Ep94. Miles 1270-1294

Trail and Errors

Waking to the sound of birdsong and the buzzing of insects, especially mosquitos, today the team are faced with an extreme descent into the town of Belden in the blistering heat, followed by an equally strenuous climb out of town up the opposite side of the valley. Ethan is worried more about the downhill; although uphill is tiring the downhill affects less-used muscles, plus your feet are smashed into your shoes with each step and your knees take a battering. The day is boiling hot, but bizarrely their old friend snow makes a few very brief appearances! Out of the woods and onto the exposed ridgeline lizards abound, and they are certainly in rattlesnake territory again. Arriving in Belden they feel the physicality of the descent, but their minds are distracted by the bizarre happenings in town..the 'Camp Fuck It Up' festival is in full swing. The insane heat only adds to the sense of dysmorphia. After a very mediocre plate of nachos they move through the 'town' and look for some shade to rest before the climb; the combination of banging vibes, drugged out semi-naked revellers, roadworks and roadworkers, makes it confusing where the trail restarts and they get a bit lost in the mayhem. They laze away most of the afternoon in the shade at the historic 'Stamp Mill', before beginning the 14 mile ascent up towards Rattlesnake Creek, from where the trail flattens out a bit towards their eventual campsite at Myrtle Flat. A weird day on the trail, but 24 miles complete, in Episode 94 of Trail & Errors.