We woke at 6am after a chilly night and proceeded to do the morning routine. We broke camp at 7, as per usual and headed down the trail. We crested the ridge and were met with insane views of the Coachella Valley and Banning Pass. There was a layer of clouds hanging below us and above the valley that really put our day into perspective. We hiked slow, taking a billion pictures and Pillsbury caught up with us. She passed us and we didn't catch up with her again for several miles.
The trail dropped from forest to desert rapidly and Josh and I cut our legs and hands as we pushed through the over grown buckthorn. We stopped for a break and caught Pillsbury as she was getting up from her break. We hiked together for the rest of the day as we switchbacked down, down, down.
This section of the hike was very enjoyable for me. I have never seen such a diverse sampling of amazing terrain like I have on this hike, which is strange I know, since I grew up here! There were tons of flowers, lizards, small and large...very large, birds, and snakes.
We ran into a rattle snake and a Rosie boa!
We took several breaks, as usual and Pillsbury shared some of her food with us which I thought was super sweet...and tasty. We pushed on thru the increasing heat and made it to mile marker 200! I felt much better at this milestone than the last one. It was still another 5+ miles down to the water source and it seemed to take forever. When we finally arrived, I took off my shoes and found a handful of new blisters. They don't hurt but it looks like I'm back to my taping regimen.
I sent out a text to my mom, brother and dad telling them where I was and that I was Ok. My dad called immediately and said he was on I-10 just minutes away! My dad lives in Bakersfield so the coincidence that he would be driving thru the desert at that exact moment was amazing! He picked us up and gave us a 7up and took us to Palm Springs where he paid for a room for us and bought us dinner! I can't believe my day started shivering in a tent on San Jacinto and ended laying in a bed at the Hard Rock Hotel. So amazingly weird.
Right now, I'm full and exhausted and ready for bed. I fear this was not one of my better posts but my brain is mush. I'll make it up to you. In the end, it was a good day and I love Fuller Ridge and my Dad. :-)
Tomorrow we'll return to the spot where he picked us up and continue on to Ziggy and The Bear for our resupply boxes and then on toward Whitewater.
Until then, goodnight!
That's beautiful scenery!
ReplyDeleteWhat a day!
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