May 22nd, 2022 by Jon
We woke up to a sunrise that was illuminating our tent as we groggily opened our eyes. We ate breakfast in our tent again, then packed up and started moving by 6:30. The sun was just over the horizon and already felt pretty warm in the direct sunlight. We walked along the hills, enjoying views of sagebrush, Joshua trees, and the desert floor laid out below. We were finally headed north again after about 15 miles of heading directly east.
The trail was pretty sandy, which made every step a little tricky, but the warmer weather made for some very enjoyable morning hiking. We crossed a dirt road and began a small climb that would take us up and around a mountain. We began traveling up a valley, heading towards a saddle we would cross and then descend into the next valley. Right before we got to the saddle, we came across a nice big campsite where we saw lots of hikers packing up their things. It looked like they had a nice little protected valley to sleep in and plenty of Joshua trees to camp behind if the wind was coming straight up the valley.
We got up and over the saddle and had even better views of the desert below. It was like standing on a precipice, overlooking the desert, with nothing to block our view. It was interesting to see the desert just end at the mountainside below, and it was jaw-droppingly beautiful. We walked up and over small outcroppings as we moved north along a ridge before ledge walking on the side of a mountain for a loooong time. We had the same view down into a bowl for most of it and there was nothing there but chaparral and a dirt bike track. We finally came down off the mountain, crossed a road and enjoyed another water cache that was there under a Joshua tree. There had to have been at least 150 gallons of water. It was really nice to have this water here, thank you, Devilfish, for taking care of us hikers! This will be the last water for 20 miles until we get to Walker Pass. Since we had already gone 8 miles to get here, that meant we were dry camping on top of the 20 miles we had to hike. Ugh.
We ate a large snack because the climb out of there was long, exposed, and very steep. We each drank as much as we could as the cache and then I took 5 liters and Singsong took 4. After a 30-minute break, we began our climb back up the mountain around 10:00. We normally would have stayed a little longer, but we wanted to finish the climb before it got too hot. With the weight of our packs being what they were, that would have been even tougher than it already was. Then it was switch-back time. We went up and up for an hour and a half, struggling under the weight of our water and the sun growing ever hotter. I’d be lying if I wasn’t cursing the desert for the last days of heat it had to throw our way before we leave it behind.
After a lot of little breaks, sucking wind, and giving ourselves as much water as we could spare, we got to the top. The views of the surrounding desert and the mountains to come were incredible. We could see in the next section that the trees were coming back as we headed farther from the desert, and we looked forward to more shade as we walked. We found a huge boulder to lean against in the shade of a large tree and decided to call it our lunch spot. We enjoyed snacking, and I desperately needed time to cool down before I could even start eating. I dried my clothes in the sun while we waited. We stayed there for an hour and a half, recovering slowly. I’ve been rereading the Harry Potter books on my phone when I have breaks and I managed to get through 5 chapters before we had to start packing up again.
We made our way down the mountain around 1:30 and switched back a little bit before crossing a saddle where we could descend into the valley on the other side. From there, we crossed over the ridges that stretched out like fingers from another mountain that we would hike around instead of over. The tree coverage was back, with a small, dry pine tree that shaded about a third of the trail. It was a welcome change from the last few days of hiking. The trail itself became softer too, with all the pine needles on the ground, which our feet enjoyed. We walked for about 90 minutes before I got so hot again that we had to stop in a nice shady spot in the dirt. I’m glad most of the desert hasn’t been this hot, it completely saps my energy and I have to take a lot of breaks to cool down. Singsong doesn’t mind the heat at all, though, and does super well with it. We’ve joked for a long time that she is here to get me through the desert, and then I’ll help her get through the Sierra. She hates the cold and I know it’s gonna be tough for her. But thankfully, we know we can depend on each other, and she hasn’t complained one day when I’ve needed to stop. I’m very grateful to have such an awesome hiking partner and life partner.
After another 45 minutes, we felt ready to head out again, and this time the temperature had definitely dropped. We cruised and Singsong was out in front. She was listening to some music that gave her some sort of crazy energy, and I was having a hard time keeping up with her. She can really move when she wants to. We hiked up and down more tree-covered trails before finally coming to a dirt road that we needed to hike on for about 2 miles. We walked along for a while, getting out of the way for a few off-road rally cars. After a mile or so, we came across a great line of trees with a few tent sites behind them, which would be protected from the wind. It got going again this afternoon and we really didn’t want to sleep anywhere too exposed. We made dinner and while sitting on a rock in the sun and made arrangements with a trail angel to get a ride from the highway into town tomorrow morning. We need to resupply with a few days’ worth of food so we can reach Kennedy Meadows in 50 miles after the highway and finally say goodbye to the desert. It’s been more beautiful than expected but we’re excited for a change and to do our last desert section resupply!
