Our day started extra early at our campsite overlooking Palmdale. We were heading out of the mountains and back into the desert. Our first water source was a fire station, right near the trail.
The station had a cooler with drinks, but it was pretty empty. We split a Powerade between 5 of us and headed out. The next water was a spring 7 miles away and where we had lunch. The sky was overcast with a few sprinkles of rain, so the miles came easy.
The middle of the day also took us through a large burn area. These burn areas often have a plant called Poodle Dog Bush, best described as Super Poison Oak. Luckily, the plant is very distinctive and has a strong odor (a bit like marijuana.) So I spent most of the day listening to audio books and dodging this dangerous plant that sometimes sprouted up from the middle of the trail.
Around mile 24, a ranger station provides a water cache, and cans of pop for $1. I had two. Our original plan was to camp at the station and head to Agua Dulce in the morning.
After cooking dinner, we still had a few hours of daylight and decided to push on. In another 4 miles we found a campsite and called it for the night.
Now we should make it in to Agua Dulce just in time for lunch.