Eight miles downhill to town! Slept in again, and I was the last one out because I was slow to break up camp; happy it was no longer yesterday, I took my time, all the while singing along with some banging summer-tunes. Everybody was booking it hard, looking forward get some of the town-luxuries which are void on-trail. 
I ended up being the last one to arrive at the parking lot next to the road. Here the others were already getting into the car of a trail-angel willing to drive us all to Tehachapi. They’d saved me a spot as they noticed me from afar coming down the hill, and I gladly jumped in, but not before getting a icy-cold Gatorade from another trail-angel also waiting on the same parking lot, treating thru-hikers to snacks and drinks. Great way to end a string of strenuous desert-hiking days. Pops had already booked a room at the Best Western in Tehachapi and we were safe and sound in our room around noon. Time to relax. After having a wonderful shower, we dropped our laundry in the machines and went for lunch; Thai-food! Everybody enjoyed it and afterwards each went their own way to sort out chores. I wanted to check the following things off my list today;
– Buy my resupply for Kennedy Meadows (5 days of food needed from mile 702 onward)
– Send said resupply box from the post-office
– Bounce my bounce-box with thermal clothing further to K.M. (which should have arrived at that same post office)
– Pick up my new shoes from post office
The problem with this was that I had about 2 hours left before the post-office would close, which was not really within walking distance. I tried Uber, but to no avail; there didn’t seem to be any cars available. What is a tired thru-hiker to do? I asked at the front desk of the Best Western. The kind receptionist pulled out a sheet with some 40 known trail-angels with their phone-numbers. Pretty awesome comunity! I found the 40 names pretty daunting, and I didn’t know where to start. I figured that if I hiked to the supermarket (which was only 30 minutes away), do my resupply, and then catch a ride from there to the post-office I should be able to get everything done before 1700. At the current hour, I had about 90 minutes left though, so no time to muck around. I randomly chose, and dialed Linda’s phone-number from the list.
“Hello?”
“Hi, this is Joris, I’m a PCT-hiker, and I got your name of the list of Tehachapi-Trail-Angels”
“What can I do for you?”
“I was hoping to catch a ride from from the supermarket to the post-office”
” Now?”
“No, about 1630?”
“That could work, let me meet you there there”
I struck gold on the first try! Love the people, love this town!
Time to book it. In the burning sun I headed out with an empty pack (delightful!) and did the fastest resupply so far; I had all my food for 5 days in my pack within 30 minutes, whoohoo. A minute after exiting the supermarket, Linda drove up. She was amazing, so friendly and we had a fun time chatting. When I was boxing off my stuff, picking up my shoes, and bouncing my other box forward at the post-office she waited outside to take me back to the Motel as well. She even offered me and my buddies to come over for lunch tomorrow and give us a ride back to the trail-head. Absolutely amazing.
After my chores, we grabbed burgers nearby, and chilled out in the motel-room the most of the evening. I un-boxed my new shoes, and they are fresh! Real excited to hit the trail with them, should be nice on the feet.
Tomorrow we will hit the hotel-breakfast and get some more shopping done. We aim to hit the trail in the evening again.
You can fly away, no one has to know
Will you take me with you, cause if I can go
Soon as you say the word, we’ll be on our way
To a foreign place, you got to tell me
If I can go, contigo, I’ll pack my things, soon as you say
Baby vamos, we’ll fly away, like there is no, no tomorrow
If can go, contigo, I’ll tell my friends, nothing at all
I’ll get my things, soon as you say, baby vamos, we’ll fly away
If I could go – Angie Martinez
