Day 18

Day 18

5-6-2014

Miles 221.80-235.47

-A nice day in the desert with some cloud cover turned into a BAD day due to a storm that blew in. Cold weather wasn't so bad in the desert, but it began raining and snowing as Tin Man and I began gaining altitude as we climbed up into the foothills of San Gorgonio Mountain. The weather was miserable and unexpected, but I was happy to not be alone and to have Tin Man's company. The more we tried to hike towards the closest campsite we could find, the worse the weather became. We couldn't find any decent places to camp and the search was getting desperate. Good camp spots aren't easy to come by when walking up a canyon. I was at a mental breaking point and could have become hypothermic in the weather conditions. I started getting scared, but Tin Man insisted we keep moving and not give up. I was hiking slowly, even though I was 1 mile out from a campsite listed on my maps... so Tin Man hiked on to find the camp. I FINALLY reached the campsite and Tin Man had everything set up so that I didn't have to do any work. He even had coffee ready for me when I arrived which was a treat since I'm not currently carrying a stove. Other hikers were at the campsite too. It was great to warm up and get some rest. I'm happy I'm not alone out here.