A mild night in camp. I started at 6am and Timber soon followed. We walked on a road for a mile then gained elevation to the top of an escarpment. We followed a trail through ponderosa pine, piñon, and juniper forest. In two more miles, we arrived at a spring-fed stock tank where we took a break and got water. Onward on trails and Forest Service roads through large grassy meadows. We ate lunch under a pine tree with a grand view of the grassland dominated by Arizona fescue (see photo). After lunch, the trail reentered forest for several miles then back into grassland. The rest of the day ran through forest, some of which had annoying numerous deadfalls. About 3 pm, my energy flagged. How could I walk another 5 miles while gaining elevation? I plodded along taking more breaks than usual. Timber offered words of encouragement. Somehow, I managed to reach a spring, our destination for the day. Happily, we found two campsites 200 feet from the spring. I dropped my pack and set up camp. Unhappily, previous campers had left trash. But I found an unopened water bottle, which I drank. I cooked dinner and crawled in my tent. I’m not sure why this day was so hard for me. 21.2 miles today.
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