April 29, 2020
Mile 77.1 to Mile 94.4
This morning I got woken up by what sounded like 5 million coyotes. They were yipping and yapping all over the place. Jedi was cowboy camping (sleeping with no tent) so I was pretty sure he was a goner.
We all woke up in one piece though and packed up. It was going to be a hot and exposed climb out of the valley. We said goodbye to Sarah which was pretty sad. It’s only been a few days but I feel like I’ve gone through a lot with Sarah! She took a Zero in Julian today though and it sounds like it went well. She has new shoes and socks and even went to a chiropractor!
The morning was good. My feet always feel so fresh in the morning. Plus the air is cool. Saw a lot of cool plants again too. I leapfrogged with AB, Jedi, and Karinn (now Weird Orange- she got a trail name today. She has this orange drink mix she calls her “crack mix” that has electrolytes, proteins, vitamins, and green tea powder. It becomes a very weird orange color when mixed with water. AB had some today and was FLYING).
We would pass each other squished into tiny little slivers of shade from a rock or bush whenever we could find it. But shade was hard to come by today. I was running low on water but had to make it 14 miles to the next water cache. Some kind people at the Third Gate Water Cache fill up whole pallets of water for hikers. Otherwise it’d be like a 24-30 mile water carry.
We made it to the cache around 1pm. We loaded up and found shade to wait out the heat. Almost everyone was resting there because it was just too hot to hike. I’m finally understanding why hikers take siestas and night hike in the desert.
Around 4:30 we decided to move again. We just wanted to do 3 more miles to camp. There was a rattlesnake on the way but it was off trail. Weird Orange was kind enough to wait for me and warn me about the sanke. Everyone here knows I’m a little terrified of snakes. The rattling is so unnerving.
Now we have quite the crew for camp tonight. Its me, Jedi, Weird Orange, AB, Good Things, Thin Mint, Heather, Rachel, and Forrest. These trail names are getting ridiculous. Hopefully I get one soon too!
Its a big day tomorrow. We’re hiking 7 miles to the next water then going past the 100 mile marker, Eagle Rock, and Warner Springs. I have a box to pick up at the PO there. Gotta get up early to beat the heat.