We woke up in the rocky and pine covered foothills of the Sierra believing we had left the desert behind. There were pine needles to cushion our feet and shade overhead as we walked down the trail in the predawn light. We relished in the easy miles as we crossed flat ground and descended over the hills towards the first water 7 miles away.

After a tough day yesterday, we hoisted our slightly lighter packs and headed down the trail. I got a great sleep on Burnout’s old Neoair sleeping pad. He replaced it because it had a micro hole and would deflate over night, but it stayed inflated all night for me. I am also now using my Big Agnes Copper Spur UL1 tent, which my mom brought to me. It’s sturdy and free standing so it should be good for the up coming Sierra section of the trail.

We woke up at 4:30. It was hard to get out of bed, especially after a nero and two zero days in Mojave and Tehachapi. I don’t normally write about town days because I am aware that being back in civilization isn’t as exciting for you, the reader, as it is for me, but I’ll give you a recap.

We woke up in our cowboy camp near the wind farm, which was surprisingly unwindy last night. There were only seven miles left until the trail would cross Tehachapi Willow Springs Road, our hitch spot to get into town, and it was all down hill!

We woke up to the sound of wind turbines and a rising sun burning on the horizon. The Joshua Trees stood silently as we packed up our camp and climbed out of the ravine back to the trail.

We woke up in a cloud again, but this time we also had howling wind to welcome us back to the land of the living. On top of that, I set up my tent near a dead tree and heard it creeking all night. I was worried it would fall on me. Luckily, it didn’t. When I did sleep, I was woken a number of times when the high winds caused the side of the tent to slam into my head. Fun times.

I awoke to the sensation of water hitting my face and my eyes snapped open. We were in a cloud and it was starting to rain. I sat up and reached into my pack, pulled out my tent, and started to pitch it. I laid it out, staked in the front and back, and threw my sleeping bag in it to keep it from getting soaked.

I woke up well rested in the Manzanita forest of Casa de Luna. For all the talk of it being a party place, the owner Terry set clear rules that the forest is for sleeping and in front of the house is for those looking to party.

Today marks my 1 month trailversary, and it was also my longest day of hiking as well at 25 miles! I am so grateful for this experience where everyday is full of surprises, challenges, and happiness.

At Bedazzled’s suggestion, we started hiking even earlier today waking up at 4:30 and hitting the trail by 5:00. As we have dropped in elevation over the past few days, the temperature has risen, and we are already hitting the high 80s. This is more like the desert we have been expecting, but that certainly doesn’t mean we are happy campers. The heat was a shock from the cooler temperatures up in the mountains.

I woke up at 5:00 in our stealth campsite at the top of the mountain and saw the sky coming alive with color. There was burnt orange on the horizon transitioning to a beautiful blue in the sky above.

We left our campsite a mile before Cooper Canyon Trail Camp and began walking uphill to start our day. Soon we were in a mixed forest with stately trees towering overhead. The PCT out of the Buckhorn Flat Campground is beautiful, especially in early morning light.