There were supposed to be five of us going, but we lost one due to illness. The four remaining set out Friday and headed north. It rained cats and dogs most of the way there, but stopped as we neared Red Rock Canyon.
As this was sort of "my trip", I led. Talk about the blind leading the blind! We never really got lost, though there were a few times that weren't sure exactly where we were. Part of the problem was there weren't any accurate maps available to us. That is part of the fun though!
Through most the first day, it remained cloudy and cold. I'm glad I put the top on El Cheepo Jeepo before we left.
Most of the cloud cover had blown through by sunset, removing the insulating blanket from the desert mountain range. It was well below 50 by supper time and dropping teadily. Nothing a camp-fire and a little Crown Royale couldn't resolve.
Day two broke clear, sunny and cool. We spent much of the day visiting the same places that I did last year, as the rest of my party had never been to the area.
While at Burro Schmidt's Tunnel, two of our party opted not to go inside, allowing Eric and myself to go all of the way through it (2100 ft) without having to worry about our stuff.
This is the view off of the west end, well worth the walk through the dark.
The desert, the lure of which attracts few, but attracts strongly. A trail through it is sure to be less traveled, though often loved more.
Day three broke with a little rain which blew through quickly and was done by breakfast time. Eric had opted not to set up his tent and had slept under the stars. The spattering of rain on his face quickly roused him and he threw his bedding in his jeep. I heard him get up and joined him, building the fire and watching the leaden sky lighten and the clouds blow to the east. Two hours later and the above view was ours.
A great trip, one I hope to repeat.
Thanks for reading,
A rejuvenated Schmoe
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