Day 3

Day 3 I jerry rig my tent with bamboo, rope, and duct tape. And its actually a strong repair job. Eat brekfast. Pack up and start climbing up a steep steep canyon towards the volcanoe. Its 8 miles, the first 5 of dry rocky slopes. I stop for a little snack and to get some water from under this snow field across the little canyon. I come across a pair of wool gloves. Just chilling, abandoned on a rock. Well, I think I should grab them. I dont have gloves. Little did I know that those gloves would practically save my life the next day. Theres this big hawks flying by checking me out. One flys within 25 feet or so of me and I realize that its huge. And that its actually a condor. Beautiful. Very different colors than the ones in CA. Cool. I move on and pop out of the canyon where theres a lake. At the base of steep little rocky mountains. I cross the river and then after my feet dry. Put the boots back on and push on. After the lake I hike across sand dunes. Desert sand dunes for about 30 min and on the other side of the little desert I pop out with views of the volcanoe and a long stretch of green pastures at its base. And cows? Crazy. I could barely get up here. Yet these 4 cows are chilling, eating the greenest grass Ive ever seen. I hike across the swampy and damp pastures and find my camp right next to where the trail starts to go up the volcano. I wash my clothes in the creek. And its warm? Huh. I figure it must be fed by some hot springs nearby. I poke around and find one thats luke warm. 100 feet from camp. After showering in a little waterfall in the creek I wander up to the hot spring naked and hop in and chill for a while. With expansive views of the beautiful mountains, sprinkled with spots of snow at the other end of the green pastures which are split down the middle by this beautiful little creek. All alone and grinning ear to ear. What a spot. Then I gather some miners lettuce in the creek, get water, make a nice fire. And start cooking. I mak4e a miners lettuce salad with garlic and oil and parmesean. Delicious. Then I cook a huge double meal of rice dishes and a just add water backpackers meal. The rice dishes are to eat cold for lunch the next two days. Backpackers meal for dinner. I eat, dry my clothes, enjoy the fire and then go to bed. Tomorrow will be the day that I finally climb the volcanoe.