Day 3 - "Cruising Out"

As it turned out, we could have made it to trail's end and the comfort of the car on day two. We would have been fighting daylight, but it was definitely possible. But what-the-heck, we were here for the experience of it all. Our objective was not to cover max. miles in min. time.

Some advice to those that follow, though, try for at least 4mi's on Day 1 or you won't have time to 'smell the roses' along the way. A forced march out would diminish the hike measurably. Less time would be spent trying to figure out what the heck the crazy RR gadgets strewn around the canyon floor were used for. And one might not ponder what it was like to build the many trestles or dig half mile long tunnels in such inhospitable environs.

If you just want to make mile, sign up for the Boston Marathon.

The short 1.7mi trek out from Camp 3 was fairly easy going by Carrizo Gorge standards. We made it in record time of about 1.5hrs. For the first time we had exceeded the 1-MPH barrier! Brush and Cholla were the main impediments. A couple of us had some nasty run-ins with jumping Cholla. Good thing we remembered to bring a comb. It's the best instrument for removing the pesky weed from one's body, clothes, or boots.

The final act after reaching our pickup vehicle and driving out of Carrizo Gorge was to bubble away the aches and pains in the Agua Caliente hot springs' pool. Admission is $2/vehicle and well worth it. We exited Borrego on Monday 15-Feb-99.