c) Andrew Carter, 2021
It’s the wind, but also the sound of electricity. At the end you’ll hear the sound of a wind turbine rotating.
The portion of the Sierra from Walker Pass to Tehachapi and south divides the Central Valley and the Mohave Desert. Even though the Valley can be hot, the Mohave is hotter and it pulls air from the Valley to the Desert throughout the year, creating strong winds along the ridges. When those winds are funneled through passes, as at Tehachapi, they become stronger still.
Wind farm development in the area began in the 1980’s and is on-going. Today, there are over 5000 wind turbines near Tehachapi, producing over 3.5 million megawatt hours of electricity per year.
On the third day of my hike, the winds were so strong that I was buffeted about whenever I was on the west side of the ridge. At times, I was staggering like a drunkard, trying to fight the wind to move forward.
On the sixth day, I passed through a construction zone where new wind turbines are being installed. You’ll see a map of that area below and a photo of some of the earthmoving equipment being used to build access roads and turbine platforms.
Carter Hikes 