Start: 1100 - Yucca Valley (Travelodge)
End: 1715 - Pioneertown Mountains Preserve
Miles (today): 9.5 (8.5 alternate; 1 off)
Miles (cumulative): 260 (205.5 PCT, 50.5 alternate, 4 off)
The plan was to hike around 17 miles today...but then awesome things happened. :)
It was a sluggish start to the day, mostly because I'm exhausted - if I could have slept all day I would have (the bed at the Travelodge was extremely comfortable). Once back on the road (still on the alternate route) I felt as if I could fall asleep while walking.
For some reason, walking 5.5 miles on a road feels much more difficult than hiking 5.5 miles on the trail. Theoretically, it should be easier - there aren't any rocks/sticks/roots/divots to navigate and the ground is more solid. However, mentally it's a grind. The only thing keeping me motivated was knowing we were going to stop at Pappy and Harriet's once we got to Pioneertown (5.5 miles away).
Pappy and Harriet's is a cool restaurant. Touristy, sure, but they have great food and a great atmosphere. (Then again, I AM starting to experience the "hiker hunger" everyone talks about so who knows about the food - it seems like everything I eat tastes amazing.) I ate a huge BLT avocado sandwich, a bowl of red rice, and a kale and chicken salad. When I ordered it all the waitress seemed a bit shocked, but I ate every last bit.
Before we left the restaurant, we filled up on water since the next water source is 20 miles away. Our packs were so heavy with the water that the thought of road hiking with the extra weight made me doubly tired.
Once on the road, I happened to glance over at Pioneertown and told Nick I wanted to take a few minutes to walk through it. Even though it was already 1500 and we still had 12 miles left to walk, I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to see the town. In case you haven't heard of Pioneertown, see the description below.
The history of Pioneertown
This is the part of the day where awesome things happened.
First, as we were making our way to Mane Street, we were stopped by Jason. Jason told us his house is just 5 miles up the road and that we could refill our water there (meaning we wouldn't have to carry 6 liters of water for those 5 miles). He also said we could camp in his yard if we needed to (it WAS getting late). Nick and I decided to take him up on his offer. Knowing I only had to walk another 5 miles made me so happy!
Me with Jason, a very generous soul
With lighter packs and more time to spare, we decided to play tourists and take our time exploring Main Street. We went into a few of the shops and the shopkeepers and other tourists were so nice! Everyone wanted to know what we were doing, everyone thought it was cool, everyone gave us words of encouragement (two ladies said they saw us in Morongo!). My favorite conversation was with artist Geoff Fennell - when I'm done with this trip I need to get some of his art to remember him by.
a look down Main Street in Pioneertown
interesting yard work
Towards the end of Mane Street we saw a post office. Since Nick and I have so much extra food, we decided to bounce some of it forward and lighten our load a bit. It was as if the hiking spirits knew I needed a break today.
Apparently this is the most photographed post office in the US
Once back on the road (finally), we were stopped by Ranger Kerry from the Wildlands Conservancy. He told us Pioneertown Mountains Preserve (where he's stationed) is just 3 miles up the road and said it was a great place to stay. We decided to go with that option over Jason's, although we will definitely stop by Jason's tomorrow to thank him (and to maybe get some water). We told Ranger Kerry about the raccoons at Whitewater - he said they are already looking at relocating those bold creatures.
We've been at Pioneertown Preserve for several hours now - it is so beautiful and relaxing here! This is just what I needed. I am overwhelmed with gratefulness. On the way here a nice couple stopped their car to ask what we (and everyone else they've seen lately) are doing and asked if we needed anything. They were wonderful, too.
The good vibes don't just stop there. Ranger Kerry went to the store and came back with pizza, fruit, beer, and ice cream. Nick and I, the new hiking faces we met tonight (Shotgun, Forest, Benjamin, and Jerry), and the other ranger, Luke, enjoyed the food, drinks, and each others company at Kerry's house. Rangers Kerry and Luke are great - down to earth, smart, and very generous. We couldn't thank them enough.
Ranger Kerry and Ranger Luke from the Wildlands Conservancy- Pioneertown Mountains Preserve
So grateful we decided to stop and tour Pioneertown - I wonder how the day would have turned out if we hadn't.
The Joshua tree by our tent. I really like Joshua Trees - it's exciting to finally see them!