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Rincon Mountain

After filling up five liters of sweet Manning Camp water I began my hike down suicide ridge toward Happy Valley Saddle which is at the base of this beauty. The extra water was to cover me in case there was none to be found in this remote spot. I had planned to hike the 6.4 mile round trip summit trail to the peak if there was water which would have allowed me to stay at the base for two nights. Three things happened that caused a change to my plans and this is something I’m running into often. Further proof that you really just need to wing it. First there was only a low flow in a muddy creek for a water source. There was a couple that had just climbed the peak giving it a try but I guess I’m snobby compared to them when it comes to my backwoods water. They sounded British and were the only other humans I saw in the park besides the UK couple that camped at Manning the night before. That makes five total humans sleeping in the National Park this whole week and I was the only American. Hard to believe when there is actually water to be found and the weather was perfect. The second problem was that my appetite was increasing and I started to dip into the next days rations. I was beginning to realize that I did not have enough food to last five nights. As I laid down to weigh my options I discovered the third problem. My air mattress was no longer holding air. It kept just enough inside to allow me to sleep that night.

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