Today I covered 14.3 miles, 22.9 km. I slept just 6 hours last night, and fought with a mouse, so I was still feeling some fatigue from yesterday. By the end of the day I was relieved to see camp at around 5:30 pm. Earlier in the day, I crossed the 500 mile marker, a big milestone. And of course I had that song stuck in my head all day long (you know the one right?)

I woke up this morning at 5 am, a habit I’m trying to build despite getting in to camp so late last night. I had my gear packed and ready to go at 6:30 am, but since there was a picnic table at camp, I decided to have breakfast here instead of on the trail. I got out there at 7:30 am and headed out into the sandy scrub.

The area here is an old burn zone, and since the land was cleared, it has become infested with poodle dog bush. The plant produces an oil which painfully irritates the skin if you brush past, blisters can appear after several days and persist for weeks. Both sides of the trail are dense with the head high plant, and it’s tricky to avoid in some places.

Later in the morning, I walk along a forestry dirt road to a water supply to save having to go 1.5 miles off trail, and then back again. There are a lot of comments describing the complicated contraptions people have devised to get water out of the angled tank with it’s small access point. I noticed that the lid has it’s screws off and I can just lift this off to scoop water out from the top instead.

In the afternoon the trail winds along a ridge which gives amazing views of the Mojave Desert. It’s slightly foreboding looking down there, I can see just how hot and exposed it is.

Around 2:30 pm I reach a big milestone on the trail, 500 miles. I pause here to celebrate, and remember that I have a small bottle of whiskey exactly for this type of occasion. As I’m leaving I notice that I have good cellphone reception, so I play The Proclaimers – I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) out loud while I walk away. It’s been stuck in my head all day at this point.

A few hours later I get a beautiful view to the southwest. I’m really feeling exhausted at this point and manage to push on for just a little longer to make camp at the established Bear Camp for an early night.