Zero day, Tehachapi

c) Andrew Carter, 2021

I’m taking a “zero day” today in Tehachapi. A “zero day” is when a hiker takes the entire day off and doesn’t hike. “Zero” is used because the hiker hikes zero miles that day.

A related term is “nearo.” That’s when a hiker hikes only part of the day. “Nearo” is used because the hiker hikes nearly zero miles.

I hiked 16 miles yesterday to reach Tehachapi. It was my longest trail day to date.

The PCT crosses California Rt. 58 about 10 miles outside of town. Marta drove down from Hanford and picked me up at the trailhead. Then we had dinner together and spent the night at a local motel. I can tell you I enjoyed every bite of my 12-ounce steak dinner and every drop of my ice cold 20-ounce draft beer.

This morning, after breakfast, Marta drove me to Wally World so that I could “resupply.” Thats the term used when a hiker heads into town to buy groceries and other necessary supplies.

I also stopped at Big 5 to buy a new elastic knee support. I wear these on both knees as a precautionary measure. One of my old ones had stretched over time and kept slipping down my leg as I walked.

After these errands were done, we had lunch together, and then Marta drove home to Hanford. That left me the rest of the day to write new blog posts, download maps for the next trail section, and take care of other necessary business before heading back out on the trail first thing tomorrow morning.

One aspect of a zero or nearo is that your body, particularly my 64-year-old body, has the opportunity to tell you how tired it is. I’ve been walking around all day in a haze. Some people call this “hiker hangover.” I’ve also been experiencing “hiker hobble.” That’s when your sore feet cause you to hobble around as if you are trying to get back your “land legs” after months at sea.

If you don’t know this already, Tehachapi is wind turbine central. It’s almost always windy here because the hot Mohave Desert to the east pulls the air from the cooler Central Valley to the west.