3/12/14 – 233 miles.
Thank goodness for ranchers that have cow tanks along the trail. This section is so dry that without the occasional tank, you would have to cashe all water along this part of the trail. I found three gallons by the trail this morning with a message saying they were for backpackers on 2/22, which was two weeks ago. I didn’t need any water as I had filled up earlier at Mountain View Tank.
I haven’t seen anyone since I left Oracle. There were a lot of ants on the trail and I found myself stopping to watch them work. They didn’t seem interested in foraging away from the nest, just all carrying a piece of sand from their hole and then scurrying back down again. Maybe they are home builders. Maybe it says something about me because I would stand there and watch ants.
With all the cactus through this area, sometimes the only place to set up my tent is in a wash. The only problem with that is getting my stakes to hold in the sand. As I write this, sitting above my camp on a rock, a jackrabbit has come out and is nibbling grass. He is getting awfully close to my tent so I think I will make a noise.
If ants and jack rabbits are the most interesting things to write about, this passage must really be boring! Are you making good time? The wind has been really bad in Tucson. Are you getting it too?
That’s a coincidence… I was thinking about ants on my walk today, too. They are industrious creatures, aren’t they? Seen any snakes yet?