It stormed a lot last night, and I was grateful to be camping in the dry creek bed because we were pretty protected from the wind down there. I fell asleep to the wonderful sound of thunder in the distance.
I woke up in the middle of the night to pee, and when I unzipped the tent flap I was treated to a magnificent sky - there was no moon and no clouds and I marveled at the stars and at the Milky Way. While I usually don’t have to get up to pee in the middle of the night out here, I’m glad I had to last night.
When it was time to get up for real, my body protested - she’s not used to these bigger mile days ever since we started taking it easy because of my issue, and she really wanted, no, NEEDED to sleep a few more hours. Since big mile days are the plan here on out, though, she’s going to have to adapt quickly.
sunrise before the fog rolled in
I forced myself to get up and enjoyed a quick sunrise before we were completely enveloped in fog. The fog made everything wet - the tent, our quilts, our shoes, the socks I had on the line to air out … everything. Plus, it was actually chilly! Nick dried the tent the best he could, I put on damp socks, and we packed up.
On the way back to the trail, we stopped at the cache to get a little more water. Cheetah, Captain, Mouse, and Spice were camped next to the cache so we had an opportunity to share stories about last night’s storm. They weren’t as protected from the wind as we were and they were hit hard - Mouse’s tent poles bent so much that one snapped and they all got drenched. They were all in good spirits, though. :)
We hiked in the chilly fog for a few hours, which was WONDERFUL. Even though I was so cold that my hands turned white (stupid Ranauds), I enjoyed the unexpected coldness knowing that in a few hours, once the fog lifted and the sun came out, I would be wishing for it. (Well, maybe that’s going a bit too far - I really don’t think I’d ever wish to be cold - but you get what I mean).
As the fog slowly lifted, I saw a fogbow/white rainbow - the water droplets were too small to create the vibrant colors of the rainbow, but it was very cool.
And then, just like that, the fog was gone and the sun was fully out, with very few clouds in the sky. I was worried we’d finally have to experience the crazy heat everyone complains about in the basin, but it wasn’t too bad. In fact, we made it the 16 miles to water/lunch before 1pm and it seemed like the temperature only got up to the low 80’s.
We enjoyed a very long lunch at Upper Mormon Spring with Cheetah et al. Since it was less than 9 miles to Sweetwater River, where we all planned to camp, we hung out for over an hour. Many of us took out our quilts/sleeping bags so they could dry while we ate, relaxed, and talked. It was very nice.
The last ~9 miles to Sweetwater River were the hottest, and since most of those miles were on a hard, gravel road, they were the most difficult. After hiking the last 9 miles, I can almost imagine how awful this section can be and can see why people hate it. I am very grateful for the cooler temperatures we’ve enjoyed - I don’t hate this section at all.
Just as I got to the hard gravel road, I ran into Little Bit. She had missed the trail turnoff earlier, when she was looking for Arrow, and wanted to see where she had gone wrong. Her timing was perfect - after I left the spring, I realized I didn’t drink enough water while there and hadn’t grabbed enough water considering how hot it had suddenly become. Little Bit to the rescue! She asked if I wanted a sparkling water or an apple and I said yes to both. It was exactly what I needed to get me through.
Little Bit drove off after helping me out, which meant nobody else, including Nick, got any magic (they were all behind me at that point, not because I’m faster but because I left the spring before they did). Being the wonderful wife I am, I saved half of the sparkling water and waited for Nick so he could have some. Because I care. :)
We got to Sweetwater River relatively early, which was great because it’s the perfect oasis. I love it here - the water is clear and cool, there is plenty of shade, and we’re even camping on soft grass.
——There is a bird flying around that sounds so strange - we heard it last night and this morning, too. Nick think it’s like the sound a mosquito would make if it was the size of a bird. I’d say it sounds like someone is clearing their throat in the morning, or a large bee buzzing by really fast. (It’s NOT a hummingbird, it’s much too big for that.) I’ll have to do some research - the sound it makes is very odd.
Along the Trail:
Camp:
