Day Thirteen
Today I have a few hours so I look forward to doing a nice hike of several miles. All I have to do is drop the kids at school, change vehicles with my wife, go home and pick up my stuff and I'm off. I drop the kids, switch vehicles, give my wife her keys and head home. Arriving home, I discover I don't have a key to get in the house. My keys are still lost. So....I head back to my wife's work and get a key, eating up valuable hiking time.
Since I don't yet have a hiking routine, I am going to have to make a list until this all becomes a habit. OK, I have keys. Check. They are secure. Check. I have a hat, sunscreen, a pack and a plan. Check. I'm ready to go.
I go back out to the trailhead in La Quinta and today I think I'll follow the blue arrow.
The blue arrow leads to this old tire. The Old Tire Trail has a nice ring to it.
If there is anyone out there who doesn't think that recycling is a good idea, this picture is for you. Before hitting the wilderness, I get to walk through the remnants of an old garbage dump.
I finally get to a trail sign after hiking about 25 minutes. I guess it's not the Old Tire Trail after all. I can see why they wouldn't put this sign closer to the road, though. Who'd want their trail to go through a dump?
Cholla cactus. Look but don't touch.
A view of Mount San Jacinto in the distance to the left of Coyote Mountain.
As I look back over the desert before heading back, I reach into my pack to grab something to quench my thirst and discover there is one more thing I have to add to my list to bring on every hike.
Water.
