Date: May 5, 2017
Miles: 307.9 – 328.1
Today was an exercise in umbrella futility. It was hot and muggy, which we found out later was due to some inclement weather moving in to the area, and it made for a tiring day. I tried to shield myself from the sun while I was hiking with my UV umbrella, but it would either turn inside out at every gust of wind making me look like a walking satellite dish, or the sky would become overcast, rendering it unnecessary. As soon as I put it away, the sun would come back out and the wind would die down. I gave up.
The trail passed through some less scenic areas, none of which are ever included in promotional materials for the trail or anyone’s photo albums, but are no less a part of the experience.
The destination today was Cleghorn picnic area at Silverwood Lake. It didn’t actually click in my brain that we would be camping at an actual lake until I walked over a ridge and saw the dark blue water stretching out across the vista. It was such a welcome contrast to the dusty brown from moments before.
When we were about three miles from the park, we heard a voice coming from the roadway above us yelling, ‘Beer and tacos up ahead!’ Tacos! I set a personal land speed record in those last few miles. When we got to the park, we met Breanna, who had a cooler full of cold beverages and taco fixings on the grill. Katie took a turn grilling vegetables and we all ate huge, delicious tacos. And ordered pizza.
After the two dinners, Paul found a stretch of sand for us to camp on and we ended the day with hot chocolate and slept under a bright moon.
