The trail calls! We’ve organized rides and half of the group is off at 8:00 am, the other half at 10:00 am. I’m on the 8:00 am ride, and appreciate the headstart. We were back on the trail around 8:30 am, and briefly touched the desert before immediately beginning to climb. Very soon, we left the valley floor below, and the views start to grow.

We climbed for around 4 hours up to a saddle which greeted us with strong winds, and an incredible view of the desert below. The trail climbed relentlessly, we were high above the city of Palm Springs with no top in sight.

As I walked higher, I saw more and more lizards along the trail. There seemed to be 3 kinds, black with blue spots, black all round, and brown with a black stripe running down the side. Some of the lizards didn’t mind me walking past, and allowed me to get close enough for a good photo.

The trail took us up to a high ridge with stunning views on each side. I reached the junction to a water source, but it was a mile off trail and down a very steep path. I was so glad to be able to remove the top of my pack and turn it into a small backpack to leave the rest behind.

By the time I’d made the return trip with 5 L of filtered water, it was nearly time to make dinner. There was just enough daylight to set up camp, make grilled tortillas, and watch the sunset light fade on both sides of our spot.