Goodbye SoCal

I am now in Tehachapi, and officially done with southern California. In a couple of hours, I will be headed out into the southernmost of the Sierras. I want to apologize for my lack of detail in providing information about when I will get to town to receive any packages. Mom and aunt Kathie both sent me cookies to Agua Dulce which arrived after I already left. Just so you know, they were not wasted. The trail angels and other hikers thoroughly enjoyed them. It was my own fault that I didn't. My next mail stop will be mammoth lakes, where I will be spending a couple of days with Caroline.I can't wait. If you'd like to send me anything, please make sure that it will arrive by June 14th at the latest. You can send it to Roger Wolff c/o general delivery Mammoth lakes, CA 93546 Now for what I've been up to. I cooked dinner for the first time in a week. Trail angels have been too nice. I get to partially repay their generosity by taking a guy I met in Starbucks out to lunch. He introduced himself as the guy who leaves water and apples for the hikers about 10 miles south of town. A couple of nights ago, eighteen of us set off after dark wearing glowsticks. Someone organized this as a tribute to Glow in the Dark, a hiker undergoing chemo for breast cancer hiking the trail in pieces when she can. My mother asked for a description of the scenery, as I am not attaching any pictures in these updates. I'll try. Imagine if you will, "Lawrence of Arabia", walking through the sun-drenched desert with nothing but sand for as far as the eye can see. Well, the southern California desert is nothing like that. mountains full of green, save for the hillsides of colorful flowers, filled with animals. It has been beautiful. Unfortunately, neither words nor photos could do it justice. If you would like to know what it looks like, you will just have to come out and experience it yourself. -Roger Dodger