April 21st, 2015
I woke up fairly late in hiker terms, which is around 7am. Then I worked on my blog and went over my food. All I had left was three cups of dehydrated beans and rice and a cliff bar. I was about three miles from a small resort area or I was around thirty two miles from Warner Springs. Since it was getting late and probably would start getting hot I decided to try a long day and try to at least get close to the next town.
I packed up and started climbing out of the valley that I was camping in. As I started going up the mountain I caught up with a hiker that was quite interesting. Her name is Mother Goose and she is eighty five years old and attempting to hike the entire PCT. She asked me where I was hiking today and I told her I was trying to get to Warner Springs. After that she wished me luck and said, "you young whipper snappers can do that." Then I walked on passing a couple more hikers until I caught up with another older hiker named Tin Man. He told me a story about falling twenty feet out of a tree and getting metal plates in his leg. I hiked with him briefly then continued up the trail. After hours of going up the mountain I got to see the valley where I was camping the night before.
For some time after that I was just walking and taking it all in. I really didn't think the desert would be very stimulating but with all the cacti blooming and strange lizards scuffling about I can see why some people choose to study botany of wildlife. I saw some interesting snakes and lizards that I never knew existed. This guy on the bottom blended in perfectly with the rocks and had these strange horns on his head. To get this picture I had to climb a little up off the trail and he blended in so well it was hard to focus on the guy.
As I kept hiking there were more and more pleasant surprises. One of those surprises was another water cash with more than 200 gallons of bottled water. I was carrying enough water to make it without this but it's always nice to have a little extra water to drink. Also if you are ever feeling a little bit lonely water caches are a pretty good social spot on the trail there are always at least 10 to 20 hikers at these caches.
As I kept walking I finally reached the 100 mile mark. Not a very big accomplishment as a sign says that there are only have to go 100 miles 26 more times.
As I moved on I met a hiker named Paparazzi. He use to work at a wilderness school and was a mountaineering guide for some time. He even led a trip up Gasherbrum which is the 12th largest peak in the world. I drilled him with a million questions about climbing, gear and exhibitions. On the way saw a big gardener snake and eventually made it to Eagle rock. You can't see it but there was someone camping right in front of it which is a little disappointing for the people who want to take pictures of it.
As the sun started to set I picked up the pace and made my way to Warner Springs hoping there would be a store open because I finished off the rest of my food in the afternoon. I got to the small town and there was nothing open. Also there were about twenty to thirty tents set up and hikers sitting around shooting the breeze. This was a little overwhelming and I wasn't about to camp among all these people. Mainly because there are bound to be a few people snoring and I would rather not hear that. So I walked off and found a place that was a little quieter and laid out my sleeping pad. After walking thirty two miles with a backpack lying down is almost a religious experience. As I was about to fall asleep I started to become a little concerned because the right side of my face has been numb ever since I got hit right before starting the trail. The swelling finally was starting to go down and started to feel my cheek and under my eye. I noticed a few differences below my eye and my cheek bone. After five days I was just starting to realize that there might be a real possibility that some bones in my face might be fractured or even worse I I might be bleeding internally. Because since I started the hike my nose has been bleeding pretty much all day every day. I thought it was just the dry desert air. With all these things running through my mind I drifted off to sleep.
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