Hiking in the rain.

I love the rain... had to go on a delivery earlier to Brawley. Took the side roads, saw a few roosters out and some of them sandhill crane. Also LOTS of mourning dove in the grass fields. Never fails to see cars stuck on the side, you would think they would know after living here for so many years. I'm pretty sure Wister is crazy muddy.
 
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I love the rain... had to go on a delivery earlier to Brawley. Took the side roads, saw a few roosters out and some of them sandhill crane. Also LOTS of mounring dove in the grass fields. Never fails to see cars stuck on the side, you would think they would know after living here for so many years. I'm pretty sure Wister is crazy muddy.
Nice Richard, if I was there I be hunting every other day.
 
Lol
Guys its been raining constantly all night. It should be a mudder all over the valley. Wish I didn’t have to work, the desert would be nice to go exploring.
 
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Went hunting on Thanksgiving. Rained all morning. Didnt see anything but it was my favorite day of hunting all season because of the rain. Saw some cool new areas and when I went back a few days later there were deer tracks over my boot prints.
 
There's rain...

Then there's "Oh Shoot! I can't see further than 5 feet from my face!!"

Had one of those hit out in Angeles (year or two ago) during night-time hike-out. Even though it was a dirt road... it's all uphill for like 7 miles and it's freakin' endless when you're in it. Eventually ya come to spot where a trail line splits off from it to go up in a few switchbacks and you're finally back up to Hwy 2.

Not gonna lie, that one made me feel a little nervy. And there are a couple other lil trail lines that aren't the ones you want. But I knew from experience on this road that I wasn't far enough up the hill yet to be at the one I needed, so I kept on. But towards the end there is one last one a lil before the one you need. And I couldn't remember which one had a marker pole on it. And I didnt' wanna fuss with breaking out the GPS since it was raining soo hard. Had thoughts of water managing to get into it somehow. (Yeah, I know now, that was kind of a dumb thought and it *should* be waterproof enough to handle that)

But man, I couldn't see farther than 5 feet out from my headlamp! Not fun being blind the whole damn time while you're being totally dumped on. I had to just hug the side of that road the rest of the way up and keep my eyes peeled for any kinda trail line going up from the High-side of the road.

And usually once you're getting close... you start to hear wannabe Fast & Furious 'tards...or occasional Moto riders with louder exhuasts. But with it monsoon'ing like that... not only was nobody out on the road... but ya wouldn't have been able to hear 'em anyway it was dumping that hard!

Had some of those 4MOSTDRY bib overalls, thank goodness. And my Early season Browning jacket does a decent job of repelling the water. It's not hooded though, so ya know, I had *some* water leaking in down my neck thru the collar. The boonie hat did a half decent job of making most of that not fall into the collar though, so that was cool.

As that weather was approaching... before the rains began... the humidity in the air was real high even though the temps were pretty cool. The steam cloud from my breath would hang in the air like a thick fog blocking your vision as well.

Had to remember to use my lips to redirect the exhales downward so I could even see! Otherwise the headlamp just reflected right back off the cloud from your exhale and you weren't seeing the trail. Air was really still at that point too so the breath clouds just hung there and didn't move at all.


I remember at first thinking OMG my light is gonna stick out like a sore thumb to any predator that might have thoughts about trying something. But then almost immediately after I thought "Pssh... come on G... you're the only creature out here stupid enough to try to move when this stuff is coming down!" And that realization greatly eased my apprehension about the situation, as I realized everything else with half a lick of sense is doing the smart thing and hunkering down under some trees or thick brush and waiting it out. But you know... as dumb humans... with our "plans" and "work schedules" and everything, hehe! So I *had* push on thru.
 
LOL, I got lost in the fog and rain. no phone GPS then. Could not see 2 ft in front of me. My compass failed due to the cold and altitude. Cheap Peace of crap. I thought I was going to spend the night because it was getting dark.
Had my head lamp and Xtra flash light.
Couldn't see @#@#@
Stayed cool, finally made my way out.
 
Yup, Yup! Whoo lawdy it's unnerving when you can't see nothin'.. an' 'cause of all that noise can't hear nothin'... and you know you got at least 3 more miles to go and all that. That's when part of your mind is just like " Ah FACK... Welp... alright..here we go...sh*t." and you switdch into what I sometmes refer to as Head's-down Mode. Where your only focus is grinding thru and gettin' back to your vehicle. You'll sip a little if you have to, but you don't even want to stop for a snack even if you just might truly need it by about that time, because you're just so over it and wanna just GTFO. Soo much so that you don't wanna stop 'cause that will delay GTFO.
 
