[pct-l] Antelope Valley Reroute

[Lou Filliger]

As a resident of LA I day-hike the sections of the trail between LA and the Tehachapis as 
a matter of convenience on a fairly regular basis.  I am a sun worshipper and fully enjoy 
hiking in 90 or even 100-degree heat.  It's a matter of deciding to love the heat and feel 
its power to guide you rather than fighting it or dreading it as many people do.

One of my fondest memories of the PCT is a day-hike I did from Tehachapi-Willow Springs 
Road to the 138 at Neenach School Road.   It's 39 miles and I did it in mid-May of 2006. 
Took me 14:50 (7 AM to 9:50 PM).  I've often hiked along the LA Aqueduct section, or up 
past those feldspar hills in the mid-north section of the valley, or through the section 
south of the 138 down to Liebre.  I know I'm in an extreme minority, but I really love 
this whole section of the trail - in fact, it's my favorite of the many parts I've done - 
and will really hate to see it go as part of this rerouting.  I understand that the desert 
isn't the Pacific Crest - but the desert is beautiful, and it's vanishing, and the PCT 
already has more than its share of mountains.    So, I plan to be out there enjoying my 
last couple of summers on the Aqueduct sections before they're taken away by this 
rerouting.

Lou Filliger