I spent most of the day in Belden updating this blog.
Belden has 7 permanent residents. Life in this “town” is centered around the bar. That’s where you order food, pay for stuff from the general store, get a room, catch up on gossip, etc. Soho went down to the bar and asked about a late check out. The gal at the bar says, “Oh, I didn’t even know the room was rented.” So I guess that was a yes. I stayed there until 4.
Meanwhile, down at the bar, Soho and I learned a little about the work life in Belden. Folks wake around 7 and do some yard work. Another gal cleans the rooms, well, at least the ones that she knows about. Then around 11 or 12 they begin to collected around the corner of the bar, ordering shots of tequila, whiskey, beers, and whatever. All goes on the tab. By 3 they are all trashed…..and the cycle repeats.
Soho and I left at 6. We were heading toward a nasty climb. 5k over 15 miles. Brutal.
<Pic Elevation Profile>
After crossing the road and on the trail head, it was straight up. No relief, just climbing. Fortunately the hill blocked the sun most of the time, so we got a little lucky there.
There was a big fire through this canyon. But the trees are recovering well. Much better than So Cal. Guess the water helps.
Ran headlamps until 10. We figured that every foot we get tonight when its cool will be one less to deal with tomorrow morning. We stopped at Myrtle Flat where there is supposedly some camp sites (1291). Stumbled around for 30 minutes looking and eventually settled on a couple semi-flat spots with a bunch of branches laying everywhere. It sucked, but oh well.
Did 6 miles today and collected a couple thousand feet.