Ok I have a the big one story that got a way. And yes this still haunts me.
Road horses into the back country of Mexico. Was there on vacation.
Made camp at the base of high pines.
Weather was cool to freezing. Snow on the ground. My uncle. And I paired up..
Windy morning with about 30 MPH winds. Uncle and I headed up the mountain into Ravin between two mountains. There was like a natural
Dead end with no wind.
The biggest Mule deer I have ever seen pops out broad side. It looked like the old insurance commercial with the big elk.
I was about 16-17 years old at the time using an old Winchester 30-30, it weighs a ton.
So I took aim shot and the deer booked it. Clean miss.
So start to track this deer just to make sure I didn't hit it.
No blood on the ground.
I tracking it for miles.
So intense on tracking I did not
In he'll pay attention to were the hell I was. After the buck fever kick off. Anxiety hits the top.
Ok I said stay cool don't panic.
Think. Think.... I try to stay calm.
Meanwhile the weather starts to turn ugly. I start back tracking my own foot prints and start heading back to camp. I walk about a mile
My uncle had got worried and had started tracking me lol.
We bumped into each other.
I was like f n happy he had found me. Weather is getting worse.
We get back to camp and the others at camp had all ready broke camp. Road back to the ranch on horses. Got there at dark.
Next day it blizard and snowed 3-4 ft.
True story
 
Crazy stories guys! Can’t imagine getting lost out there but have got turned around a few times and had the panic start until I recognized a lone palm tree that I had walked by. It all started to look the same and that was without fog or in the dark!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Biggest thing GPS is good for is helping you when you get discumbobulated when trying to come back out in the dark... and you make just the slightest faintest turn from where you *should* have turned. And since it's last light you can't see enough of the plentiful landmarks you would totally be able to lock onto and easily guide yourself out with where there some light.

And to make matters worse...once you realize you're off course, you don't want to waste any distance you covered so you foolishly think things like.. well... I should just be able to cut over this way, and meet back up with the trail/path I actually wanted to go back on over here.... only... that topo map can't shows you just how gnarly and impossible that is, and how many sh!t-tons Chaparral, Manzanita, Joshua Bush, and...heck...freakin' Poodle's Leg you're gonna have to bust thru to pioneer across. I've learned now to just suck it up and back-up on the trail line I'm on...until I can see/find/locate-on-gps the place I was supposed to turn at. Those damn shortcuts? OMFG they are nothing anywhere NEAR to ever being "shortcuts", unless you mean shortcuts to having a really bad day.

Oh man...remember this one time... the younger dude had gotten a bit more infront of me on these switchbacks. At some spot I didn't turn on the switchback trail and must have followed what apparenlty a water-draininage line. The vegetation slowly started encroching in thicker and thicker to the point where I knew I'd messed up.

Right about then, I look up and the kid is up on the next level of the switchbacks above me. A much shorter distance directly then it would take to go back down and find that switchbacked trail.

Me with my DirtBikes mentality I'm like, well ok, I'll just pioneer up to where he's at.

Good grief! Traction was horrible due to the steepness. Ya had to make sure with each step to step on the backs of clumps of grasses so the roots would hold the dirt together and not crumble and slip away.

I get like 3/4 of the way up to where he is.. then.. "Oh Great!.. Well Hello Baby RattleSnake all coiled up and nervous about me.. directly in front of me in the direction I need to go, how are you?" From the steepness... oh man, my calves were burning! And just to stand still on such a steep hillside was burning up energy like crazy, especially me with my heavy packs. I'm all like "Go on!...Go on....Goooooo! Gooo you little sh!t! Nobodies gonna f*ck with ya... for goodness sakes Gooo already!!!"

Finally....Finally.. the dumb little guy finally starts to unwind and begin to slowly move away up and over to another side.

By this point the young brother knew I was burning up... so he starts finding a line to go down and meet me on the way up. At his suggestion I ditch my pack and he hikes it up that last bit. Also was nice enough to bring me down a stick for heping with the climb and possibly checking the brush/grass prior to foot placement.

Get up to the real trail line... he leaves me a water bottle, I need to rest from that unplanned mega exertion.

I'm sitting there... wouldn't you know it... "OWW!!!" Freakin' Fire Ant bites me where I'm sittin'. Sheesh! I couldn't catch a break that day, HaHA!
 

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