Rest, Rest, and More Rest

Date: 5/31/16
Miles: 0
Total Miles: 566.4

Like most zero days, today was the usual choreographed sequence of rest-eat-rest-eat, with a resupply trip to the grocery store. The two days here in Tehachapi have been a welcome break, though it’s easy to become restless sitting idle for such a long time after being in the routine of moving up the trail everyday.

Tomorrow, it’s off into the heat of the Mojave so the plan is to be on the bus and back on the trail by 4:45am to try and hike as many miles as possible in the cool morning hours. With the weather forecast predicting temperatures over 100 degrees for the next several days and without much hope for even the modest shade we’ve managed to find among the chaparral, our plan is to avoid hiking at all during the day and to move only during the early morning and late evening. The promise of the nearing Sierra is the carrot that dangles in front of me, motivating me to think carefully about how to safely cross the desert while enjoying its beauty, and trying not to get cooked like a Thanksgiving turkey.