Chaparral
I felt like a pawn advancing down a chess board today: just moving forward. The trail wound through homogeneous chaparral for 20.1 miles, mostly shadeless and dry, up and over a couple of thousand-foot ridges, gradually heading north.
But I stumbled over a family of baby Mountain Quail, flushed a Turkey Vulture off a dead skunk on the trail, and met two Israelis named Pepper and Mace who had just taken seven days off for no particular reason (guys, we still have a long way to go…), so I didn’t get too bored. And I was glad to hike under my reflective umbrella for most of the afternoon, perfect for these hot, sunny desert sections.
Boy are we glad that you and your umbrella were reunited before a real need arose!
Gosh, would I love to “stumble across” a family of Mountain Quail! Sure glad you got you unbrella back- I didn’t know there were such things as reflective ones.
I’ve been catching up about once a week – am so envious of your trip. I met you at Barnes & Noble when you gave your talk about Antarctica. I’m a grandma with a granddaughter who loves your Among Penguins book – she is 15 and has wanted to be a marine biologist since she was 10. I’ve only hiked the PCT in Oregon and Washington. Can’t wait for you to get to the High Sierras.