still can’t believe the hospitality we’ve been shown.

Plan is to leave at 4PM and get moving as a big group. 3PM rolls around and Coffee break, Renaissance and Stealthy are getting anxious. They say “well we’re going to leave, suns good enough for us and we’re getting after it.” Roger that see you boys in 13 hours.

3:45PM rolls around and I get on Seven and Tardy, I tell them let’s get going and catch up. I’m hoping for 2.5-3 mph sustained pace. As we start to walk we pick up a stray, Greenhorn rolled in and says “I’m going to do the first 4 miles with you guys and then camp.” We told him to just push on with us but hey ok HYOH.

A mile down the road we start discussing the evening plans. Are we actually going to run all night long? Will it even take 24 hours? Are we taking any breaks? Are we camping at all? And most importantly…. What time should we eat these mushrooms I got back in Agua Dulce?

We arrive at the ”aqueduct” and mess around for a few minutes figuring out with which direction it’s actually flowing. We pass by a couple of gopher snakes that looked full and we turn left onto the long long road to the first and only water source for tonight.

As we reach the faucet Greenhorn jokes it’s shut off… Damn man that’s life or death for us, Seven left the house with no water at all. Savage. I left with 3 liters, he says I’d be laughing if it was off. I just plan on carrying heavy water 24/7 to keep “training.” I literally can’t drink enough out here.

Another few miles and we say goodbye to Greenhorn and start our actual aqueduct walk. Some of it is literally on top of the pipe. The rivets are hell on the bottom of your feet. It’s right about now I think about switching from Altra Lone Peaks to Altra Olympus shoes next time I swap. I need more cushion. Blurry vision, wobbly legs and destroyed feet it’s a recipe for sore ankles and stumbles.

I toss a handful of “portobello” mushrooms into my mouth and say “right now” this is the right time. I should be riding the wave as soon as we hit sunset. I poke Seven and hand him a bag. “Sharing is caring mate” I tell him. As soon as I get them down the hatch it’s always instant regret, no chaser, no chewing, just swallow them… After about 60 seconds of regret and questioning why do I do this? I then remember how awesome nature is. That’s why.

As we walk the aqueduct we look around and see a rain storm following us. Seven says “if we just walk fast it won’t catch us!” Tardy laughs and I just stare at it mesmerized. I have the gear for rain but right now maybe not the mental gear.

The wind starts to pick up, I toss on some layers and we all stop and sit down. The clocks ticking, I swap a sock and toss more luekotape onto my foot. There’s 3 layers at this point. It’s either a blister or not. No idea. Blisters are just a part of life now, is it infected? No, okay stfu and keep hiking then.

I look at Seven as I’m getting up off the hard ground I realize that’s it. I’m officially an astronaut on trail in California. Smile ear to ear, I no longer care about my feet, the possibility of rain, the next 20 miles, or owing the IRS tax money again, it’s just pure bliss, happiness, sunshine, good buddy’s and beautiful nature.

We laugh and talk about nonsense and even drink a can of Pepsi Seven packed out, we laugh about how much a trip hiker town was and what our Tehachapi plans are. The suns setting now and we prepare to get engulfed in the nights darkness.

I pull out some surprises for the boys. Glow sticks and glasses so no one gets “lost” in the dark. It should also add to the evenings events through the wind farms. I look over at Seven and Tardy and just start dying laughing.

We continue on and watch the rest of the sunset and debate when the moons rising. We’ve been joking the moons been a “full moon” for over a month. Today though accordingly to google it won’t be up until 1 AM. Bummer we wanted that moonlight. I stop 30 minutes later to do a “leg dump” when you raise your legs above your head and then the blood dumps back into your core. Exhilarating.

After laying flat on my back and looking at the sky for a few minutes I shut my eyes to clear my mind. I hear “yo Mouse, Mouse, Mouse!” I open them to this view.

Seven as we’re walking like a parrot announces every mile we hit, good thing because I don’t even know where we are. As we hit mile 15 we say oh man this is great! Almost darkness, headlamps on just a couple lads out in the wilderness. Tardy has no actual headlamp on, how’s this kid surviving? He impresses me more and more each day. He walks between us and just uses our lamp lights to get by.

As we hit mile 18 it’s pure uphill through the wind farm, I can’t see them spinning but I can hear the whooshing as each huge blade swings by. In the distance maybe 900 yards I see a faint headlamp ahead of us. Hmm who’s that? Could it be Renaissance or someone we don’t know?

Tardy stops, points and says “hey look Starlink!” Seven and I shut off our headlamps and stand there in awe. I’ve seen Starlink back home but never like this. It flickered across the sky like 100 satellites long. It looked like it was moving so fast. I stared at it speechless and then just like that it was gone again. Wow.

