DAY 20: ZIGGY & THE BEAR

miles: 13 ish

Stillness. The wind had died down at some point in the night and the sun rose, immediately roasting everything in its path.

5:30am - freezing, breaking camp, wearing down coats and hats

6:00/6:30 - sweating, sweat-soaked down coats, removing all layers

7:00 - sunscreen application, sticky, heat grumps

It's amazing how fast body temperatures change out here. One minute you are so freezing, you can't even think, and the next minute you feel like you are in an oven. I'm not kidding. And it's not just because you start moving (thus the body temp increase) but it also due to the fact that, in the desert, as soon as the sun hits the land (and your skin), it is instantly HOT. 

Split our day up into two hiking parts: morning hiking and evening hiking, with a rest stop at Ziggy & The Bear's house in the middle of the day. 

The morning began with a 1 mile hop down to the water faucet where we would find Angela and Carrot. We all took 

off at the same time, not exactly aware of what the next 5 miles would bring. 

There was a black asphalt road walk, wind, a short walk through a tiny community called "Snow Creek", abandoned lumber, large quantities of debris and junkyard-junk, shredded sofas, getting lost on flat desert ground, helicopters, enormous power lines, wind turbines, warnings about power line construction, sand and WIND.

Basically it was a brutally desolate and windy. A sandy slog, where each and every step forward is followed by a sandy step backwards, or a stumbling that results in tripping.

When giant rocks are in the sand, and they force you to roll an ankle.

The wind made it difficult to walk, and coupled with the sand, it was near impossible to get a few miles in a reasonable amount of time! 

We made it to hwy 10, and turned to pass under the overpass, when we realized there was trail magic!! 

Soda. Beer. COLD. Real desert treat. I chose a coke, and drank it while I hiked, feeling silly hiking with a pop in my hand, and the wind blowing grit all up into it.

The goal was to make it to Zoggy & The Bears and take a few hours off to relax, pick up our mail drops (we had sent food to their house) and eat lunch. 

We spent quite a bit if time there, actually. When we arrived, we went around back and let ourselves into the side gate (which feels weird when you are at a strangers house, but yogi instructs us to sit his inherent guidebook). What did we find? 

EPSOM SALT BATHS ALL LINED UP IN FRONT OF COMFY CHAIRS, waiting for us. 

Cool Ranch and Cap-i-tan, two previous thru-hikers, were there to greet us, helping with the Trail Magic that day. 

This place was a welcome oasis, complete with absolutely everything we could have wanted or needed: Epsom salt foot soaks, hiker boxes, foods & drinks, space to lay down or explode our packs, use of a phone/Internet, trash cans, the list goes on... 

It's interesting that the things we want and need have changed. For instance, I put trash can on that list above. I am always elated to find a trash can, of all things, because I HATE carrying around bits of garbage. And I'm not good at garbage when hiking. I tend to stick little bits in every pocket, zipper, nook and cranny of my pack, and they explode out every time I get in there. Then the wind takes it 100 miles. I need a designated trash bag/pocket/system... We produce a lot of trash out here, surprisingly. 

So. We showered. We lounged. There was a Burger King run and I got french fries. 

We sort of drug our feet when leaving because there was so much to do. There was also a storm rolling in, and I kept my eye on it... Closely. Here is a photo of the view over their backyard fence:

So very dark and ominous. Threatening rain, lightning, thunder. We decided to get a move on.

It was hard hiking for me, as it always is in the 3:00 - 4:00pm range. I was full, tired, carrying too much water for no reason... We were climbing, gradually at first, but then steeply, through a wind farm. The sound was eerie and low, like something from a post-apocalyptic movie. It added a dark gloom to the already threatening sky. It smelled like rain, but wasn't yet raining.

Once the steep climb was over, and we had officially come up over the crest of our first lump, we were amazed by the view (and excited to be entering the San Gorgornio Wilderness). 

Sprinkling was off and on, forcing me to sweat in my rain gear. It was simultaneously got and drizzly, making raincoats uncomfortable. 

Our destination for the night is The Whitewater Nature Preserve a nature reserve .5 miles off of the trail. They are hiker friendly and allow thru-hikers to camp on the property and use their (very nice) restrooms.

The weather made the landscape more dramatic and the fear of a thunderstorm stayed with me. I wouldn't want to be exposed out here when lightning strikes.

The last .5 miles to the preserve was stunning. The clouds got incredibly dark, thunder was rumbling and we found ourselves hiking in a dried up river bed, rich with wildlife. 

We made it to the pavilion, and the field where we were allowed to set up our tents just in time for the rain to begin. 

Literally, set up our tent, through everything inside and zipped up AS SOON AS it started raining. I felt lucky to be dry. Thunder in the canyon, then lightning later in the night once it was dark, in the distance.