Miles: 8.4

Total Trail Miles: 209.5

Ascent/Descent: 219/2239 ft

Start Time: 06:30

End Time: 09:49

Temperature: 31°C (89) 

Our original plan was to leave at 7:00 and allow ourselves a lie in, however i still woke at 5:30 and was ready to set off by 6:30. It has been really warm over night and I had to take off my socks and unbutton my quilt in the night but I had slept pretty well. It was more descent today and the morning was beautiful, seeing cacti blooming and lots of desert flowers. We were just doing 8 miles this morning, rewarding our snow efforts with a nero in Cabazon. We found out about a trail Angel called Nitsy on far out who collects hikers from the I10, takes them to in-n-out or Taco Bell for food, to Walmart to resupply, and then to her house where you can shower, do laundry and sleep in her garden. We text her the night before and arranged for her to pick us up this morning. The final few miles of the walk were brutal, the sun was soo hot and strong and the ground got soft and sandy and hard to walk in as we approached the highway. I called Emma and Laura for catch ups to pass the time through that stretch. When we arrived under the bridge there was trail magic from a guy called half ton, water, crisps and hot dogs (I could only eat the bread roll) and we waited for Nitsy to pick us up. 

We piled into the back of her truck when she arrived and went to get food before heading back to hers where we got chatting to Todd from Texas and lounging in the shade hiding from the hot sun. We couldnt shower or wash right away as the water was off as Nitsy had to fix the toilet that had broken with the previous hikes. We drank cold drinks, cooled our feet in Epsom salt baths in buckets under the tables whilst playing cards (shithead). After laundry and showers we headed to Walmart to reapply before returning to get ready for bed - a late one - 10pm!