Day 6 :: 7 miles
After a morning of media updates, phone calls and more amazing food (Chalupas pt II! We’re hitting all the Fair staples) we all geared up and Carissa and John hiked along with us out of Mount Laguna. We planned on an easy 7mile walk to a few campsites in the area. Our first big view was looking down into the desert floor and the Salton Sea, which John introduced/explained to us. It was one of innumerable “Ohhh okay SoCal….I didn’t know you did it like that…”. moments.
Carissa and John headed back to camp with many hugs and heaps of gratitude as we trekked on. We left the pines shortly after and rounded a ridge into a wall of wind and wildflowers. Slowly the view opened up for us. Sun hats flapping, pack straps whipping our faces – we giddily whooped and laughed and screamed as the wind knocked us around and the hills let loose a view as indescribable as it was unphotographable.
We were all nervous getting back on trail after the slog into Mount Laguna – afraid our bodies would protest, concerned the rocky wildflower landscape of the last forty miles were the milk and honey and that the desert awaited with scrub brush and dust…Foolish!
As the sun descended and daylight faded the ~40 mile an hour wind didn’t relent. A fellow hiker brandished a busted shin and warned us not to make camp on the ridge but the next protected campground was another 7 miles on down the trail. We were losing daylight and warmth and knowing that we’re sure to have many difficult nights ahead without a lifeline nearby we opted to hitch back to Mount Laguna where Carissa and John thought they were going to spend a last night camping alone. The first car that passed us picked us up – Laura and Kristy, a couple gals our age from Bainbridge Is. Washington! It was a ten min drive back to the campground after our hours-long hike and walking back up to the campsite was a very comical affair. Caiti and Ruth hit the sack and the rest of us stayed up enjoying the fire and chatting till dark. I think it was around 9pm when I finally crawled into the hammock. I haven’t seen dawn cracking from the yesterday side of today in over a week and it feels nice.
Day 7 :: 13 miles
In the morning Carissa gave us one last treat and drove us back to where we hopped off trail.
With more hugs and thanks and a full day of hiking ahead we set out hoping to make good time to anywhere less exposed. Early on we hit the 50 mile marker – what a wild reality. Still haven’t processed the fact my lazy bones have walked 50 miles! Excited to see what the next 50 miles have in store!!
The wind accompanied us most of the day and fleeces and puffies stayed on well past noon.
The trail continues to host lizards and snakes aplenty. While the horned toads are my childhood favorites, this not so little fella (about 8” long) is totally new to me. I rounded a switchback and found it parked in the trail chillin. After snapping the picture and admiring its markings I stooped to pick it up assuming it was dead or injured. As soon as I touched it it leapt to life and skittered off into the brush in a blink.
The view of the desert and the foothills and mountains beyond and ahead continued to expand and unfold – eventually occupying our entire eastern periphery. We put 5 miles behind us in the first couple of hours. Before 1pm we were eight miles along and feeling good. After a long rest in a sliver of shade we continued on and at around 5pm we decided to make camp in a low protected area between two ridges. By 7pm we had eaten, set up camp and fallen asleep before the sun had even set. I woke up to bright stars and a brighter moon rising around 11pm. 13 miles is our longest day yet. My body felt the best it has since we started and at a couple points today I got a little misty eyed about how long it’s been since I’ve been this happy, this awake and present, this full of joy in my surroundings. How do I make more of my life like this???
Day 8 :: 13 miles (++)
The day that just kept on comin on strong.
With the fair weathered evenings lately I’ve been cowboy camping almost exclusively. This morning I woke to find the shady side of my pack crusted with frost. I felt real grateful for my cozy 0 degree bag, I hadn’t noticed anything more than a slight chill that night!
Early on we realized we had neglected to accommodate a long dry stretch with a heavier water carry. To complicate matters, the previous afternoon I discovered I’d left my water filter and reservoir at camp back in Mount Laguna… so with at least seven miles to the nearest water source and less than a liter and a half a piece we tightened our belts and set out.
