9-15-06
Start: Baker, NV
Destination: Hwy 50, milepost 78, NV
Elevation: 5917 ft.
Miles: 22.0
Weather: Sleet, Wind
When I imagined what Nevada would be like in my head, I thought about flat, dry, hot, sandy desert. Boy, oh boy, was I wrong! Maybe further on... Today we were up around 8,000 feet in elevation with 13,000 ft. peaks in the distance - covered in snow! So we have serious mountains, and when we got up there, we had sleet (almost snow), cold temps, and wind - oh my gosh, the wind! Am I in shock! But I heard Tahoe City got dumped on, too. That's it! We're truckin' it, now!! :)
We had a very nice Nevada Highway Patrol Officer stop by and ask what we were up to. We told him and chatted with him for a while, and he even gave us an emergency number we can call. He said if we dial 911 it might go to Montana or Colorado! So he gave us *NHP - that goes to them directly - not that we'll need it, right!? Good to know, though. Officers have really been great on this hike so far. We really love and appreciate them!
Oh, and I'm not complaining about this weather - I'm just in shock! We are actually using less water because we aren't sweating it out as fast as we're drinking it, and we don't have to take a super-long siesta in the afternoon. We took a long one today because we hit a pocket of cell reception. We had to call my brother and sis-in-law, Scott & Erica - Erica's birthday was yesterday, and Scott's is today. So happy birthday, Scott and Erica!!!
I think I found out what I'm allergic to here. There's this bush with yellow flowers, and it lines the roads pretty thick. Every time I walked by a thick group of it, my nose felt like it was on fire, my throat got dry, my eyes watered, my neck stiffened, and my head felt like it was going to blow up! So I'd be happy to see all those yellow bushes magically disappear. And they're the plant that smells like old, stale gym socks! Yeah, it's a weed...
We're tented amongst a few trees we found off the road where we could get some shelter from the wind. It was literally blowing us all over the place all day - that didn't help my poor nose, either! But we're staked and tied, so this little yellow tent isn't going anywhere!
We were told by locals that it might snow 6,000 feet and up tonight, so we're right on the edge. We probably won't get any, but it might get chilly. Soooo weird! I'm glad we've got warm, cozy sleeping bags to cuddle up in!
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