Donnerstag, Mai 11, 2006
day 14 - Falls Canyon and One Horse Ridge Overlook to Whitewater Canyon close to Whitewater Creek, 22,7 miles
Hot animal day
Right before we started the sun rose like in one of those holiday brochures. After watching it we continued yesterday's descent on seemingly endless switchbacks on difficult trail. It was sort of overgrown and narrow and stoney which meant that we hardly saw where we stepped. The sun shun hotly from very early on (7a.m.) and we looked forward to reaching the bottom where there is a faucet. Our treated water had for me a strange aftertaste so I didn't really want to drink it although it was hot.
And then it happened. At the head of one switchback on an elevated flat rock there was a rattler. We both heard and saw it simultaneaously. I, as I was walking first, was so afraid of it that I wanted to be far away from it so I jumped onto a rock...only to be warned by another rattler at the bottom of that rock. Freaked out I jumped and ran towards Carsten, pretty much shaking.(I was afraid that the snake would charge if I passed it in the direction of the trail). Looking back the situation might seem funny but for me it sure wasn't! Carsten banged all the rocks as we cut the switchback and I was jumpy for a long while after.
At the faucet we had an early lunch and a lazy break because the sun shun so hotly. Later Giddy-up showed up and told us who had taken a ride around Fuller Ridge and who else had obviously lost much time over it.Popsicle has got Shint Splints so he will say in Idyllwild until he's better. Giddy-up then told us that the first snake we had seen before the rattlers had been a Gofer snake, not dangerous, and he described a Racer snake to us, not dangerous, too, which we saw shortly after. So I have had my quota of snakes, that's enough!!
We then continued through the flat desert past Snow Canyon village on sandy trail where the wind blew so strong that we had to pack our umbrelas away.
There are railway tracks and two freight trains passed us. I counted the wagons of the second one: 80!
We kept hiking up again over the Narrow Pass leaving the Mesa Windmill Farm back and entering again breathtaking landscape. And there we saw a coyote!
Now we are close to the creek on an excellent campsite. As we arrived here all we did first was dump the packs, take the shoes off and lay o the sleeping pads because the feet hurt so much.
It is 8 p.m. time to go to bed, the sun has set anyway. Carsten is already asleep :-) Good night ¶ 09:33
Right before we started the sun rose like in one of those holiday brochures. After watching it we continued yesterday's descent on seemingly endless switchbacks on difficult trail. It was sort of overgrown and narrow and stoney which meant that we hardly saw where we stepped. The sun shun hotly from very early on (7a.m.) and we looked forward to reaching the bottom where there is a faucet. Our treated water had for me a strange aftertaste so I didn't really want to drink it although it was hot.
And then it happened. At the head of one switchback on an elevated flat rock there was a rattler. We both heard and saw it simultaneaously. I, as I was walking first, was so afraid of it that I wanted to be far away from it so I jumped onto a rock...only to be warned by another rattler at the bottom of that rock. Freaked out I jumped and ran towards Carsten, pretty much shaking.(I was afraid that the snake would charge if I passed it in the direction of the trail). Looking back the situation might seem funny but for me it sure wasn't! Carsten banged all the rocks as we cut the switchback and I was jumpy for a long while after.
At the faucet we had an early lunch and a lazy break because the sun shun so hotly. Later Giddy-up showed up and told us who had taken a ride around Fuller Ridge and who else had obviously lost much time over it.Popsicle has got Shint Splints so he will say in Idyllwild until he's better. Giddy-up then told us that the first snake we had seen before the rattlers had been a Gofer snake, not dangerous, and he described a Racer snake to us, not dangerous, too, which we saw shortly after. So I have had my quota of snakes, that's enough!!
We then continued through the flat desert past Snow Canyon village on sandy trail where the wind blew so strong that we had to pack our umbrelas away.
There are railway tracks and two freight trains passed us. I counted the wagons of the second one: 80!
We kept hiking up again over the Narrow Pass leaving the Mesa Windmill Farm back and entering again breathtaking landscape. And there we saw a coyote!
Now we are close to the creek on an excellent campsite. As we arrived here all we did first was dump the packs, take the shoes off and lay o the sleeping pads because the feet hurt so much.
It is 8 p.m. time to go to bed, the sun has set anyway. Carsten is already asleep :-) Good night ¶ 09:33
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