The Path

Today we made a slow 3400 ft.ascent into the San Gorgonia Wilderness and ended back in the San  Bernadino Wilderness. We walked up and over and down drainages. We started at 6:15 and did some stair master jazz for 4 hours but we did have some contact with water. A half hour into the hike we walked  beside a shallow clay bottomed river. Tidy Camper and I immediately wet our heads, shirts and hats. It's a great way to stay cool. Topo watched us and by days end she was joining us in the drenching. She doesn't like cold water but she also does not like to get hot. Something has got to give because cold makes you less hot. We walked out of this drainage into another, then for 3.5 hours we went up. 

      I think the sweetest sound ever is the sound of a bird singing (yes, even better than prepubescent choir boys). The 2nd most beatiful, welcoming sound is water in the desert. After 4 hours we came upon another river, braided and shallow. As soon as I could I took all my clothes off and started splashing water on myself. Then I sat in it. Then I lay back in it but the water was so shallow it didn't quite cover my head. It was still heavenly to have that cool water cleaning and refreshing me. TC as soon as she caught up to me did the same thing. There is so little water in the desert when you get it you treat it like it is big water-you do everything in it you would do in the ocean because desert water feels bigger.

        Well everything was going just dandy because even though we

Were going up we were crossing water until we were not. The landscape got dryer and dryer as we got hotter and hotter. Our maps (which TC and Topo are constantly analyzing) did say there was water at mile 235 but TC began to panic thinking that perhaps the water had dried up. The water report she kept referencing was old. She wanted to return to the water. Dirty Girl, who Tidy Camper thinks is cavalier about water said that if they were on vacation it might make sense to go back to the brightly flowing river, however they were on their way to Canada and why the hell did she not believe her maps and water reports. It's not as though they were seeing dessicated bodies strewn over the trail or the sun bleached bones of previous PCT hikers. DG insisted they move forward. The blessed mile 235 was reached and there was water. It was a trickle but that is all that was needed. WATER IS LIFE. We know it first hand. 

      What I find so encouraging and reassuring is the a actual path itself. It's width varies but it is usually about a foot wide. There are many footprint on it and those footprints belong to people I have met. They have gone before me they are leading the way for me and I feel gratitude for that. That's what teachers do. They trample the earth to make it easier for others to on it. They've been where you are going. This path is my teacher  and everyone on it before me. 

     We lived through the night and now we are at 7,800 ft. Back in the alpine environment. It smells like whole grains cooking in the kitchen. Later.