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  • Day 11

    On to "lost valley spring" km190

    May 19, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    This day was walking paradise with the trail taking me across open prairie fields and then ever higher along a stream lined with ancient trees offering shaded walking. After 3pm we came out of the trees and climbed 700m up to lost spring. But the morning had been so cool that the afternoon in the sun was ok to handle. The spring at 1700m, and source of our water was only a trickle. About 5 hikers set up tent as the sun went down on a totally calm evening.
    And then all hell broke loose!
    I had just gone to be at 07pm when a breeze started this getting stronger and stronger till gale force at around 2am blowing fine sand into my tent. And then it happened, at first "honey bee's tent collapsed, shortly after mine followed with my main tent peg, that had been hammered into rock hard ground, shooting out of the ground like a bullet and hitting the guy behind me who had just started packing his things. Total chaos broke loose with me trying to gather my things, get them into my rucksack and then start walking with headlight at 3am in the morning. I hadn't slept all night, and what followed was a 30km day in searing heat without shade.
    A total nightmare!
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