Woke up cold again last night. I think it was in the 20s, but the wind coming down the canyon, made it much colder. We left around 730, headed up canyon. Water was on my mind from the time I woke up. 3 liters, 12 miles. That wouldn’t normally be a problem, but after a few hours, it was apparent that water was going to be a concern.
Me and d=rt are both familiar with desert hiking, him more than me. Nothing can fully prepare you for hiking in the desert without water. The sun becomes your worst enemy, and simple tasks become hard, such as reading the maps and topography.
The hike was a full blown sandbox today, walking up Butler Wash. It’s amazing how much energy it takes to walk, even just 2 miles per hour. The critters loved this wash too. I found bobcat, coyote, and bighorn sheep tracks. Lizards, and their tracks, are abundant as well, tiny little feet that move quickly! Also spotted a downy woodpecker.
The route lead us to a canyon that appeared to dead end, a common occurrence, a pour-off in a canyon. We once again found a route around, but it always is scary to see a dead end.
After milking my water all day, I ran out at 4 pm. It took us over 2 more hours to find water, which proved to be the best we have seen on this route yet. It was piped into a tub, cold, crystal clear, beautiful! I drank a liter instantly, and packed up six more, and we moved on. A couple miles from the spring we set up camp. Over 12 hours to go 14 miles. That’s some tough hiking.
Tomorrow looks a little easier, we will be on trail for some time, cant wait! Amazing dinner tonight, noodles with chili, hot sauce, mashed potatoes, and dried deer burger, sweet!
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