Monday, May 23, 2016

The Mojave is .... COLD!

Slept pretty well last night , but ended up scavenging for my hat in the middle of the night! It was chilly. Today we had some really nice, green trail. Some ups and downs but nothing too long. It was still tough because I think my body got used to the cushy life last week! 
We hiked through another big section damaged by fire a few years ago. 
Walking  through much of Southern California is a real eye opener as to how many hundreds of thousands of acres have been burned. It's one thing to hear it on the news and another to see it mile after mile. Came across some of that pesky poodle dog bush. Fortunately, it gives off a pungent odor, so we noticed it before we walked right into it.
Saw another one of these cool guys today 
And a fox and had two snake delays (sunbathing in the trail)
Stopped for lunch in a grassy meadow and tried a new tuna flavor. This may seem mundane and uninteresting, but I was pretty excited to find something new!
We hiked through more green, lush, piney forest which was a wonderful break from the open, scrub brush we'd been in lately.
We also passed...
600 miles! 
Today was beautiful but also extremely windy!! Seems to be a constant out here. Since we are back in some terrain with big trees, and Lots and lots of blow downs, we have to be really aware of where we pitch our tents.  
Tonight is supposed to get down into the 20's. Could be a tough time getting out of my sleeping bag tomorrow morning !
We have a reliable water source tomorrow in about 6 miles from where we are camped. And then, there's about a 35 mile stretch with none. Water load is going to be heavy. It will be nice to move out of this desert section and have abundant water. But one good thing about the desert... Clothes dry quickly. On the AT , we usually put on wet clothes every morning. Haven't had to do that once here :)
So, on the subject of cleanliness out here. We just usually aren't. BUT, we do try to tidy up every night when we climb in our tents, using baby wipes. No wonder babies cry. Not feelin' that clean.
In my warm, cozy tent for the night. Blustery and cold out, but it's amazing how much protection this little thing provides.








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