Day 6 - Rodriguez Rd 4/19

Miles I hiked:15.9
Camped at mile: 68.6
Hikers I camped with: 15+
Ending elevation: 3599'

I started out the day feeling strong and ready to hit the trail, little did I know that wouldn't last long. I have a decent push to make today to get to the water source at Rodriguez road. I'm starting out at a water cache so I only have to carry water for today and I decide to carry about 4 liters. 

We pretty much left as a group, stopped at the cache and filled up. The very first part of the hike was on an old road that had been reclaimed by nature. The overlook from here was amazing and it was just past sunrise. At one point I was hiking with another guy who's name escapes me at the moment.. but he hikes in a kilt, wears sandals, has a wood staff instead of hiking poles and carries some of his water in a platy he carries in hand. He also has a base weight of 8 lbs.. very light! I was behind him and wanted to capture a pic of him hiking, I took the pic and went to put my camera away and then I was down in the dirt. I rolled my ankle and went down, I was 5 miles into today's hike, I had 10 to go. A mile or so down trail I found some shade and took a break. I looked at my foot and wrapped it in an ace bandage and took some vitamin I (ibuprofen ). I had lunch then continued on, a bit sad that I had re-injured this foot. I spent the rest of the day concentrating on every step, afraid to step wrong again. At one point in the last mile or so, just prior to dusk I realized I was limping and realized I looked like easy prey.. so I did all I could to walk normal and change my thoughts to positive ones and actually whistled and sang out loud till I saw tents in the distance. Funny enough I sang "she'll be coming down the mountain". 

When I reached the bottom I heard barbara call out my name. I was so excited to see her, I figured she was miles ahead of me. Justin and her were sitting on top a concrete cistern, what a perfect place to sleep! It was that night that I decided to cowboy camp for the first time. I was in a lot of pain and I just wanted to go to bed. The best part of sleeping on a cistern?  The heat in the concrete being absorbed by my thermarest sleep pad, it was amazing, like sleeping on a heating pad. I fought sleep just long enough to see the sky get dark and had a moment to enjoy the moonless night. I fell asleep being one with the cosmos.