Day 10. What is the definition of desert?

Mile 147 – Stealth To Mile 169 – Stealth

We woke up bright and early before the sun (I protested) and walked quickly to take advantage of the cool weather. The first five miles passed by in the blink of an eye, likely because I was still half asleep. We stopped around sunrise to eat a breakfast of cold banana oatmeal. Yum. The frost on the ground quickly melted as the sun rose, warming our numb fingers and noses. The sunrise over the hills in the background illuminated the backs of trees and left incredible sillouhettes.

After a morning of walking on a flat dirt road, we started walking on a flatter dirt road through private ranch land. What was previously a forest of scrubby trees providing some shade was now a barren field. For miles, there was nothing to stop the sun from glaring down on us. Even a few cows had seeked shade under little bushes. The most interesting things we saw all day were a tarantula scurrying through the rocks and some trees with twisty bark.

We paused for lunch in the shade during the hottest part of the day, then carried on through the dusty, hot field. At last, a gate appeared in the distance. The boundary to a national Forest! Stumps and wood chips were replaced by tall pine trees and long grass. We found a shaded, flat campsite with a clear view of the sky. Right before the moon came out, the area was dark enough to see thousands of stars and the milky way, all across the sky. Not a cloud in sight.