As I was sipping some tea and making breakfast at the creek (where I forgot my lightweight titanium cup, a mistake that would leave me cupless for the rest of the trek) I met two more hikers: Bubblewrap and Pioneer, from the UK and South Africa, respectively. They invited me to share breakfast at a nearby campsite with picnic tables, striking a friendship that would continue as we crossed paths throughout the rest of the California section of the trail.
Pioneer and Bubblewrap wisely chose to wait out the afternoon heat under the shade of a jury-rigged tarp, but lacking a tarp of my own and with the few trees rather stumpy or burned and dead, I pushed on through the stifling heat to the next water source. The intense sun combined with attacks by biting flies every time I tried to take shelter next to a tiny bush forced me to continue, but I was eventually rewarded with an amazing rest break at a beautiful little oasis where the trail crossed Manter Creek. After drinking my fill at a small waterfall flowing into a grass-filled pool, my spirits lifted and the next few miles to the Kern River passed quickly.
I spent the evening quenching my thirsty feet in the cool river and watching the shadows slowly lengthen as the sun disappeared behind the cliffs to the west.
Russell on the Road 