Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Hiking Uphill: 4,889ft
Hiking Downhill: 271ft
Distance Hiked: 14 miles
Hiking Downhill: 271ft
Distance Hiked: 14 miles
Post By Melissa:
This post is going to be very short..we are a little behind on blogging so I'm going to make this more of a picture story :-) Enjoy!!
This post is going to be very short..we are a little behind on blogging so I'm going to make this more of a picture story :-) Enjoy!!
The day before was pretty rough on me and I knew today was going to be nearly 5,000ft of climbing. I mentally prepared myself for another tough day of heat + hills (or H squared as I like to call it). At least the tent stayed upright despite having to tie the tent cords around rocks (ground was too hard to use tent stakes). The tent doesn't have a whole lot of room inside but it keeps us safe from bugs and the weather. I really liked this camping spot...one of my favorites so far.
We set off on our hike and cross Mission Creek several times throughout the day. These are small creeks and as I understand it, when we get up north we will have to cross some pretty serious rivers and get wet doing it (wade through it). I'm hoping because it's a low snow year that we don't have to ford anything too crazy!
Jimson weed plant...according to Nick it makes you loco if you eat/drink/smoke it. Beware!!
Yay! Another creek crossing...and I didn't fall in!
The terrain is pretty dry as you can see with the exception of Mission Creek winding through this area. Every chance I dip my bandana in the water and soak my sleeves of my shirt and collar. Then I put the wet bandana around my forehead. It's not a sexy look but it does the job. Nick was using his buff to do something similar.
This takes balance and concentration :-)
Yerba Santa plant
It's hot!!
Wait...where did this greenery come from...weren't we just in the dry dessert??!! Nice buff Nick :-)
Rambo Mel!! Solar umbrella to take down the heat a few notches and bandana soaked in creek water to help too. Anything to make the heat a little more bearable.
Lots of burn areas in the dessert. Makes for interesting tree skeletons.
The cacti in the dessert produce all kinds of beautiful flowers. So far we've seen orange, yellow, and pink in various shades. The bumble bees love them too!
We cruised through the San Bernandino National Forest too this day although I didn't see too many trees. Mostly rocks and shrubs.
Beautiful Yucca Tree
In between mountains...thank goodness for the flats!
Oh no! Our first sighting of the infamous Poodle Dog Bush (Terricula Plant)! We've heard that this plant causes a rash like poison oak if you come in contact with it. We did our best to avoid it. It has a musky smell that lets you know it's close before you actually see it. Apparently it pops up after fires and lives for about 10 years and then doesn't appear again unless another fire sweeps through causing the seeds to sprout.
The terrain finally changes from sand, dirt, rocks, and shrubs to beautiful trees that provide shade! It's always interesting to see how much the terrain changes within a single day of hiking. It's truly amazing...except for all the uphill climbing. LOL
More pretty flowers. Lots of purple flower plants in the desert.
The moon is peaking down on us! Sun is starting to set...are we almost done yet?!
After nearly 5,000ft of climbing we finally make our way into Mission Springs Trail Camp. There is no other hikers around so we have the campground all to ourself. Nick makes a short walk over to a natural spring that was being captured in a barrel. He collects some water for us for the night so we can cook, brush our teeth, etc.
We set up shop near a picnic table, cooked dinner, and went to bed...it was sooo nice to have all of that climbing behind us.
We set off on our hike and cross Mission Creek several times throughout the day. These are small creeks and as I understand it, when we get up north we will have to cross some pretty serious rivers and get wet doing it (wade through it). I'm hoping because it's a low snow year that we don't have to ford anything too crazy!
Jimson weed plant...according to Nick it makes you loco if you eat/drink/smoke it. Beware!!
Yay! Another creek crossing...and I didn't fall in!
The terrain is pretty dry as you can see with the exception of Mission Creek winding through this area. Every chance I dip my bandana in the water and soak my sleeves of my shirt and collar. Then I put the wet bandana around my forehead. It's not a sexy look but it does the job. Nick was using his buff to do something similar.
This takes balance and concentration :-)
Yerba Santa plant
It's hot!!
Wait...where did this greenery come from...weren't we just in the dry dessert??!! Nice buff Nick :-)
Rambo Mel!! Solar umbrella to take down the heat a few notches and bandana soaked in creek water to help too. Anything to make the heat a little more bearable.
Lots of burn areas in the dessert. Makes for interesting tree skeletons.
The cacti in the dessert produce all kinds of beautiful flowers. So far we've seen orange, yellow, and pink in various shades. The bumble bees love them too!
We cruised through the San Bernandino National Forest too this day although I didn't see too many trees. Mostly rocks and shrubs.
Beautiful Yucca Tree
In between mountains...thank goodness for the flats!
Oh no! Our first sighting of the infamous Poodle Dog Bush (Terricula Plant)! We've heard that this plant causes a rash like poison oak if you come in contact with it. We did our best to avoid it. It has a musky smell that lets you know it's close before you actually see it. Apparently it pops up after fires and lives for about 10 years and then doesn't appear again unless another fire sweeps through causing the seeds to sprout.
The terrain finally changes from sand, dirt, rocks, and shrubs to beautiful trees that provide shade! It's always interesting to see how much the terrain changes within a single day of hiking. It's truly amazing...except for all the uphill climbing. LOL
More pretty flowers. Lots of purple flower plants in the desert.
The moon is peaking down on us! Sun is starting to set...are we almost done yet?!
After nearly 5,000ft of climbing we finally make our way into Mission Springs Trail Camp. There is no other hikers around so we have the campground all to ourself. Nick makes a short walk over to a natural spring that was being captured in a barrel. He collects some water for us for the night so we can cook, brush our teeth, etc.
We set up shop near a picnic table, cooked dinner, and went to bed...it was sooo nice to have all of that climbing behind us.
nice job on all the hard work!
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