Daily Miles: 21
Total Miles: 301
Had a very warm night of camping last night, but still slept soundly. We got up before 5am and got on the trail just after 5:30.
We started a long climb almost immediately. The grade of the trail was nice and the temperatures were not too warm, so it was very pleasant walking.
We had about seven miles of uphill as the trail went through some spectacular scenery. We were not expecting anything so grand today, but it was definitely our favorite landscape on the trail so far. Not sure the pictures will do it justice…just one of those days where you feel lucky to be out on the trail.
We stopped about 11 miles in for our one water source for the day. We ran into India and her family at the stock pond. They are out for a few days doing one of the passages of the trail. It was nice to stop and talk with them for a bit. Genuinely nice people.
The afternoon walking was mostly downhill. The entire day was made so pleasant by the fact that the sky was overcast…the sun was kept at bay and the temps stayed lower. We did get a few drops of rain on us in the afternoon, but just enough to be refreshing.
We saw our third rattlesnake of the trail today. And we saw our first Gila monster. Definitely a crazy creature…orange and black colors and interesting patterns. They are venomous, but so slow that they aren’t much threat. We were excited to see one.
We made it down to the Picket Post trailhead around 4:45 where our friend, Purple, was waiting to pick us up and bring us back to their house.
We are clean, well-fed and very sleepy. We are looking forward to a few days of rest and preparation for the final stretch of trail.
Thanks for sharing! Love the blooming cactus pictures.
Thanks for following, Kristi! See ya soon!