Up, up and away

We had a short day today as we climbed out of a valley back up to 5,000 ft. It was one cardiovascular event - up all the way. We had a  perfect view of interstate I-15 going eastward to Las Vegas and southward to L.A separated by the imposing San Andreas fault ( ie a lot of mountains). The ridges we had already surrmounted were behind us, hazy in the spillover of L.A. Smog. These mountains are not like the Sierra. They are lower and covered by green foliage. From a distance they look velvety and strokable. The green is mainly manzanita and low brush, definitely not strokable up close. I love the manzanita. They are smooth and muscular and when they age they look as gnarly as bristle cone pine. Half the bark is alive and the other half is dead. I saw one like this that had been cut back and it looked like the angry head of Medusa, branches entwined and twisted around each other. The Sierra, above treeline will be white with rock.

     About those chem-trails...This is what I have observed : Big Bear seemed to be a testing ground for them. They were everywhere. They were shot into a blue sky from who knows where ( perhaps a nearby airforce base) and the sky turned white not with puffy clouds. Just white. Sometimes I saw these trails being shot into a cloud connecting them and making everything white. Are  'they' tampering with the weather? it? Between Warner Springs and Idyllwild I didn't see any. They seem to be where people are. I could be wrong. What I can say for sure is that a perfectly blue sky changes into white. There are also more on windy days. Since I don't know anything about them I'm done with them for now. Honestly when I'm out here experiencing this beauty the last thing I want to be thinking about is someone experimenting or tampering with mother earth. "They" are doing something and we are not hearing about it. You guys research it and let me know. 

       Initially I thought I might learn some Chinese out here but it turns out I can't  bare to not be present to every sound and sight Inmight encounter. If I'm learning Chinese I'm not present to my surroundings. I tried it one night in the tent but then I couldn't hear the silence and I was missing it. 

      Tomorrow we will continue on the stairmaster to heaven... Or is that Wrightwood? 18 miles closer to "Oh Canada" Got to go to sleep now. Topo has her alarm set for 4:30am. 

Going under the I 15. 

What a glorious color!

Thanks to trail angels!!

Sleeping out under the stars.