Waking up restless at 5:30 am in a real bed, and walking 20 feet to what must have been the lamest continental breakfast served in America, was awesome! I filled up on cereal and milk (something I've been craving for weeks now) and microwave egg sandwiches. I then made a few trips between the container of honey buns and my room. Between breakfast and the hiker box my ressuplying needs were nearly met. The only thing left to do was visit Walmart to investigate their shoe selection and snag a few packets of tuna.

Getting to Walmart after noon checkout proved more difficult than anticipated but eventually Uber prevailed. There I tried on an assortment of sandals and shoes in an attempt to find a temporary solution to my ever present shoe troubles. I loaded a few options into the cart and proceeded to swap between them as I did the rest of my shopping. Sometime while in a universe yogurt, working to choose between approximately 72 variations, I was pulled back to reality by an elderly woman in an electronic shopping cart who asked me a question. Sorry I said. "Are you a hiker?" She repeated. Oh yes I am I replied with a friendly but somewhat unenthusiastic smile, as the question has become a rather familiar one. Without saying anything further she picked up her purse and dove zippers deep retrieving a $20 bill. Here she finally said, have this. I politely replied that there really is no need yet I appreciate the gesture. In response she said "god told me to give you this", leaving me little choice but to accept her gift out of understanding the significance to her. Without another word Maria pulls back on the throttle and takes off around the corner. A few minutes later she's gone. I wonder if it was these sandals. Feeling pretty good I spin towards the checkout to cash in on this unexpected gift. But before even unloading my cart I hear from behind me "will you need a ride somewhere?". I turn around and an unfamiliar woman continues to explain that she'd be happy to take me back to trail or wherever I might want to go. I explain that I'd gladly take a ride back to trail this evening but was first going to stop for some Thai food. To this she rapidly concoctes a plan for dropping me off at a Thai restaurant to then pick me up after and drive me and some others back to trail. As I'm expressing my support and gratitude for the plan she must have noticed what I'm purchasing because before I know it she's on the phone with her sister in Bakersfield researching ways for me to get to a proper shoe store there which I had previously not been aware of. Only after calling the shoe store to inquire about their inventory and not finding satisfaction did we return to the original itinerary. And we did just that, making only a pit stop at the Hiker Haven in town to see about other hikers needing a ride. 3 hours later and Cheryl has me back on trail, breaking in these new Walmart sandals, belly as stuffed as the bag I carry.

Purchasing these $20 Walmart sandals might just be the most contrarian decision I've ever made. Out here gear is worshiped second only to the necessity of walking every mile. I had already made up my mind to violate the latter by neglecting to hike the 8 miles between where I hitched into town and to where I intended to hitch back to trail. But buying sandals so cheap and unqualified that not even the blogs brooding past page 3 of the search results would recommend them, is surely as sac religious as it gets. If these cheap bastards are actually the solution to pain ridden blistering feet I'll laugh all the way to Canada.

Sometimes trail towns give other times they provide. Surprisingly, Tehachapi provided nourishment of the mind body and soul. All that in a desert town probably best known by truck drivers and vagabonds. Leaving town I'm refreshed and prepared to take on this last major stretch before reaching the place I work so hard towards. The Sierras.