We were in the Mojave Desert today. We woke up in a washout section expecting a climb, and we got one. Still, as soon as we opened up to the elements and took it for what it was, the beauty revealed itself. Rolling hills in front of rocky mountainous vistas. Joshua Trees surrounded us and provided much needed shade during the hottest parts of the day. When it was windy, it was bearable. Nice even. Mackenzie and I commented a lot on the personalities of the Joshua Trees as we wandered our way through mining trash and an abandoned car. There’s a lot to offer an individual in the desert. Water and shade isn’t one of them.

We hiked around 13 miles to our lunch spot, a water cache located along a dirt road at the base of our next climb. We arrived around 1 pm, ate immediately, and laid out our tent to nap through the worst of the heat. The flies are always preventing us from fully falling asleep but the rest is always welcome. After sitting in shade by the water cash for nearly 4 hours, we got moving and climbed up our hardest ascent for Mackenzie and Sarah, aka ‘Tumble’. The views immediately made it worth it. We can visualize how far we’ve come these past few days. The progress is always motivating. Moving at a humans pace seems slow in the moment, but over time, astonishing.

We’re camped at the summit of Skinner Peak. Tomorrow, we hit Ridgecrest for a town day and showers. Ready for some cold drinks. We’ve all been craving milk for some reason. Must need the calcium. I’ve been eating this canned fish by the brand ‘fish wife’. Dad - I know you’ll like the sardines. They have smoke salmon as well. Even off the trail, I’d have straight out the can. 10/10.

Happy views…