Pacific Crest Trail Progress:
Total Distance Traveled: 111 miles
Total Time on Trail: 6 Days
Southern California Desert
Photo courtesy of Gavin “Zen” Morris.
Trail Tales
Greetings from mile 111 of the Pacific Crest Trail! Our adventure began 6 days ago in Campo, California at the US/Mexico border, where we began walking northward. The desert is hot and dry. But we have been surprised to see all of the beautiful flowers and plants that can grow here. There are also lots of lizards on the trail, including the desert horned lizard, which Wampus was very excited to see.
Wampus was less excited to run into two rattlesnakes this week! We have also learned how cold and windy the desert can be at night. One night was so windy that it blew Wampus’ tent down while she was asleep! Water is also hard to come by, but very important to stay healthy, so we have been carrying quite a bit between each source. We can’t wait to find out what happens this week!
–Wampus and Zen
Wild Things of the PCT
DESERT IGUANA (Dipsosaurus dorsalis)
- Most heat tolerant lizard in the Southwestern United States.
- Average active body temp: 107° F, Max tolerance: 115° F.
- Mostly plant-eating, but will also eat insects, dead animals, and it’s own poop.
- This iguana is cooling off in the shade with its mouth is open and its body wide for max heat loss.
Next Week’s Adventure
Join Wampus Cat and Zen as they hike further along the Pacific Crest Trail. Next week they will be climbing through the San Jacinto Mountains. In this section, they will top out at an elevation of 9,030 feet, shortly before plunging to a low point of 1,190′.
Check out next week’s “Wild Things”, featuring creepy critters like tarantulas! We will also learn about plants that can survive in the desert heat.
Trail Thoughts
What kind of lizards have you seen at home or places you visit? What was the weather like, and what were they doing?
What do you do to stay cool on a hot day similar to a Desert Iguana? What do you do differently?
More, Please!
Are you curious about what it’s like to hike along the Pacific Crest Trail? Would you like to know more about the different plants and animals they encounter? Feel free post any comments or questions about today’s post!
“There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot.” -Aldo Leopold, “A Sand County Almanac”
Sources Used: [1]
Wild Ones 
Keep the updates coming. We love hearing from you…
This is Ms. Guilbert’s Literacy class and we’re excited to be a part of your journey. Here are a few comments from students in our class.
Dominic – “I think the desert iguana is really cool.”
Julian – “I like the picture that you took of the trail where you’re traveling.”
Suli – “I like how you’re posting pictures up on the blog!”
Valeria – “I like hearing from you about your journey!”
Anna – “I like the picture of the lizard.”
Brianna – “I really like the pictures that you took on your trip. It’s cool to be able to see pictures of the different place you’re traveling.”
Lexi – “I like how you posted all the information about the desert iguana. It was really interesting!”
Alan – “I like the fact that the desert iguana eats it’s own poop. It was funny!”
Hector – “I like how you posted all the pictures that you took on the trip!”
Ms. Guilbert – “Thanks so much for sharing this journey with us! We are so happy to feel like we’re a part of it, too!”
We also had a few questions about this post:
Julian – “When you found the lizard, did you do research before posting about it?”
Gabriel – “So far, were there any things that were hard for you to do in the desert?”
Valeria – “Have there been any scary things for Wampus Cat and Zen so far?”
Miguel – “Was it scary when you went up to the desert iguana?”
Hi everyone! Thank you for following our journey and leaving your comments and ideas. We love to hear from you and hope you’ll follow us over the summer. Keep those ideas coming!
We will be sure to post more pictures and videos of the animals and places we encounter during the hike. You can help us by letting us know what kinds of creatures you are most curious about.
-Wampus and Zen
Julian: We see so many lizards in the desert and wanted to learn more about them! So we did some research with our friend Heidi and found out what a cool creature the desert iguana is. What kind of animals are you interested in learning more about?
Gabriel: Hiking in the desert is fun but it can be pretty hard! We have had a tough time finding water and sometimes it’s very windy. There aren’t many tall plants or trees either, so sometimes it is hard to find a shady place to rest. But the desert can be fun too. We love the colorful flowers and seeing so many cacti and reptiles. You should check it out!
Valeria: Wampus Cat is terrified of snakes! She was even afraid of Ms. Guilbert’s class pet, Luna, when she came to visit. But she is learning to like them and knows that if you are careful they aren’t too scary. Zen says he isn’t afraid of anything… but I don’t think that’s true! What do you think might be scary about the desert?
Miquel: The desert iguana was more afraid of us! Many desert critters like to hide out in the shade and are startled when hikers come along with their big packs, stomping their feet. It was very cool to see the iguana!
These are all great questions. Keep them coming!
Hi i am amina in Miss. Guilberts Lit. and T.I. class.I just have a question about your post.
How did you get the pic. of the desert iguana?
Hello Amina! Thank you for visiting our website and thinking about our post.
The desert iguana that we saw was quick to run away and we couldn’t snap a photo in time! The picture that you see on the website was taken by someone else. But we’re still trying to capture a photo of one ourselves! We’ll post a photo here if we can do it.
-W and Z
Gavin:
Just caught up with your adventure in a conversation following up yesterday’s Mberg Commencement. Spent many years in the SoCal desert and mountains while living there 1980’s-1990s — the pix are a superb nostalgia and great intro for those not familiar.
Nice to know that your adventures have you educating as well as learning — and to have a sense of the “scholastic grandchildren” that I gain thereby. Thanks!!