Today was fortunately not as hard as the last few days. With 13 miles to the camp before Mission Creek, I decided I could afford to spend a bit of time at camp. The windfarm office is kind enough to allow hikers to use the bathrooms and charge devices, so I pack up and make breakfast while my powerbank charges.

The trail starts by climbing out of the valley, and giving us a great view past the wind turbines towards Palm Springs. The wind is strong today, and down in the valley, I can see huge dust clouds whipping up.

We then sidle around some pretty exposed hillside, having to be careful not to get blown off the path. As we get closer to the Whitewater Preserve, huge cliffs appear. We then get a view into the deep valley below.

I decide to make the extra 0.5 mile trip to the Whitewater Preserve to see what’s there. The preserve is quiet, and not many hikers are around, so I just have a quick lunch here and return to trail.

The trail follows the Whitewater River upstream for a couple of miles before crossing the river and heading up a ridge which separates Whitewater River and Mission Creek. The climb out of Whitewater is steep, but short, with very soft, grey rock alongside the trail.

From the ridge, the views up both mountain valleys are impressive, and we travel along the top for an hour or so. Finally, we descend into Mission Creek.

I find a good spot, close to the river, with shelter from the wind. The notorious Mission Creek washout section starts from here. A 12 mile section of route finding and partial trail in riverbed awaits. I get an early night, and plenty of sleep for tomorrow.