Daily miles 22
Total miles 110
Camp elevation 3600 feet
Warm night and great sleep last night for all. The sky cleared and the stars were shining brightly. When we had set up camp we thought it would be breezy, but it ended up calming down. Luckily, all the mosquitoes that were in the cattle trough next to where we were sleeping, went to bed and didn’t bother us.
Today definitely felt as though we were officially in the desert. First part of the day was 13 miles to the first on trail water and then another 7 till the next. We actually made it a 20 mile water carry as the water at mile 13 was not too appealing and we still had some water. Besides the comparative lack of water, the cacti were everywhere and in great variety. Many that look like Nopal that we see in Mexico, some that look like prickly pear as well as Ocotillo. The latter were blooming as well.
We were very exposed all day walking. Hardly any shade on the trail and the hills were small as well so we were not in their shadows either. Thankfully there was a breeze and it was never too warm. Guessing the temp were in the low 70s at the peak.
We took lunch at a not-so-appealing water pond with a bike packer who was going to ride as much of the AZT as he could in 11 days. He had hiked the AT in 2006….his trail name was Marathon. It was nice to chat with someone on a similar journey.
Tonight we are camped in an old stream wash. It is flat and sandy soft and we came upon it at the right time of the day…. So it seems perfect right now. The stars are extremely bright as the sky is clear. Another beautiful night.
Today felt like we were closer to civilization in general as we saw trail runners and mtn bikers on the trail and were within earshot of cars for a good while.
*Hammockers note – tough hammocking through this stretch today. At the twin tanks (mile 101), there are good trees to hang, but not much after.
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