Day 6 – San Felipe hills to Barrel Spring – 19 miles


We had our warmest night yet last night – no need to wear hats or jackets. We were camped on a small saddle and had a beautiful view of the sunrise. It was hazy because of some rain in San Diego, which meant cooler temperatures. Yesterday at the cache Keith scored a can of coke from a pile of empty beer cans. After sitting out all night it was pleasantly cool and we shared it at breakfast. I don’t normally drink coke but it tasted delicious! We are at funk level 5 now and smell so bad that we can’t even tell what body part it’s coming from. When we unzip our bags in the morning it’s like opening up someone’s crypt and the stench just wafts out. We’ve gone beyond skunk to military-grade stink.


We made good time to the third gate water cache 9 miles away, following the contours of the steep hills we were in. As we progressed the desert valley to our west got greener and greener. Near the end of the stretch the sun came out in full force and it heated up right away. We were sad to see the clouds go!


Once again, we were wiped out by the time we reached the cache. We tried to nap for a while, but there was very little shade and our umbrellas weren’t quite large enough to cover us. After a while we reluctantly got up and got our water. We only needed a little since we had loaded up at Scissors Crossing but it was much appreciated. We then retreated up the hill to a shadier spot to wait out the rest of the afternoon sun and cook lunch. Neither of us was very hungry because of the heat but I’m glad I made the effort because the stroganoff tasted delicious in the end. Nothing like a little salt to get us going!


After more rest we powered up the trail to finish the San Felipe hills. As we got up to the ridge we had a good view of the green Volcan mountains to the west. Clouds and mist from the incoming front were boiling over them and spilling down towards the desert valley below. It was a beautiful sight that I’m sure won’t come through well in pictures.


The trail was not too strenuous and we made good time. As we hiked the front rolled in and in a short amount of time the skies fogged over, the wind started up and the temperature dropped into the 50s. Now this was our kind of weather! We began to worry a little about finding a campsite for the night. The hills were very rugged with few flat spots and we thought we would need to set up the tent as protection from wind and possible rain. Suddenly it seemed that all the likely spots were already taken. We decided to kick it into high gear and make for Barrel Spring even though we hadn’t planned on it originally.

We made it by full dark and set up camp in a grassy field away from the trough so as not to disturb the folks already camped there. I finally got to wash my feet and legs! It was so satisfying to get the dirt off. It felt amazing to be able to rub my toes together without feeling grit between them.

We had decided not to set up the tent again, thinking that the rain would hold off, but as we curled up in our bags with a dinner of cheesy bacon potatoes it started to sprinkle. It was a hard decision to get back out into the cold and mess with the shelter but it was the smart thing to do. Otherwise I would have been half awake all night listening for rain. Thankfully, the tent went up over all our gear like a dream in just a few minutes. We hadn’t had the chance to practice with it before leaving (thanks, neverending MN winter!) but it turned out not to be an issue. It was even easier to deal with than my homemade tarp. I felt very cozy when I woke up at 3 AM to the sound of rain sprinkles.

Tomorrow is a town day! We can hardly wait…feels like Christmas Eve!

– Posted from the PCT

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