Another mile goes by still chasing that light in the distance, 2 miles go by and finally we catch up. It’s Coffee Break! How the hell are ya buddy. “Not fucking good, I left my hiking poles 4 miles back at one of the windmills when we took a break, I just hiked all the way back to get them.” Damn man well good thing you don’t have to do the 4 miles back up trail alone, get in line.

He gets in the conga line and asks us how everything’s been going. He can tell by our smiles and laughs everything’s been going wonderfully. He’s jealous he didn’t get friendly with the same guy as I did in Agua Dulce. Next time my friend, next time.

We hit mile 24 and Seven says “let’s take a solid break. I’m smoked.” I zeroed in hiker town, he didn’t. Makes sense he’s gassed out. I say I’m not moving on alone right now as I am, so an hour or two of sleep it is, I pitch my tent in the complete dark and get in it for a bit. The tent uses 8 stakes and I only used 6. Idgaf tonight. Is it standing? Yep, I tuck into my sleeping bag and fall asleep fast, I jerk awake and it’s time to get going again.

I look outside and see Tardy has left, he didn’t even unpack his bag or sleep. He read a few chapters of a smut book, got cold and bailed. Sevens in his tent sleeping, snoring loudly, see ya later buddy and just like that I’m gone up the trail again solo. Moons out now. Hard to get a picture of it.

I pass Rennaisance’s tent and heckle him on the way by. He sleeps till 10 everyday and still crushes more miles than me. It’s now “morning” we hiked all night through the dark.

I catch up to Stealthy who left Hiker Town with Renaissance and Coffee Break taking a weed break on top of the mountain as the suns rising. “Nice spot brah” I tell him and park a seat with him. I cook up some ramen noodles for breakfast, why? It’s literally all I have left. Fully out of food, water and weed until I get to Tehachapi.

Stealthy and I chitchat, he’s pumped for tehachapi to hit Walmart. He wants the pulled pork packets to make trail sandwiches. After a few minutes we say alright let’s wrap this hike up and get moving again. We see all the dirt bike trails going up the mountains and can’t believe someone road them.

We arrive at mile 549 and find a lovely trail angel cache. It had food, games and most importantly water. Thank you to whoever stocks this one. Time for another break.

From here it’s roughly 10 miles to the road where we plan to hitch hike from. Seven arrives at the cache and says Coffee Breaks 20 mins behind him. Stealthy says he’s going to chill and wait for Coffee, Seven and I decide to get moving again before the mid day sun. It’s now 10 AM.

We crush the last bit of steep uphill and enter the wind farm again. This time it’s day time and stupid fuken windy. Who ever suggested this location for a wind farm knocked it out of the park.

I stop in one area that’s not windy, time to pee. Seven stops also and we both say man without the wind this would be nice. With the wind we’re almost being blown off the ridges with each gust. It’s 4 miles to the highway, Seven and I say fuck this let’s just run the last few miles and get this over with.

I take point position as I am “faster” on the downhill. I ignore the shin splint firing in my left leg and enter a jog and just descend in altitude rapidly. As I enter the final .2 miles to the road I pull my phone out to start looking for a ride. There was a list of trail angels on a bench a bit back and I start calling them. All in all we called and/or texted every single number on the list. 4 people answered us and said no, they had work or were out of town. Understandable, the rest we never heard from at all.

I say let’s figure it out and we hit the roadway. Like many dirt bags before we put our thumbs out. We don’t want to wait, it is so windy out I’m actually shivering cold. The second car that drives by Seven lands us a ride to town with a gentleman who’s retired and waiting out the snow to go to Montana for the summer. His plan is to go spend the summer and then come back to Cali in the winters. Kindve a snow bird? He drops us off at the Best Western where we grab a 110$ room and then a ride to the 15$ all you can eat Chinese buffet. We giggle that all the Chinese food places here in Cali we have seen have been “wall” variety.

Renaissance calls me as we eat and says he’s getting a hitch into town by a fire Marshall. I tell him we’re in room 133 and the doors open. He’s crashing the night with us and then heading back to San Diego by bus (4 hours). He arrives and we decide to hit the Mexican place next door. I smash 4 tacos and a Mexican coke to one up the Chinese food.

Renaissance’s journey ends here as he’s taking time off trail to go home, see some family and friends and settle back into normal life. We will see you again Rennaisance. In the mean time safe travels and stay in touch amigo.

Overall what an awesome day. Left an amazing mini town in the desert, walked a famous landmark that gives a major city life, tripped balls with my buddy and hiked 43 miles in one leg to an all you can eat buffet. After dinner I sit in the hot tub and sooth my aching muscles.

Tomorrow’s is a zero day in Tehachapi as I prepare for the long haul to Kennedy Meadows. My official start to the Sierras. Good by SoCal desert section hello Sierras!