Last nights sleep was bliss - no wind, cold temperatures, and coverage from trees all around. Mackenzie and I are enjoying the spacious tent we have when we set it up correctly. Spoons and his girlfriend Sarah, now known as Tumble, barely fit in their two person tent. Devin, at 6’ 5”, will have trouble finding a tent big enough for himself, let alone two people.

After getting packed, we hit the trail around 6:50 this morning and headed for our first water source, a spring, about 3 miles up the trail. It was a tough first climb but the water was cold and clear. We met a guy by the name of Stephen at the water. He was quitting today. He has a girlfriend back in Virginia that was occupying his mind a bit too much during his trip. He was headed to a nearby road for a ride back into town. I was thankful for Mackenzie’s presence before, but now even more so given Stephen’s situation.

We got rolling and headed to our lunch/siesta spot 9 miles up. It was a really enjoyable climb through conifer trees and shade. We weaved in and out of a stream until we reached our lunch spot - a shady oak tree with the perfect amount of space for our crew. We had a lunch and nap knowing we only had 6 additional miles to our camp spot.

The walk down to our home for the evening traversed rocky, yet lush, landscape. The layers of mountains created a narrative for our day tomorrow - dry and exposed. Still, the view over the valley with the setting sun was outstanding. Mackenzie and I stopped several times to take in the light and scenery. I’ve noticed a trend to this hike that applies just about anywhere. Great moments are always fleeting as there’s going to be a new hill in front of us any moment now. Today, this great moment was to be extended a bit as a guy by the name of Ken pulled up in a truck at the water cache we were stopped at and handed us the coldest Coors light possible. It was up there for one of the best beers of my life.

We filled up six liters of water each at the water cache. Tomorrow is a tough day - up hill with no water for 15 miles. Gonna be an early start as we have a long exposed stretch through the Mojave. Sequoia National Park is in about 14 miles though. Looking forward to some shade from those big trees.

Cold beer on my mind…