I got poor sleep, some person or animal was coughing all night. It was kinda creepy, maybe a fox?

We woke up to a translucent mist coating the area. It was beautiful but made everything damp.

Dixie was up earlier than me and spotted a uniq camper next to us.

We stretched and made breakfast.

I brought an empty sunflower butter jar to attempt cold soaking some dehydrated veggies and ramen for lunch! I’ve never tried this and am excited to see how it turns out. You add water and wait a few hours for the food to rehydrate before eating it (kinda like overnight oats).

Today was a big climb to the top of saddle peak. We were very thankful for the cool weather!

The trail was very overgrown, the damp plants soon had all our clothing and gear drenched. The wetness really snuck up on me! It was too warm to wear a rain jacket, esp since we were hiking up a long steady hill. It probably would have been a smart idea to wear one anyways since everything got soaking wet. If it had gotten any colder I’d be in trouble of catching hypothermia. Lucky for us this is Southern California! I’ll be smarter next time.

In some sections the plants were even taller than us! Dixie’s shirt got large smears of yellow pollen all over it making it look like tie dye lol

I was focusing really hard on using my trecking poles to block the vegetation from touching me but was largely unsuccessful. We were covered with wet yellow flower pedals, sticks, blades of grass, seeds, leaves, spider webs. I kinda felt like a floral swamp creature haha

The thistles were the worst of it for me. My legs were getting pretty scraped up. I knew it was going to be overgrown. Why did I wear shorts? Sigh.

Up up and up we climbed

We took a break in a semi dry spot sheltered by a big rock. I tried my cold soaked ramen and veggies. They rehydrated perfectly! It was actually really tasty too! I totally would eat this again.

We got chilled during our lunch break and put our rain gear on over our soaking clothes before pushing on.

Erie sandstone formations loomed over us as we neared the summit.

This is one of my favorite sections of the Backbone Trail.

We found more neat seashell fossils as we traversed across the saddle, then began the long descent down the other side of the peak.

Even this side of the mountain was overgrown! I pointed out an old abandoned fire watchtower above us, its sides covered with graffiti.

Eventually we made it to the bottom near a small stream filled with little black tadpoles.

The sun came out and I took the opportunity to shed my rain gear, hoping to dry my clothes. The warm rays felt so nice!

We hiked behind a super cute little elementary school nestled in the wooded hills. Then the trail led to a super busy road crossing, North Topanga Canyon Blvd. Some kind drivers stopped traffic to help us cross, thank you drivers!

The gentle climb up through Trippet ranch was just beautiful, starting with manzanita lined sandstone trail then transitioning to fields of gold dotted with purple flowers.

I think the lense on my waterproof case must have gotten scratched. All my photos are coming out blurry. I’ll have to look into getting a new case before heading out on the CDT. I’m planning on using my iPhone as my main camera.

Phew! We were happy to arrive at Mush Camp. We had the place to ourselves. It was rewarding to see the old fire watch tower so far off in the distance.

The clouds came back but it wasn’t as chilly as earlier. We set up our tents and cooked dinner. I tested out some Idahoan instant potatoes with dehydrated veggies and textured vegetable protein. It was pretty good! Like a loaded baked potato mash.

Then I wrecked my sunflower butter jar by trying to sanitize it with hot water. 😭 The water was too hot and melted it. Aw man. Dixie had a great idea to try using a silicone reusable baggie instead. Such a good idea! Can’t wait to try it!

I spent some time painting scenes from the day before it got too dark.

What a great day! We turned in early hoping to get some good sleep.

I’ve been typing up these notes in my tent at the end of each day. I’m using the notes app in my phone. Unfortunately I can’t use the WordPress app to back up drafts without having really good cellphone connection or internet access, so these blog posts will likely happen when I’m in town.