Critters

Greetings from Big Bear Lake Hostel near mile 265.  One tenth of the way, YAY.  Small steps goes a long way.

The trail has taken us up and over some of the most incredible mountains I never knew existed in the desert.  11,000 foot peaks loom over us as we traverse 9,000 foot ridges of chaparral forests with blistering desert below us.  The best hiking happens at dawn and dusk so many of us have gotten very comfortable with "cowboy" camping.  No tent, just roll out your mat and sleep under the stars.  Obviously it is a good idea to take food out of the pack so curious rodents dont chew holes in unwanted places.  Ants also have a habit of exploring gear for bits of food.  What we quickly learned is that animals also like the salt on our cloths and even our shoes if left out.  The desert is deserted during the day, hence the name.  At night, however, is when the desert comes alive.  Lizards catch moths, tarantulas are out prowling, scorpions even scuddle under our sleeping pad in search of warmth.  The snakes are out at night since that's when the mice are out as well.  I have yet to be startled by these critters while sleeping but until then this cowboy camping style is really nice as long as my imagination doesnt get the best of me.
Happy Trails
~BEADS

me playing with the locals

road block

tarantula.... not alive =-(

cute little black lizard dude

my first rattler encounter, boy was he pretty