May 27

629-653

When we wake, we notice tons of condensation dripping off of our sleeping bags. We have to walk with our bags dangling from our packs- luckily they dry quickly in the hot desert wind.

Directly on trail we notice small piles of organs and paw prints.

It appears a cat preceded us on the path.

Early in the day we reach the next water cache, and thirstily load up and drink as much as we can. There are hundreds of gallons here, and it is massively thankful when we think of the massive effort it takes to haul this water up into the middle of nowhere.

At the water we run into a man nicknamed “Monk” for his strict diet and time in a monastery. We haven’t seen Monk for almost 550 miles. We passed him at mile 79 in the town of Julian, when he was dealing with cramping and fatigue associated with an electrolyte deficiency- due to his strict diet. We eat a lot of potato chips, and down electrolyte powders to combat this.

After the cache we have a massive climb on the flanks of Mt. Skinner. Last time I passed through here I accidently left my wallet where I camped at the base of the climb. I didn’t notice until 10 miles down the trail, so I had to backtrack and redo the climb. By adding an addition 20 miles to the section I ran out of food and had to subsist on handfuls of fish oil capsules I was carrying. It was a character building experience. Thus, this is my fourth time climbing this middle of nowhere desert peak, from both sides. Lovely. I take care to make sure to I haven’t left anything behind to avoid a fifth and sixth time.

It is blistering hot as we climb, and the sun is at our face- over heading our heads and chests. We take shelter in any tree we find. We pass through a fragrant meadow filled with silvery lupine.

As we climb up to the pines and descend multiple times in this stretch of trail, we climb a cumulative 13,000 feet. After making it over Mt. Skinner, we once again descend to shrubbery and a network of a series of dirt roads that we share with roaring off road vehicles. We have to dive out of the way as they blindly rip round right turns in the road. They fly across the landscape, choking the air with dust. The speed with which they travel, compared to our plodding footsteps makes us laugh.

Finally we descend to Walker Pass, where a highway bisects the trail- where we planned to meet Amber’s dad tomorrow afternoon. As we walk to the road we see one of the few hikers we have seen multiple times. Due to our quick pace, we often pass folks to never see them again. This hiker, “Road Dog” is strong and experienced and we have seen him multiple times on trail. Next to him is Sergio, a man who lives in a nearby town. Twice a day Sergio drives up to the pass to fill a water cache for hikers.

Sergio offers to drive all of us to his home for dinner, showers, and laundry. We gratefully accept.