Start: 0700 - Hurkey Creek
End: 1900 - Mojave River Forks Reservoir
Miles (today): 21
Miles (cumulative): 331.5 (257 PCT, 69.5 alternate, 5 off
This post is brought to you by the pStyle.
Ladies, are you tired of squatting to pee while out in the wilderness? Do you hate watching in horror as your yellow river creeps closer and closer to your feet? Has your stream ever been unfortunately diverted onto your clothes after hitting a rock or leaf or some other debris at the wrong angle? Do you think it's unfair that men get to urinate seemingly wherever they want? If you answered yes to any of these questions, the pStyle is for you.
Mary told me about the pStyle right before the trip and I was intrigued. Be able to pee standing up and not have to take off my pants? Yes, I'll give that a try. :) I've been using the Pstyle for two weeks now and am really enjoying all the benefits.
Take today, for example. Today we followed Deep Creek pretty much all day. It was a beautiful hike - even though we were usually a few hundred feet above the riverbed, we could always hear the water flowing and see the calming water. However, the only real flat area was the path itself- there was a steep mountain on one side and a steep cliff on the other side - so without the Pstyle I would have had to pretty much squat right there on the trail (and with all the hikers out there, doing something like that is a pretty big gamble - you never know who will be coming around that corner!) Happily, I have a pStyle! I was able to keep my pack on and do my thing without worry. No need to pull down my pants, squat, and risk feeling humiliated if/when someone sees me.
Seriously, ladies, the pStyle is pretty handy. Even if you aren't the outdoorsy type, think about all of the disgusting toilet seats you encounter in public restrooms - with the pStyle you don't have to hover precariously over the seat! I know it sounds weird but it's a pretty handy (and light) little tool. :)
Anyway. As I said, we followed Deep Creek pretty much all day. We at lunch at the creek- it was so beautiful and so relaxing that we lingered longer than we usually do. It was a nice break but it also meant we didn't get in as many miles as we planned.
our view of Deep Creek while eating lunch
Nick was thinking about taking a quick dip but he decided it was too cold
Another reason we didn't get in our miles were the Hot Springs. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to enjoy relaxing in a natural hot tub! The water was really hot in some areas - at least 100 degrees - and it felt great. There were a lot of naked men walking around, though, just letting it all hang out (I'm not complaining, it was just unexpected). :) One guy stopped to chat with me for a bit while I waited for Nick to get there. I was fully clothed and just taking off my pack, he was completely naked and unashamed (ahem...for good reason). I finally understand how guys must feel when presented with some nice breasts - my brain was practically screaming at me, "Look into his eyes! Look directly into his eyes! Be cool. Act like this is normal. Keep looking into his eyes, dammit!"
Smiles in one of the hot springs, Sara, Shotgun, and Nick cooling off in the not-so-hot water
Nick in a Deep Creek Hot Spring
On the way to the next water source (and to our campsite) we got to cross Rainbow Bridge. Rainbows make me happy, even fake ones. In fact, rainbows make me so happy that I have a little rainbow-making crystal on my pack. The crystal used to be my grandmother's so it serves a dual purpose- when the sun hits it just right it makes little rainbows AND it reminds me of her.
Rainbow Bridge was fun to cross
This crystal used to be my grandmothers and now it keeps me smiling on those not-so-easy days
At the end of the day we saw some rain in the distance - it was so cool to watch the rain from afar.
And then, much to my delight, we saw a rainbow - a real rainbow, not just the one we saw earlier on the bridge. It was a great end to the day. (I just wish we had been on top of the mountain and not near the bottom when the rainbow appeared... Oh well).
