100 Miles Down
I spent most of the last two days contouring through the San Felipe Hills, a 24-mile section of windy, steep, and rocky desert with no water. The wind was strong enough to blow another hiker’s sun visor off his head and over a cliff (never to be seen again), my snot kept whipping up on my sunglasses, and I spent an interesting night holed up at the entrance of an old mine shaft for shelter. But the trail was relatively straightforward, and I hiked for a while in the company of three Canadian guys before sprinting (stopping briefly to admire the aptly-named Eagle Rock) toward Warner Springs Ranch, where I’ll lounge the rest of this afternoon in an adobe cabin and hot springs. The luxury!
So, I’ve now hiked 109.6 miles in my first six days, and finished Section A of the trail, necessitating a new set of maps. Bring it on.
Thanks, by the way, to those who have been leaving comments – I read them all! It’s hard to reply from my iPhone, especially when I lose reception as I did most of yesterday. I will definitely keep the blog updated, though, whenever in range of a tower.
You sound much more upbeat today after your what you posted yesterday. Keeping a bird list?? Take care!
I just wanted to give you a little support, and tell you that I am reading every blog entry. I think it is just amazing what you are doing. Don’t lose faith. Focus on your goal. Remember to look for the special moments that you probably won’t see again. We know you can do it. Have fun too.
Enjoy those hot springs!
Way to go with finishing Section A! Glad you’re finding enough service to keep the updates coming–this is one adventure I’d rather appreciate from behind a computer screen.
Pretty neat to walk out of your first map already!
Are you seeing/hearing any birds? Other animals?
Wow! What great rock formation! I guess I’m not the only one curious about your bird list so far. You might not break many more day list records this summer, but your “motorless” year list will be pretty awesome! Hike On!
The entrance to an old mine that you mentioned… was it right next to the trail, and very shallow? if so, that’s the “Goat Cave” named in honor of the famous thru hiker “Billy Goat” Good Luck my friend!