I took my time leaving Tehachapi. Drank coffee at Starbucks in the heat of the day, slurped Vietnamese vermicelli, visited the bookstore next door, then resupplied carefully at Albertsons. Planning for eight days instead of six or seven for the next 140 miles, just in case my speed hasn't increased, is hard in a drought year. So much water to carry.
While stuffing all the extra crap in my pack, I took my phone out of airplane mode to check messages. Another crazy coincidence occurred. A former coworker had texted me while driving through Tehachapi on her way to Texas just a few minutes before. Suddenly, I had a chance to catch up with Marisa over a beer at the Pub, a ride to the trailhead, and some awesome home-smoked trout all for the price of a beer.
After she dropped me off at Cameron road, I hiked through dusk and well into the night, catching a banded gecko and lyre snake, and playing with a defiant kangaroo rat that didn't want to get off the trail. The wind drained my energy, though, and I stopped here to recharge.