The heat wave again had us starting early to take advantage of what little relief was to be had by hiking in the comparative cool of the morning. That sticky feeling you get, even at such an early hour, often portends the inferno yet to come and today was no exception. The refuge of the shade was the only meager relief available from the oppressive heat.
Migraine Meltdown
The title very nearly says it all as the migraine that began its infancy late last night blossomed into its adolescence in the first hours of hiking this morning. Having to pause and take my medication put somewhat of a damper on an otherwise celebratory moment when we came across a small cooler near a road crossing that contained a handful of cold beers.
Desert Redux
The thermometer is not my friend, or at best our relationship is strained. Today was further evidence of that fact. Hitting the trail a bit before 6am to get a jump on the impending heat, the Hat Creek Rim stretched still another 10 miles and beyond that another 6 awaited before the next water source. It was the desert all over again.
What Do You Mean There's No Water?
Just when memories of the searing heat and long waterless stretches of the desert had drifted deep into the recesses of my mind, it all came abruptly flooding back...but I'll come back to that.
One Bear, One Person
In spite of the increasingly warmer weather, we awoke to a very chilly morning enough so that we each started hiking with our down jackets on. The initial climb and descent were an abject lesson in the katabatic effect. As we climbed a mere hundred or two feet out of our camp by a small river the air immediately began to warm, only to have the chill swiftly return…
A Day of Firsts
The clock had not struck 6am and yet there he was, a man holding an urn of coffee and a box of donuts outside my tent. His name was Chipmunk, a local trail angel, and while he'd come by to setup some trail magic at the road crossing not 200 yards away he'd spotted our tents and walked over to give us first dibs on his breakfast goodies. Trail magic while still in my sleeping bag.
Halfway!
For me, the anticipation of today began to build only a few days ago when I realized that nearing the 1300-mile mark also meant that the halfway point of the trail would follow close behind. It's hard to fathom, really. After all, I can no better comprehend the distance of 100 miles or 500 miles any more than I can 1,325 miles.