Day 40 – McIver cabin

21.3 miles
From Trail Camp (Mile 624, elev 5390)
To the McIver cabin (Mile 645, UND 6678)
Climbing 4280
Descend 2959

Some days, my legs feel that I could walk forever. They seem to remain at the same level of freshness during mile after mile. But invariably, with three or four miles before my planned camp, they always feel tired. It is almost as if they hid their feelings until we are close enough to camp so that they think they can get yours. It does not seem to import if my plans are for 24 miles or 14. They are always ready for camp in those last miles. In a sense, it is effective to prevent you from walking until 11 pm every night.

Ah, and when it is hot during the noon, hiking is also difficult. It is as if my legs were acting as they do at the end of the day, but instead of yearning for the camp, they yearn for a fresher and more shading place to rest for a break, food or nap.

Enjoying a rest afternoon

I felt this way while I kept playing Leapfrog with Bear Bait and LP today. I would find them resting on the side of the path. After passing them and walking a few miles, my legs demanded their nap time. And while I was lying there, I would see the bear bait and LP walk. I didn’t see almost anyone else all day.

I asked a friend of mine (in 2024) if it ever becomes easier at the end of the day. He never realized that he became easier.

Today was one of those days when it was hot and there was not much natural water on the path. On the other hand, as the path was woven through large roads of vehicles out of high, the only large water cache was really useful. There were many dozen 5 gallon water jugs. And one of them was strategically placed in the shadow of one of the only trees to keep it fresh. And it works! The water of that jug was still pleasantly cool!

Water cache: the jugs just on the other side of the dirt road

I sank, and before returning to the road, I wandered near to find another Joshua tree in which I could relax and communicate with some friends and family when I had a cell service.

Relax in the morning under this Joshua tree

Later in the day, I heard a lot of mountain thunder east of me. It seemed that all unstable air was being channeled through a pass and creating thunder east. But he remained sunny where he was.

Bear Bait, LP, and I ended up camping today in the Mciver cabin, with plans of a quick descent to Walker Pass in the morning.

Photo: Cabin and tents

McIver cabin and surrounding tent sites

McIver’s cabin had a lot of open space for tents in a little hole. He also had a good spring, the cabin itself and a latrine.

The cabin had an pair of old wooden bunk beds, had no door in operation and some shelves that contained random things, including a half bag of hardened marshmaker. I am not sure if there were no bears (or mini-bars) in the area or if they were only terrified by the petrified marshmallows and maintained their distance.

Supply shelves inside the mciver cabin

I found this interesting, because in my way on my way, finding someone else with a bear boat or an Ursack or that hung its smells was very rare. I could probably count the number of instances in one hand. But now, in a camp where the Malvaviscos were permanently stored where wildlife could access them, the three people in the camp used bags of bears.

I think that latrine is best described as one that encourages people to practice the excavation of their cat holes. He was old and wood. There was no seat, just a hole at the top of the platform. The edges of the lid broke, so it would not completely cover the hole. The door of the door was broken, so any breeze had a tendency to open the door.

The hole in which the cabin was in the cabin did a good job by limiting the winds at night. I noticed that the air was very calm near my store, but that if I went to the road beyond the hole, the winds were collected considerably.

Snake on the road in the afternoon

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