Daily Miles: 8
Total Miles: 194
Last night we had been enticed to our camping spot by the flat ground. We ignored the fact that it was exposed and a bit windy, thinking that the views were nice and the wind would let us cowboy camp. Well, we had some calm over night, but also had some strong winds. JJ had put up his tent last night and he said he didn’t get much sleep, as he was worried his tent was going to collapse on him all night.
We had decided not to get up so early today since we only had a few miles to town. We waited until it was light out before we started to get up. We packed up quickly and were on the road just after 7am.
We passed several guys who were car camping along the dirt road this morning. Deer hunting season starts today, so they were setting up camp to be able to hunt for the next week or so.
The descent into McDermitt started with very rocky and steep dirt roads, but eventually mellowed out as we got closer to town. We could see the town for so long before we arrived, it felt like forever. McDermitt is actually in Nevada, just across the border, but we’re not sure when exactly we crossed over the state line.
The town is very tiny and everything is within just one block. We stopped at the post office and picked up our packages (including a new tent!), checked into our motel rooms (even though it was only 10:30am) and then headed to the cafe in the casino next door for some food.
We spent the afternoon hand washing our dirty clothes in the sink (there is no laundromat in town) and practicing putting up our new tent in the weeds by the motel. It’ll take us some practice before we can put it up quickly and well. We just don’t have a lot of experience with tents, especially the kind that uses hiking poles.
We have heard that there is a winter weather alert for this area over the next few days. We’re glad that we have been planning a rest day tomorrow, when the cold and possible precipitation starts, but we have heard that the following few days are supposed to have a high of 48 degrees and a low of 25 degrees. Plus a chance of snow on one of the days. Not sure yet what that means for our schedule. We’ll have to make a decision about continuing tomorrow when we see an updated forecast.
So close! I live in ID, and have been through Rome and McDermitt many times. Funny fact–our son has a favorite slot machine in the casino. First machine to the left as you walk in the door—he wins on that one every time! Really enjoy reading about your hikes. Hope all goes well!
Thanks for checking out the ODT posts Dave! Maybe will have to give the favorite slot machine a pull before we leave 🙂
Really enjoying your daily log and pictures. Be safe on the trails❤️
Hey, good to see you out on the trail! The Hayduke was a blast this spring but now awaiting ankle surgery in a few weeks. In Budapest at the moment – payback to Mrs Haze for the last hike! Take care.
Purple Haze
Hey Purple Haze! Great to hear from you. Glad you had a good time on the Hayduke…we will have to put that in the planner in coming years. Hope you had a great time in Budapest 🙂