The scenery was lovely as usual and the wildflowers came back in full force as we wound our way out of the mountains and down into more arid foothills. The sun beat down and we each rationed out our water. As I got down to the last few sips I told myself that around every ridge I’d see our destination and be able to relax… and around every ridge… was yet another ridge. Finally reaching the tortuously slight descent I knew I wasn’t going to make it much longer without getting real grumpy and I gritted my teeth and doubled my pace.
Ruth and I got to the water cache together….and found it empty. I darted up the hill to the well and pried open the tank door. About 15 ft down there were rocks and bloated lizards littering the bottom of the tank along with about three inches of red-brown water.
Ruth and I took another look at the water report and spotted an account of a spring a mile and change down the road the trail was crossing. With the last of my motivation I started off with a reservoir down the steep, winding dirt road not entirely sure what I was looking for. Well beyond a mile down I found it: cool clear water pouring from a pipe coming down out of the mountain. On hands and knees I gulped water from the pipe and laid back in the leaves before filling the 2 liter reservoir, taking a few more gulps and crossing my fingers the spring wasn’t host to anything that might make me sick as I turned and headed back to the crew. A passing hiker who had planned better than us had taken pity on Ruth and Caiti and shared a bit of her water with them while I was away. I joked that the spring must be what the cache//well relied on because they were both bone dry, but knowing no one was in a joking mood I immediately handed over the full bladder.
We filtered what I brought back and ate a few snacks before Ruth headed down to retrieve another round of water. At first the hikers that came by simply said hello and passed on by “OoHoOhH i’M aN aDuLt AnD I AcCoUnT fOr My NeEdS aNd wElL bEiNG. i’M gOod At HiKiNg.” I joked and Caiti and I sputtered with laughter. Before long a couple folks came up and inquired about the cache though – I explained what I’d found in the well and that I’d successfully hiked down to the spring which was cool and tasty. The dude was incredulous. Looking at the spigot he asked “Did you turn it?”
Nah dude. I licked the handle, it tasted rusty and dry and then I walked 2+ miles to a different water source for fun.
We sent him and another set of folks down to the spring before Ruth returned. With our water worries behind us we shouldered our packs and started off for Julien where free pie, easily accessible tap water, and WiFi awaited 8miles below us.
But the desert wasn’t finished with us.
About five minutes back on trail the rain started in big heavy drops. It was a little funny, going from parched, sunbaked and desperate enough to boil bloated lizard water to soaking wet and shuddering at the approaching thunder. The rain and wildflowers smelled wonderful and the downpour barely cut the heat the heat of the day. It reminded me of fishing trips and summers in Wyoming as a kid. We eventually hunkered down in the armpit of two ridges to wait out the storm away from the exposed cliff face. We made mac n cheese and laughed about the days extremes. The incredulous dude and his companion came by and said they could hear us cackling the whole way down. We introduced ourselves as The Troll Toll. Did we just trail name ourselves?
Once the threat of lightening was passed we moved on, clearing another five or so miles by sunset. Cacti have become more and more prolific, some beginning to bloom lovely neon orange and fuchsia flowers. Yucca and agave spread and tower and new varieties of wildflowers spring up along the path.
We got one last shower as we made camp but were treated to a radiant sunset for all the days troubles.
Tomorrow we’re just 4 miles from a hitch into Julian where I’ll be picking up a makeshift water storage solution until I’m reunited with my filter and reservoir in Idyllwild.
The official mileage today was 13 miles but with my water detour I unofficially cleared my first 15 mile day. I feel great, a normal amount of ache and tightness but I felt like I could have put another five miles down today before anything felt dire. It’s exciting feeling my body change like this.
We’ve taken a day in Julien to reasses our water carry abilities for the stretch ahead. We’re far more capable and within each of resources than I let on here so please don’t worry ❤️
We got this
xo B
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