April 28. Day 10.

PCT mile 127-146.

Miles hiked: 19; + ~1/2 m round trip to get water off trail.

I've spent quite a few nights under the stars, including in some places pretty far removed from light pollution. But last night's stars were quite a show in this very clear, dry air, even with the super bright half moon. The Milky Way was perfect, and this was actually the first night of the trip I've seen the North Star. As I drifted in and out of sleep through the night, I watched the Big Dipper progress on its trip through the sky, beginning upside down in the east, and ending right side up before sliding beneath the western horizon just before dawn. A Common Poorwill had ben calling through the night, and as I was packing I saw one fly in and plunge into the scrub only about 40 meters from me, I suppose to roost for the day.

I got moving around 5:25 and was hiking a bit before 6, with my coffee and breakfast snacks to go. For 2 miles the trail climbed the side of Combs Peak. It was a gorgeous plain sunrise, no clouds to complicate things, just empty sky shifting through various shades of orange. The habitat was more of the same dry scrub from yesterday, the sort of stuff the seems like it will burst into flame if you just talk too loud around it. I could tell I was the first hiked up the trail this morning by all the spiderweb I had to break through. Lazuli Buntings where singing here and there.

Here comes the heat!

After the 2 miles climbing the trail began what ended up to be an 11 mile descent down from the dry scrub into even drier cactus/sparse shrub. Unfortunately the app I have isn't very good for shrubs so I'm not entirely sure what I'm walking through. Around the transition between thee habitats a Scott's Oriole was singing, all yellow and proud on top of a bush. I'm pretty sure I've never seen this species before!

Will be in those far mountains tomorrow.

I reached the Tule Spring water tank (PCT mile 137, plus a .25 m spur trail) just before 10. This was a beautiful spot with cottonwoods growing in a tight canyon. My brunch and water filtering break took a bit longer than planned owing mainly to the fact that I lost my spoon and had a heck of a time using a tent stake to herd the granola to the edge of my cup so I could slurp it up. I made 4 L for the 15 miles to the next water. I'm back to budgeting a liter for every 5 miles, which is about twice what I was using during last week's cool weather. I've also determined that about 1 extra liter is what I need to comfortably dry camp (dinner, cleaning dishes and teeth, a bit to drink, morning coffee), and I was planning to camp tonight somewhere just before the next water.

I hiked another hour then set up to take siesta in Nance Canyon (PCT 140), but I seriously mis-judged which way the shadow of a nice cottonwood would travel, and spent the next 2 hours dodging sunbeams. I cooked my dinner  cous cous with tomato powder, freeze dried chicken and asparagus, other veggies, and Italian seasoning, so I didn't have to carry that water any further. I managed to get the consistency of this meal just right so I could get bite sized scoops with the tent stake. Probably the best thing about this sort of failed siesta was the Oak Titmouse nest in the cottonwood, with both parents busily bringing food to the nestlings.

I was done chasing shadows and left Nance Canyon around 2. The afternoon turned into a pretty hot slog through dry sparse scrub. The birds up here were sensibly still on siesta, and I just trudged along under my umbrella looking at the occasionally surprisingly bright red or yellow prickly pear flowers. Now and then, to keep things interesting, I had to do umbrella battle with wind gusts.

I only made it another 4 miles before I had to retry a siesta amongst some beautiful big boulders out on a little point of land overlooking a valley where we think the town of Anza lies. This siesta went much better, and I spent almost another 2 hours in be shade of a rock, with a nice breeze, laying on my back with feet up on the rock. At 6 I hiked on another 2 miles, to a little camp on another little point of land overlooking the same valley. I had a little wet wipe bath to get some trail grime off, then munched I. Snacks while the lint faded and coyotes and dogs yodeled and barked at each other. Right before dark, a slight west wind picked up and a  of smog moved east into the valley. It was pretty dramatic to see the distinct boundary between 2 air masses, and to think about how everything is connected to everything else. The exhaust from the car that drove me to the trailhead is now clogging my nose on the trail.

Peaking out between boulders at siesta spot #2.

Birds:

Common Poorwill*

Wrentit

Black-chinned Sparrow

Western Tanager

California Thrasher

Western Wood Pewee

Spotted Towhee

Ash-throated Flycatcher 

Bushtit 

Black-headed Grosbeak

House Wren

Townsend's Warbler 

Lazuli Bunting*

Mountain Quail 

Western Scrub-jay

Scott's Oriole*

Song Sparrow 

Rock Wren