Kelso Dunes

Around 2:00 I left Baker. The big thermometer there read 118 degrees.

An hour later I had reached Kelso Dunes, in the mojave desert. They’re some distance from the road, and there doesn’t seem to be any trail — but the brush is sparse and easily passable, so I park the car at a recognizable spot, put camera, water, compass, and an impulse-purchased snakebite kit in my bag, and set out… congratulating myself for being so well-prepared.

You can see where this is going.