Today was another long and hot day. After a breakfast of cereal and fresh fruit, we hit the trail. We walked along the Mesa Wind Farm before heading up into the San Bernardino Mountains. We cruised through the first 10 miles fairly quickly before stopping for a break at Whitewater Creek. Whitewater Creek was amazing! I could have stayed there all day. We're still in the desert environment, and it was so nice to see a real stream with running water. The water was much warmer than I expected and just deep enough for bathing.
I finally tore myself away from the water in order to crank out 10 more miles before the next stream crossing. This stretch was pretty miserable....super hot, no shade, and a lot of climbing. I was moving slowly. Nobody liked this stretch and I think we were all just glad to get through it.
I arrived at the second stream crossing during the heat of the day and was definitely content to wait out the afternoon and put in the rest of my miles after dinner. There was a great tree near the water, and we alternated between napping in the shade, soaking our feet, and eating. As you can see, it really is a rough life out here!
After dinner, I jumped in behind my friends, Nip and Wildflower, and let them pull me along for about 5 miles. Nips and Wildflower are a lot of fun and we were hiking though a beautiful canyon with lots of stream crossings. The miles ticked by pleasantly.
Nips and Wildflower stopped about a mile back, and I'm camped with Histo and Extra Credit who we caught. Histo, Extra Credit, and I saw two rattle snakes who appeared to be mating on the trail about a quarter mile from camp.
Quick gear update......The shock cord in one of my BD trekking poles broke yesterday. The poles are collapsible and work similarly to an avy probe. Nugget was kind enough to superglue the sections together so that I can still use the pole. I guess I'll call BD from Big Bear ...... I don't think I can easily send the pole back now that it's been superglued, but I'm hoping they'll help me out. I also managed to strip the threads on the Sawyer, so I'm going to be borrowing filters until I get to town. Argh! I'm not sure if I'll stick with the Sawyer or try something else.
One more long day tomorrow, and then we should have a coast into Big Bear on Monday. Have a great night!
Indubitably, life on the trail is rough. But, the foot soaking therapy sounds pleasant. :)
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