Day 31-34 (may 7-10) miles 386.1-454.

 Day 31 started out with a 7 mile road walk on the Angeles Crest Highway. This was due to a trail closure to protect an endangered species of frog. This part of the road has been plowed and opened to traffic, so it was easier than the day before. I got back on trail at mile 398.0/ Cloudburst summit and the trail continued to follow and intersect the highway for a few more miles.

The main highlight of the day was passing the 400 mile mark! Once we got back on trail the miles were easy downhill. I saw the much talked about “poodle dog bush” for the first time, which apparently causes burns similar to poison oak but much worse. 

I set up camp at mile 406.7 with Chris and Ryan. For the day we hiked the equivalent of 20.6 pct miles, but with all the road walking it was more like 15. Roads generally go in a more direct line than the trail.

Day 32 felt like normal hiking again, with no more road walking and no snow in sight. The trail felt like it was moving back into desert again, with less tree cover and more shrubs and Yucca. I have been hiking in a huge hiker bubble the last few days, as everyone had spent extra time in Wrightwood but then left soon after the storm. Every night there have been 20+ tents set up, and this night was no exception. 

I set up camp at mile 430.4 joined by Nicola and Went, with many others in the general area. It was a 23.7 mile day.

Day 33 was mostly downhill to Acton. It was a fairly easy day and had some trail magic halfway through the day that gave me energy to get to the highway. At the trailhead at mile 444.3 I met Ann Pederson, who used to go to my church in Everett before moving down to Socal. She brought lots of fresh strawberries, cookies, and homemade  rice crispy treats for me to share with other hikers. It was great to see her and all the other hikers were very grateful for the trail magic.

After a while a trail angel named Kristen came by to offer a ride into Acton. She took us to the 49er saloon, which offered free camping to pct hikers and had incredible food. 13.9 mile day.

On day 34 chris, mark and I took our time getting out of Acton, resupplying for 5 days. We decided to try to hitchhike back to the trailhead but we soon realized that it was going to take a long time- there wasn’t much traffic on the road and no one seemed eager to pull over. Eventually a man named Kevin picked us up- he was a trail angel that frequently gives hikers rides. He was very knowledgeable about the area and gave a little tour, explaining that many movies and tv shows such as breaking bad have been filmed in the valley. 

On trail we only hiked 10 miles into Agua Dulce at mile 454.7. On the way we passed amazing rock formations called the Vazquez Rocks, which also was featured in many films. In Agua Dulce we camped at a place called Serenity’s Oasis that has camping, showers, and laundry.