We had some bats fly within yards of us at head level while cooking dinner last night. They're very erratic the way they fly.
Sleeping without the rainfly on my tent was great, even in the cold. The moon lit everything around. It was very cold waking up but I got my clothes on quick and started the normal morning pack-up as the sun lit the ridge above the lost valley.
So. There I was again. Apprehensive about finding another place to go. Yeah. That kind of go. After the horrible experience with the TEN kids, I felt like people were gonna pop out around every corner.
Finally. Find a place in the middle of nowhere, dig the hole and drop 'em.
I take a deep relaxed breath.
This time it's peaceful. So peaceful. Birds tweeting. Breeze blowing in the trees.
I look down and there's a red wasp in my pants. More specifically, my underwear. Not sure what to do, I grab a stick and start trying to fling it out, it just seems annoyed and avoids it. I stand up and flip them inside out, and he just keeps crawling around. I had to violently shake my boxers until he fell out and flew away.
Be grateful for your toilets. :)
The trail led up a hot ridge covered in chapparal and manzanita and then around the side of a mountain in a big U turn and suddenly was surrounded by boulders. Pretty cool actually.
We hiked pretty far and got water at Trail Angel Mike's ranch in the desert where we met his cousin. Thank you guys!
We left into the hills again and hiked until the sun went down and I slept again under the stars to a bright moon and a beautiful night.
hey ther Alex, good read and excellent pictures.your into the area we had to go around in 2010 ,how bout a snow /trail report for the fenner ridge area ,I need to do that soon.Good luck,mite see you on the trail around wrightwood ,our training ground. going up mt. baden powell today to check snow conditions.I'll post what we find JW
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you're missing a lot of opportunities for embarrassing trail names. Wasp Pants. StungDick, Poops with Kids etc. It's nice to know Mike is still doing his thing, some shade and water was most welcome when I staggered through there five years ago.
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing regularly and sharing photos so quickly, I'm going to live vicariously through your trek this year.
SunWalker, PCT Class of 2007
Reminds me of the time, in the Glacier Peak wilderness section of the PCT, I was getting planted to deposit, when I looked down and the hole I had dug had connected with a hole of angry bees. They were still rather slow as the morning was very cold, but it was enough to make me jump sky high. I dropped my wipes right in the bee hole and took off. My hiking partner never forgave me for leaving them there, as they were our only ones.
ReplyDeleteHaha yeah I hate running out. Which is the friendliest looking plant around? Everyone always says, "oh use flat stones, river rocks!"
ReplyDeleteThat's great and all, but there always seems to be nothing but jagged sharp granite desert rocks when you need it