ICT Day 3: May 29, 2021

The day started off much later than yesterday. I think around 10am. I guess we were tired. The only reason I even woke up was because I started to get baked in my tent. I think I was dehydrated because I really had no desire to eat OR DRINK anything. I didn't have much motivation this morning. Depression has a way of sneaking in it's symptoms even when I'm out doing something I love.

Elijah and I decided to hike together today. He didn't like waiting for three hours at camp for me. It's our first day with a heavy water carry so we added 7lbs to our weight. Our only plan for today is to just walk until we're tired. The next water cache is at the old hunter's cabin and I think it's 22 miles from where we camped this morning (I think, I feel like the sun exposure is effecting my memory.) The trail is really well marked for this section. Erik and Tom updated all the blazes the day before we started. I have paper maps with me, but, so far, I'm really only using it in the morning to get an idea of what the miles are going to look like for the day.

The temperature is on the rise here in the desert. I decided to wear my button down shirt so I don't have to worry about sunscreen. Also I'm wearing my pajama pants because chaffing is no joke. I don't mind hiking in pants (in fact, I usually prefer it), but my pajama pants are very warm and black. So it was hot walking in those. We took several more breaks than we did yesterday. I'm going to blame the sun again for that.

Physically, I was feeling okay. My hips were sore from wearing my backpack too low yesterday, but it wasn't unbearable. Elijah's hips and knees were hurting him, so we actually stopped because he couldn't go on. Not that I'm complaining. He has had some chronic pain from football in the past so we're just listening to his body for when to take breaks.

Mile 26. We set up camp near a herd of free-range cattle. There's a small ridge to the east of us and grassy desert to the west. The Jarbidge Mountains were still visible to the south of us. Far out to the north-east, the Sawtooths are peaking out.

Our parent's surprised us tonight. They brought us fresh vegetables, hotdogs, s'mores, yogurt, chili, beans, and cold water. But my favorite thing that they brought were chairs. I didn't realize how badly I was wanting to sit in a chair. It's only been 3 days but it's still a nice surprise. We were also able to top off the charge on our battery packs. They set up their tents and are camping with us tonight. We're going to do a shake down in the morning to try and get rid of some weight. The cows are surrounding us and are very vocal. I miss the birds.