Hello Everyone,

Here I am laying in my tent, inside an abandon house, sending an update on my trek, day 14, Thursday, April 24.

I made 12.10 miles today, in about 6 hours and 23 minutes. I am about four mikes north of the rest area on US 395 and about 14 miles south of Olancha.

I really enjoyed my camp site last night because of the history and also the location. It was a big difference from all the dry place that I have camped so far as the whole area is part of a spring area. I noticed lots of green areas with lilies and cat’s tails, which usually grow near water. I notice many birds in the evening and early morning and I could hear the frogs at night. That was a nice sound and a big change from hearing the wind hollow at night. I woke up to the hollow of a number of coyotes a little after midnight. I found out later that because the water and the numerous water foul there, that it attracts larger predictors.

I started my day with a little bit of a crisis. I thought I had lost my hand shovel! It’s an important part of my stuff, especially since I like to, if I can,  leave a site cleaner than before I got there. I finally found it next to the tent because I had used it to level out the site. I actually lost my first one on the sixth day and had to call 911 Mindee, who brought me another one in Mojave. I feel that I would rather be like a cat, who are usually a little discrete about their business, rather than dogs, who do not care where they go. Did you ever see a sign that says, “please pick up after your cat?”

I had a lot of pain in my left heel yesterday and added another layer of duct tape to my heel this morning. It seemed to ease the pain a little but continued to get worse later in the day. As I have mentioned, I have used bandages, blister bandages, medical tape, Mole Skin, and three different types of duct tape. They have all worked for certain parts of my feet, and all work to a point, but if I could only have one, it would be duct tape. You can always use duct tape to patch a leak in a tent or wrap a broken shoe. The blister bandages and Mole Skin come in a close second.

I hit the road fairly early and started out on the road as usual by waving hello to my friends, the professional truck drivers. I still can’t get over that most move over into the other lane, even if I have a wide shoulder to walk on. A couple of days ago, when I was setting up the tent, I couldn’t figure why my right arm felt a bit sore. Muscles I usually don’t use, waving thank you to the truckers. If figure that if I ever do this again, I would make some kind of mechanical device, where I’d just push a button on the Wheelie’s handle and an arm with outstretched fingers would go up. A nice thank you. And then of course, there would be the second button that would raise another hand, with thumb and index finger, and the two little fingers, pulled into the palm. But not the middle finger. This would be for the one or two drivers that honked obnoxiously at me, or the drivers that came too close to me. I guess that’s where your mind goes when you have nothing else to think about while walking on the road.

As I started out on the road I noticed a pickup truck stop at the gate entrance to Little Lake. I felt a Huel Houser opportunity coming on and I could not pass it up. That’s what this trek is all about, adventure, discovery, knowledge, etc. I have always wanted to know what Little Lake is all about since it is closed to the public. So I ran, if you could call it that with a 70 pound Wheelie, across the street before the guy got away through the gate. It turns out he was a county geologist that was going in to test the water levels surrounding the lake. The Lake belongs to a private duck hunting club of about thirty people. He was waiting for the caretakers to open the gate, since getting in is restricted. Water levels in the area are a concern because there is a geothermal power company, several miles away, that has recently started using water from the same aquifer that feeds Little lake. The company has been in operation for over thirty years but their original water source has run out and they recently taped into the same aquifer that feeds Little Lake. He also was the one that mentioned that the owners are very conservation minded about the other wildlife in the area since the water foul attract the large predators. I got my Huel Houser interview. I later ran into him again when I was sitting on the porch at the store. He came over and shook my hand and chatted with me a little more.

I was hoping to make it make it a little closer to Olancha so I would make Lone Pine Saturday. I am carving a motel again and I need a bath and a bed! I make it a point to apply deodorant every morning, but I don’t know why? I don’t even like anything scented, but for this trip I went for the smelly stuff Mindee uses. Now I put it on and my underarms smell good, but the rest of me stinks.

I started out well for the first few miles and then the pain started to increase in my heel. I made it eight miles to the rest area and store and filled the water bottles. I started back up and realized it was getting rather late and didn’t want to find look for a site late in the evening. I came across this place which I thought was abandoned. I was looking for a site against the sides one of the buildings for protection from the wind. There are numerous old buildings and several trainers, all dilapidated with broken windows and open doors. I saw this building and it looked open and fairly cleared out and decided to pitch the tent inside. That way I would be protected from the wind and wouldn’t have to stake it down.

Just a few minutes ago, while writing this blog, I heard two dogs barking in the distance towards the trailers. I had walked up there when I first got here and didn’t see a car. I have been here since about 3:30 and walked around much of the property. I don’t see lights now, so I am not sure if some else maybe staying here too just like me?

Hopefully I will make it well past Olancha tomorrow since Lone Pine is twenty-two miles from there. I don’t think I could make Olancha to Lone Pine in one day with my heel feeling the way it does.

Hope to keep you updated tomorrow.

Best to all, and please keep good thoughts, prayers, and blessings, going my way,
Ted

Next Post: Day 15