Today I hiked 26 miles, twisted my right ankle, saw 6 snakes, hiked by a hot spring popular with the "clothing optional" crowd, and I am camped in a less than desirable location on the Mojave River. There is lots of trash, broken glass, alcohol containers, tagging, and a snake about 60 feet from my tent. Because I was hiking in a steep canyon most of the day there were very few good options for campsites. To complicate matters, I am hiking without a headlamp (I lost it), so when the sun starts setting I must find a place to stop. This last problem will be remedied when I see Eva in two days and she brings me a new headlamp. Three cheers for Eva!
I'll know more about my ankle in the morning but I don't think it's too bad. It's not swollen or
throbbing, it just hurts when I walk...ha ha.
throbbing, it just hurts when I walk...ha ha.
6 snakes in one day! I hiked almost 300 miles before seeing one and then 6 in one afternoon. Wow!
I'm going to make a conscious effort to take some better photos. Looking at my photos so far, I know I can do better. I'm also thinking about a minimum of one short video each day.
I have had sporadic cell service all day, and no service where I am camped. I'm guessing by noon tomorrow I'll be out of this canyon and have enough service to upload a few posts and call Eva.
It's 9:30pm and time to sign off.
Keep calm and watch for snakes!
I enjoyed talking with Toney at the post office today as I dropped off your Agua Dulce resupply package. She said she is reading your blogs. We talked about the snakes. You may find a personal message scribbled on the outside of that box to you to stay clear of them. Hike on but don't get too friendly with the wildlife!
ReplyDeleteI hope you paid attention at Zero Day as to which snakes are poisonous and which ones aren't! Do you know what kind of snake this is and whether it's poisonous? I saw two today hiking in the Livermore hills - one about 3 feet long and the other just about 10 inches. The larger one was a garter snake so I wasn't scared to pick it up but it's hard to differentiate with baby rattlers because their rattle tail isn't always visible when they're so small so I stayed away from that one. I'm really enjoying your blogs and following this journey of yours. Keep calm, hike on and avoid snakes! - Sharon Kantack
ReplyDeleteThere are supposed to be Mojave Green Rattlesnakes that are very aggressive! I'll be keeping a close watch for them for the next 300 miles! Thanks for following along and reading my blog posts!
DeleteHey Loren, Guess you should have taken your Doctor!
ReplyDeleteI getting some ice and rest at Cajon Pass. The ankle should be fine. Thanks for following along! No blisters so far. I'm heading back into the desert tomorrow and the weather report says things are going to heat up!
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