We started hiking this morning by 6 am and had a really nice walk to the first water source. The cool morning turned into a hot one by 8 am, and miserable after about 10. The only saving grace of the day was a fairly regular breeze and a water tank about 15 miles in. We took a long break and lunch in the shade while we aired out our feet. The final six miles of the day were the toughest, but the reward at the end was the Paradise Valley Cafe, where we had sandwiches, beer and ice water during the heat of the afternoon with several other hikers. It was a much needed morale boost, especially for Paul. At dusk we decided to hike out a few more miles to camp. We had great views and much cooler weather. Tomorrow we have to hike an alternate route due to a section of trail being destroyed by fire a few years ago. There will be a road walk, (exposed and hot) so we are going to start even earlier to avoid the heat of the day. 24 miles today, we are now at Mile 155.9. On Sunday we will enjoy a short hike into Idyllwild and rest.
