10 — San Bernadino State Park

Miles 122.7–138.9 (16.2 miles)

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Rose: the sunrise Thorn: Lucy getting heat exhaustion Bud: town tomorrow! Showers! Burgers at Paradise Valley Cafe!

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Whe hiked 15.6 miles by noon. I set an alarm for 4am and slept through the alarm. I woke up to Rebekah deflating her sleeping bag. We chatted while we packed up in the dark and left camp around 4:50. It had been a warm night. It must not have gotten below 50*.

The sunrise was beautiful. We hiked the 4.6 miles to Mike’s Place for water. The others joined shortly as well as a half dozen other hikers. We aren’t the only group who got the message about early morning hiking.

We left around 7:45am. The hike was surprisingly uphill and exposed to the rising sun. It was 11 miles to the next water, so we needed to hussle before it got too hot.

The hike started downhill but was still exposed. A gentle breeze didn’t prevent me from using my umbrella for shade, but it was still a hot slog to the water source.

The water is… a swamp. The mud is orange, and you need to use a scoop in order not to disturb the mud too much. I used my bandana to prefilter the water before it hit my filter. I had to keep changing the location of the bandana, because the sediment kept collecting on the fabric in little circles of dirt. Backflushing our filters was absolutely necessary.

There are many other hikers siestaing here too. I mostly listen to their stories and chime in a little. I would really like to nap and read my book.

Lucy is feeling nauseous from the heat and exertion. She and I are the most affected by the heat in our group. Again, I am thankful for my umbrella. I have draped a wet shirt over her torso while others force food and electrolytes into her hands. Hopefully she will recover by the end of the siesta.

The wind has picked up and the clouds have overcast the sun thankfully.

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The skies cleared. They were never that obscured. Lucy recovered.

We left our siesta near the swamp water around 6pm to hike only 2 miles to a huge campsite. There’s tent spots in every nook. I’m not sure if it’s the result of impact, flooding, or natural lack of vegetation. The vegetation changes so frequently our here. It was grasslands then manzanitas and shrubbery in the mountains the last two days. Then this late afternoon we’re back to cacti and yuccas.

Tonight is a red moon, meaning that the Earth blocks the light going to the moon. A lunar eclipse! It’s pretty eerie. The wind is also light to moderate today. I’m cowboy camping again. I’m glad that I’m set up next to Angel if anything spooky happens in the night.

We’re waking up at 4am again tomorrow.