My watch alarm went off at 4am. Today was supposed to be even hotter than yesterday so we wanted an early start. I only needed my headlamp for half an hour of hiking, until it was light enough to see the trail. Again, I needed my umbrella up by 8am to reflect the sun.
A lot of the trail was actually in or near shade starting mid morning so it didn’t seem as hot as yesterday. I still had to take breaks frequently because of the heat though.
We made it to Robin Bird Spring, fifteen miles, just at noon. It was flowing a lot better than yesterday’s spring so there was no line to fill up. There was also plenty of shade if you didn’t mind dried cow patties everywhere. I had to move a couple of times to keep my shade.
I cooked dinner there and then started hiking at 5pm. It wasn’t too much farther to Landers Meadow Camp and the spring there. I arrived while it was still light but by the time I finished filtering seven liters of water to prepare for tomorrow and its super long dry stretch, it was dark. I went and set up camp and cooked another dinner because I was so hungry.
21.6 miles today.
Trail looks pretty. š Glad you found shade!
How do you keep the water cool?
I don’t. The water in the bladder in my pack is a bit insulated and stays cool most of the time. The water in the outside pockets gets hot and gross.