The Walking Dom

May 18

May 18 The devil rises at 6:30am

Mile 179 / KM 288
Warner Springs to Idyllwild

I miss: Prosecco
Song of my day: ‘Up And Down’ by The Peacocks

So I got that 20 mile day done, but let me tell you, this desert thing isn't a piece of cake. You get up at 5am, hike until 10am, take a siesta until 4pm to avoid the scorching heat of the sun and then you hike as far as you can into the night. That's the smart way to do it. The not so smart way is to walk through the hottest hours of the day for a burger at a Cafe 20 miles away... Well... you know me. I think it was worth it! My feet felt like they were about to fall of but Sarah and I made it to Paradise Valley Cafe just in time for a burger and the owner let about 10 of us hikers crash out on his patio. Pretty awesome.

In general I am amazed by peoples generosity here. We call them trail angels. They are people that do nice things for us hikers without asking for anything in return. Imagine 30 gallons of water under a bush in the middle of the desert. Someone went through the trouble of getting it there just because. Or fresh fruit, beers and sodas in a cooler beside the trail. Most of times when we get to town they offer free laundry service. So sweet.

We are kickin' it in Idyllwild and I could see myself living here. It's like Nelson, BC. The kind of small town that has it all. We got a sweet little cabin here for two nights and it feels awesome to rest the legs after two weeks of hiking.

Life is simpel out here. You walk, you eat, you laugh, you sleep, you eat again and then you walk some more. And all that while being surrounded by the most beautiful landscapes. At this point, I can't think of anything better to do than this.