Day 38; Sun, June 3 2007

(Dr Bug) The desert is a cruel mistress. She rules her domain with patience. Time is her tool. History blends with the present. Nothing rots or decays in the desert. The main ingredient is missing - water. Her sun bleaches your spirit. Her heat melts your resolve. Snakes and scorpions are nagging threats that rarely materialize. The ants are her little soldiers, they are everywhere (I'm sure there are a few in my backpack right now). She teases you with a cloud. It blocks the sun, you say a prayer and hike on. Clouds are fleeting and you are stranded in the shadeless plain. All the plants hurt, ouch. Lizards and jackrabbit are the only creatures that beat the odds. She stabs you with cold nights just to prove who is the boss.

Her beauty is in her nights. The sunsets and late evening skies are pastel blues and reds. The nights stars are grand, full, and almost close enough to touch.

I thank the the desert for letting us pass without harm. I will never call this mistress my friend.

We hiked 23 miles today and some of it was high desert. I feel like we are scratching and clawing our way out of the desert, step by step, mile by mile. We started the day at 6am and made it Walker Pass by 5pm. We got a ride to Ridgecrest CA - a desert town near the China Lake Weapons Station. We purchased groceries for the next 3 days, got a well needed shower and a nights sleep. I think I acheived a personal record for 'black crude dirt on my legs'. One more gift from the desert.

We also ran into a tail maintainer on horse back. He was a true cowboy who was gnawing on beef jerky. I asked if our backpacks would spook the horses. He said 'notin spooked a real trail horse'. He also had a pack horse with saws and maintaince stuff in pack.