Distance from Mexico - 430.4 miles
A big part of today was dealing with a noxious weed called Poodle Dog Bush - nasty stuff that brings you out in painful rashes & blisters. It grows up to 2 metres tall & borders on the trail. I spent the day swerving and dodging the stuff like Benji Marshall - back when he was good. But I think I managed to avoid the stuff. It normally had purple flowers but is not in bloom yet
Otherwise it was an honest day in hot conditions made better by some trail magic at lunchtime with a guy handing out cold drinks, chicken, snacks, strawberries etc.
The views out over the Mojave & west were spell binding - enough for me to put my pack down & sit in the grass gazing (avoiding the Poodle Dog Bush though)
Loving following youre blog mate - still rocking those miles. Mojave is an intresting area - loved running through there although a lot of it was during the night. Keep it up mate.
ReplyDeleteIt is a brutal environment thats for real. I am amazed anything survives but it does including the Mojave Rattlesnake which I intend to avoid!!! Some of the hikers are talking about doing a night hike through the desert but I feel I would be missing something. See how we go on that one...
DeleteVery interesting Roger great reading keep it up.
ReplyDeleteThat heat will build but you will get used to it starting early in the season. I took a photo of my boots sitting on the pine needles one lunch break and they look like they could ignite at any moment, we were high up and the trees were only 6ft to 8ft tall and it was so hot but that was in July. A few days before that we were caught in a thunder and lightening storm and once it finished the red earth stuck to our boots worse than mud and just built up like snow shoes and stained every thing.
Take care.
Kym
Mud - that will make a change from the grit & sand of Southern California. It gets in to everything including the last mouthful of whatever you are eating or drinking. The mud might add some assistance to the tread on my shoes which are fading fast - got to eke out another 250 miles until Kennedy Meadows where I have new shoes awaiting.
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