Day 20: (04/24): to 238.6 :: 12.4 miles

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We hike many miles up the Mission Creek drainage today. Last year in February there was historic rain fall and flash flooding and much of the trail was washed out. Lots of debris was washed down the creek and we are expecting to have a really hard time and assume we will have to walk up the creek in the actual water, based on comments from other hikers in the Guthook. We are pleasantly surprised that all that is needed is to take our time and look carefully and we find  the pieces of trail that remain. The going is slow and it’s hot again. We walk with our umbrellas and take advantage of being near the water all day by dunking our heads and shirts frequently and manage to stay cool. 

In the evening we leave the drainage and enter a shady oak forest. The trail begins climbing more steeply at this point and we are tired. Even though we’ve hiked all day it hasn’t been easy and we don’t make it as far as we planned. We stop for the night about a mile short of the ridge we were planning for. We camp next to a creek in an area that was burned by forest fire, big standing burned trees surround us. It’s not the safest place to be, as these trees are sometimes known to fall down, but it’s getting dark and cold and we have no choice. You can’t have your dream campsite every night. 


Looking up Mission Creek drainage 

Found another Mylar balloon today. Sadly we find them often. This one says #Rona2020 #EMTlove, so it was used for some sort of Conona virus celebration of essential workers and hasn’t been here long. 

The trail in Mission Creek was often above the creek, so if you weren’t careful and missed these pieces of remaining trail, you would be stuck walking in the creek bed.

Beautiful sparkly rocks in the creek.

We sure enjoy the fine oak forest 




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