Chap. 17 – Mission Creek and misery

Hello, Southern California. Pennsylvania called, she wants her rocks back!

I knew today would be difficult. We’ve heard about this from the beginning: «Mission Creek was washed away, there’s no trace.» They weren’t joking.

Tomorrow

The first few kilometers of our day were long but disappointing. The sun hit us hard at 9am and we knew the situation would only get worse. The steep climbs were the worst part in the heat, and when we stumbled into the creek, Boostie and I had our umbrellas out. Our group of nine had lunch by the creek when we first arrived. Basically, any shady place became a prime spot for a break. It definitely took motivation to keep walking after sitting in the shade for a while!

I was miserable through lunch and most of the rest of the day. For once, it wasn’t the pain in my ankles or any other tendons that stopped me. It was simply the heat. After today, I will never take another ice cold drink for granted. All I wanted was some cold water, but everything that was available tasted disgusting and hot. I had to add electrolytes to all my waters today just for fun.

Late

Around 2pm we took a long rest under a magically large tree. Some people even took naps! We waited out the hottest part of the day and then started hiking again around 3. At that point we had only gone 2 miles down the creek, so we had about 7 miles left. Feeling as miserable as I did, I didn’t feel too excited about the final 7 mile push.

Desert creatures in search of shade.

As soon as the sun set behind the ridge, our hats, glasses and umbrellas disappeared. My water immediately started to get cold. Despite drinking tons of water today, I still know I’m dehydrated. I need to drink more tomorrow, and would have today if we hadn’t filtered the wash water twice. With AquaTabs it takes much longer, about 30 minutes. Since that was a pain, I could use Sawyer Squeeze instead.

Moonrise from the camp!

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