Yesterday I said we would have to carry our water a long way because this was a dry section. What I forgot to mention is that the guy doing the trail magic told us that two water caches had been replenished that day. That means instead of carrying water for 40 miles, we would only have to have water for 13 miles. Normally it’s not a good idea to rely on water caches, but with such solid information, we went for it.
Our gamble paid off. The water was plentiful and we were able to lighten our load and make a 29.5 mile day seem a bit easier.
Today, we hiked out of the forest and back into the desert. This desert was a little more grand than what we’ve seen before. The mountains are bigger and rockier. You can tell we’re getting close to the Sierras.
The views today were great, but the hiking was tough. Loose sand and wind plagued us all day. There were times that the wind blowing up the mountain rivaled what I experienced on the summit of Mt. Adams. Walking on the trail was a bit like walking on the beach, with your feet shifting with every step.
As bad as it was, the wind did help though. Instead of being hot, we were often cold. Many people hiked in jackets.
After our second water cache, where we napped in the sun, we had one big hill left. We pushed up it with plans to camp at the top. With conditions up there being less than ideal, we pushed on another 4 miles to make this my longest day of trail miles so far.
Our long day today makes for a short day tomorrow. It’s just 14 miles to Walker Pass, where we’ll hitchhike to the town of Ridgecrest or Lake Isabella. We’re going to rest up and resupply. We’re almost done with the desert!