Stats

Start: Tent site – Mile 600
End: Dirt road – Mile 625.5
Elevation Max: 6,762
Elevation Min: 4,501
Elevation Change: 3,666 up & 4,057 down
Average Heart Rate: 118
Walking Time: 7 hrs 30 minutes
Date: 5/9/2022

The Walk

I slept great last night. I was worried about the mist soaking my bag. But I didn’t get any condensation. That mostly happens when there is a large temp difference between inside the bag and outside.

My water was frozen. I left my water filter out all night so it is probably ruined. When it freezes the filter becomes less effective. But there isn’t a way to tell if it’s broken or not. I’ll get a new one in Ridgecrest. It’s only two days away.

I got started just before 6 and was the first one out of camp. It was another another morning in a cloud. Overcast and chilly. I had a mild incline to start the day, then the trail leveled out. I felt good and the morning was crisp. Ice blew off tree branches and filled the trail.

2 miles in I stopped to filter water and saw a guy sitting next to a broken tent. It was High Life 🙁

The wind snapped his tent pole last night. Luckily it didn’t rain, so he stayed warm in a floppy tent. He also ran out of gas, which means he had to eat cold food for the next few days. That’s a rough morning.

I headed out and kept hiking. About 5 miles later I ran into Chef and Jack Rabbit. They camped a few miles ahead of me.

We shared stories on the walk. And kept walking the next water cache. The mist had cleared up and made way for the sun. But the wind hadn’t gone away. We found a partially wind free lunch spot behind a tiny bush.

I laid down and let the sun warm me up. It was still chilly, but the warmest I felt since leaving Tehachapi. The afternoon trail was a mix of desert and mountain views. A huge change is coming soon. The Sierras!

As the day went on we couldn’t find a good place to camp. Miles and miles of windy desert with no respite. They should put a wind farm over here too.

We’re all worn down from days of windy hiking. But a calm night or sheltered camp site wasn’t in the cards tonight. Our best option was to camp in a dirt road turnaround. Not very sheltered but just enough room for 3 cowboy spots. I checked the weather. It was a low of 31 with severe winds.

That means a wind chill in the 20s. We wanted to set up tents for wind protection, but there was only room for one. We decided one tent was better than nothing. Chef and I pitched the tent in the wind and Jack Rabbit searched for rocks. Tent stakes wouldn’t hold well in the desert sand.

We got it in a pretty good spot then had dinner. A chill came with the setting sun and I crawled in my sleeping bag. Chef slept in the tents side vestibule.

Only one more cold and windy night. Tomorrow will be a 25 mile day to the campground right before Ridgecrest. I’ll be going in with low food and a light pack. Bring on the ice cream and town food. The desert is almost finished!