Day 6 - Desert Fog

Tuesday, April 21

I awoke this morning to find my sleeping bag covered in dew. In addition I noticed that it was foggy. I was about 1/2 hour late waking up, so I didn't hit the trail until 6:30.

This is all I could see as I walked the trail.


My destination was the next reliable source of water, a tank about 7 miles away. With a brisk wind and blowing fog, I had to wear my fleece to stay warm. I got to the water tank at 8:30 and took 4 liters. That made for a heavy pack.

As I was leaving, the fog began to clear. It was a beautiful sight.


With the sun shining, I stopped to dry out my sleeping bag and have breakfast- cold mashed potatoes with ramen noodles. It was yummy!

My plan today was to get as close as possible to the Paradise Cafe where I plan to eat tomorrow and then hitch a ride into Idyllwild.

Katherine and her friend Jillian passed me on the trail. We have been "leap-frogging" quite often, and they let me take their picture.


Around noon I caught up with Rasputin and he has decided to stay a day or two in Idyllwild. He might be willing to share a room with me. I took his picture, but he asked that it not be posted on social media.

I caught up with "No Trace" and his wife "Unbreakable". They have hiked the trail before and are doing it again. By the end of the day, I began hiking with them since they keep a good pace and are about the same age as me. This is a picture of them coming up the trail.


As I walked today, I took some pictures of the flowers.














A storm is coming in tonight, and the wind is really picking up. We hiked as far as we could until it started getting dark. I'm in my tent in all my jackets and it is still cold.

I'm camped tonight at mile 149.7.