Gully (82) to Barrel Spring (101.4)
Miles today- 19.4
The wind picked up again overnight and my tent was flapping all over the place. Just as I was about to pack up in the morning the wind ripped a couple of my stakes out of the sand even though I had them held down with rocks. The wind gusts were probably 50-60 mph during the morning hike, and the trail traversed steep slopes that you wouldn't want to fall down if you were blown off the trail.
I took a long break at the 3rd Gate water cache. There must have been at least 100 gallon jugs of water there, hauled up the trail on foot by a trail angel. Hikers probably empty this cache every couple of days.
From the cache to the next water source at Barrel Spring was 10 miles. The vegetation changed from cactus and prickly plants to greener, more friendly bushes as we crossed to the other side of the mountain.
My feet were really sore and I hobbled the last few miles down to the spring. My spirits were lifted when I started seeing signs posted on the trees about free food and drinks ahead. I came to an RV and they had chili dogs, salad, beer, sodas, chairs, and a bonfire. Trail magic! There are a lot of hikers camping here. They are serving breakfast in the morning.
I'm starting to see a lot of the same hikers every day and I'm finally starting to remember most of their names.
100 miles done already!
(Catching up)
ReplyDeleteIt is just amazing to me the generosity of people. What a blessing it must be to get some food and all that water.
100 miles! Congrats on the milestone. 19 miles that day...were you guys pushing to get to the 100 mark? Your dogs must be barking!
Water sources usually determine how far everyone goes in a day since they're few and far between out here.
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