Journey Day 25 | PCT Day 25

Cooling our heels along the California Crest

5/11/85

From our day-use campsite on Deep Creek, we hiked along the canyon to the Hot Springs. Nakedness prevailed at the pools and surrounding lounging areas, predominantly populated by men. Keith and I shyly joined others in the pools. Ever the conversationalist, I noted one guy’s hiking boots – all he was wearing as he walked around. They were a good diversion, despite the lack of female forms and profusion of trash. 

The hot springs were about five miles from an unfinished spillway for the Mojave Reservoir. After several hours, we dressed and hiked out to the spillway later. A couple we met three miles along the trail said they’d hiked all day to get that far. We’d already hiked eight and planned to cover seven more.

 With adversity, the hiking was all we could handle. Now it was getting monotonous. I need more to keep my interest level.

We walked down, took our boots off to ford the creek. we followed through trees behind the spillway. Saw the girls we’d been hearing about since back at Mission Creek. But we were bedraggled and hardly talked to them. 

They stopped for the night, we  hiked out of the area, across 173 and up into the hills where we crashed on the trail. I’m such a woodsman, I pitched my tent on the path. Windy night, hard sleep.