we were tricked

Ahoy,

This weekend we got the wool pulled over our eyes. Our friends proposed a nice shaded hike, and we fell for it. The weather had been unusually toasty the past week, but we still wanted to go outside. Certain activities get discounted when the temps go up. Among them are walking through the desert, going out during high noon, rock climbing, etc. We made mistake after mistake in electing our day's activity.

The plan was Leo Carillo, which we had been told was a shaded hike up for a bit flattening out onto a tree lined plateau and ending with a lake at the top. There would be birds wading, and us invading their habitat for a dip. The perfect treat for our hike up. Alas, this is a hike best reserved for winter. As we inquired further on the way up, it soon became clear to me and probably everyone else was thinking the same - a lake without a source of water and only visited during the winter would be no lake on this blistering summer day.

After what seemed like an endless trail we arrived at the lake that once was. Once again, the RRS and I had not brought enough water. This I will account to our wrongful anticipation of a leisurely hike. It's like we never learn. Good thing everyone else is better prepared than us or else we would have never made it off that mountain. After clambering around on the rocks by the lake and sitting under the lone tree, we made a break back to the bottom. It seemed as though the way down was even worse than the way up. Occasionally we'd get pounded with these blasts of heat like when you open your oven that is hot, hot, hot enough to bake a pizza (really hot, but without the satisfaction of a baked pizza). I imagine this is what an ant feels like under a magnifying glass.

Finally, we reached our oasis at the bottom, probably where we should have stayed to begin with because we parked right at the beach and for some reason walked inland and up a mountain to only get closer to the sun - like California close enough to begin with. All four of us alive, we vowed to never again (like we ever learn). We stepped in the ocean after we had recovered from the brink of death at the bottom of the mountain. It was low tide, perfect for tide-pooling, and people were engaging in all varieties of surfing. Never have I relished the touch, taste, satisfaction of water more than on this day.  I guess you could say the best adventures begin out of bravado, ignorance and trickery. Boy, did we have those in spades this day.

toastily brined,
jt