From our camp the night before we had 7 miles to get to the Deep Creek Hot Springs. We thought an early morning soak would do us some good and we got there at 8:45 AM.
We hung out in the hot pools and swam in the creek until the crowds started showing up. We continued down the canyon, crossing a rainbow colored bridge and making our way towards the desert floor.
When we reached the end of the canyon, we passed by the Mojave Dam. I’m not sure what it dams up, but the guide app warned us about quicksand. While I didn’t see any quicksand, I did see a note from a hiker named Coppertone, who hiked in 2006. He was at the trail head a mere 3/4 mile away.
Now what is so exciting about an old thru hiker? He travels up and down the trail giving trail magic to hikers. He offered me a chair in the shade and a root beer float. It seemed like a perfect day.
After leaving Coppertone, we headed back up into the hills where we found it to be quite windy. When we neared our ending point, we decided on a site that looked to be out of the wind. It wasn’t and now my tent is filling with small dust as I try to fall asleep to the sound of a flapping tent.
Just when the trail starts to seem easy, you get a curveball.