Today I covered 11.8 miles, 19.1 km. The mountains are definitely becoming more pronounced, and it’s starting to feel as though we’re getting towards the end of the desert. It’s still quite hot and exposed, and I’m carrying a lot of water from each source, but that will change soon. A fun side effect of taking the bus yesterday is that I’m now carrying about 10 days food, for just 3 – 4 days hiking. I guess I’ll have to eat like a king for the next stretch.

The trail sidles around Mt Jenkins, remaining at a fairly constant elevation. On the way around I get a view of a rocky ridge, which I remember seeing from Inyokern while waiting for the bus.

We continue around the mountain until reaching a saddle with Mt Owens. From here, we make a long descent into a hot basin where we find our water source for the day.

After collecting water, it’s an hour climb back out of the basin and another hour and a half to Spanish Needle Creek. There’s a stream running here, and space for about 10 tents under tree cover. I decide to camp here and make the most of not having to carry extra water for camping. There’s a big climb straight after this creek, and I’d rather do that in the morning with fresh legs. There are quite a few people camping here, so I get to chat with them while making dinner before turning in for the night.