August 4-6: From the small town of Eureka, we set off 70 miles to another little town even smaller than Eureka, called Austin. On our first day out, we came up a small series of gradual inclines into an area known as Bean Flat. It reminded me of an area in western Kansas, but during this stretch on the 20+ miles of flatland, it rained for nearly the entire day. It even became cold enough to pull my winter jacket out from the bottom of my cart and put it on. I never thought that I would be experiencing this type of weather in the middle of Nevada; in fact even as I type this on August 7th, there has not been a single day without some sort of precipitation! As we walked through the downpour, the surrounding land began to flood over the sagebrush and cracks in the soil filled with water. There seemed to be no end to it and every step along the road felt like part of a trance-a trance that was broken when a kind traveller stopped by to assist us in this bad weather. A young lady named Maya who is from Maryland was out west in Northern California making her way east interning in a number of the national parks. On her way to Great Basin, she saw us on the side of the road and invited us to sit inside her car for a little bit to get out of the rain. As we dried off a little bit, Maya gave us some snacks while we relaxed and talked for about 30 minutes before heading back out into the storm. Thank you so much Maya! After 30 miles of walking, there was a short break in the rain when we were able to set up camp, but right as we were finishing the setup for camp on the 4th, the rain started right back up again and did not cease until the following morning. The chilly morning air of the 5th woke me up at 7:00 and Jake and I were back on the road by 8. Early this morning, we met 2 individuals who stopped by to talk to us. The first was a gentleman named Trent from Durango, CO, who was driving around the western states on a mission of his own. Looking to spread the sport of Ultimate Frisbee throughout the country, Trent is apart of a campaign called 10 million Discs, which aims to distribute 10 million frisbees around the world to youth groups in support of the sport. As Trent left us with a few clementines for breakfast and his kind words, we walked a few more miles up the road and met a gentleman named Norm. Norm is actually a hypnotist from California and stopped to give us some helpful information regarding eastern California. Apparently there have been several forest fires near Yosemite and he recommended we take precautions through Carson Pass due to smoke build up around the area. Thanks for the heads up Norm! About 8 miles from where we set up camp this evening, we met 2 more folks on the road and indirectly met another. The first 2, named Brennen and Emily, live here in the state of Nevada and stopped to see what we were up to. They currently have 3 children, but they have already talked about walking US 50 when their kids grow up! Great meeting you guys! Now, the final encounter of this day was not a direct interaction with anyone; however, it may be one of the most incredible I have had all trip. As the sun was setting over the mountains, we noticed a car pull over about a half-mile up the road from our location at the time. Somebody got out of the car, walked across the road, then went back to their vehicle and drove off. We assumed they were photographing something...until we got to the point where the individual had pulled over. On the side of the road where the mysterious person walked to sat 2 beers and a note that simply read: Hope you guys have a safe walk. With no sign of the kind stranger, we picked up our roadside gift and made camp a few more miles up the road. Dinner tonight had to be one of my favorites as well because it was made up of things from the side of the road believe it or not. Remember those MREs? Well, they turned out to be pretty tasty paired up with a cold beer after another 30 mile day; however, I do not think the flavor combination was what made it so good. The delicacy of tonights dinner came solely from the means of acquiring the items needed to make the meal. Something accidentally (or intentionally) thrown out out of a vehicle that would generally be considered trash in its final location provided sustenance for our bodies. On its own, it would have made my night, but the fact that it was paired with the gift of a kind stranger made it one of the best meals of my life! On August 6, we made it to the top of the steep and winding Austin Summit before making it into town. As we descended the mountain, Austin appeared to sit awkwardly, yet perfectly on the steep western slope of the mountain. It is another one of those incredible little old west towns on this long stretch of road and before we head towards Fallon, NV, we will be spending an extra night here! Halfway through Nevada!
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 00:09:06 +0000
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