This wouldn't be so bad, except for all the walking. Around mile 25 I finally decided to quit smoking. Like ending a friendship with someone who never pays back what they borrow, it was a remorseful farewell, but you still hope to never see them again.
Around noon, I again attempt to rest away the hottest hours of the day, only to find once again that the flies make sleeping impossible. This is not enjoying nature as I had envisioned, but rather tolerating it while under the pressure of a deadline. I may as well have just kept my office job for as much fun as this is. I need to get out of this desert and back to the forests where I feel more at home.
With little else to do but take in my surroundings, I realize that I'm surrounded by what appears to be miner's lettuce. I believe I've also seen tomatillos, but that's really just a guess. There is certainly an abundance of nettles. I've also encountered no fewer than a dozen good-sized rabbits. I could easily imagine staying well fed in this environment, given enough time to set traps and maintain an established campsite.
I got as far as Cibbets Flat Campground (around the 30 mile mark) before I started to feel nauseated and caught a ride to get a quick checkup from some medics who were on standby for a nearby 50 mile run. Turns out I just hadn't been eating enough, so I caught a ride into La Mesa to grab a bite to eat and be near a hospital just in case it turned out to be anything more serious. It doesn't seem to be at this point.
Now, my biggest issue is just getting back to the trail.
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