A pretty average day, spent walking north through the Greenwater Valley then west into what the map calls the Black Mountains but which I thought was the Funeral Range. Mostly open walking without a lick of shade, and just enough wind to make a nuisance of my umbrella.
Stopped for a morning break and as usual pulled off my shoes and socks to let my feet air out. I was greeted with a disturbing sight. Not dirty feet, that’s normal and expected. Instead I found holes opening up in my shoe soles. The rubber tread is worn off under the balls and heels, the plastic midsole is showing through.
That hike from Sheephead Pass yesterday did them in – sharp loose rocks with plenty of sliding on steep hills. These shoes do have a couple hundred desert miles on them. And now that I think about it, I wore these on the Theodore Solomons Trail, another couple hundred miles, much of it on bad or non-existent trail.
I checked them out before leaving home, but clearly I overestimated the mileage left. The question now is what to do. There’s little chance I can make it to Stovepipe Wells, another 60 or 70 miles away over rough terrain. Not without trashing my feet anyway.
Another possibility is walking some 20 miles on the Greenwater Road to the main highway and then hitching to Furnace Creek. But that feels too much like giving up.
I think I can make it to Badwater. It’s 25 miles, much of it on jeep roads. The last stretch down Sheep Canyon will be rough, and maybe my shoes will come apart there.
But maybe they won’t.
I sent a sat text to brother Dave, who was planning to meet me in Stovepipe in 4 or 5 days. He replied almost immediately that sure, he can meet me at Badwater tomorrow afternoon. So that’s the new plan then. I hope it is a good one.
Charleston Peak in NV from the Funeral Range
The rest of the day’s walk was on soft loose rocky valley soil. Probably good for my shoes but a lot of effort.
Fortunately it was another flower day, getting flowerier as I climbed toward the Funeral Range. Nothing special just little yellow or white composites, but they made cheery companions.
I pulled up at the head of the Willow Spring canyon where a fine view of Telescope Peak presented itself. My water has held out reasonably well and I won’t have to hike 3 miles down then 3 miles back up from the spring. The spring could be interesting, but the chance that it has good water is not so great and I see no point in putting extra miles on my shoes.
Hoping my feet last through tomorrow. They are pretty beat up from walking in what are now thin soled moccasins. Not exactly ideal footwear for the desert. What was I thinking, not getting a new pair?