Wednesday, June 17—Day 56

Blah blah Independence Lone Pine blah. Let me tell you about just now.

We’re back at the campground we stayed at the night before last. It’s half a mile out of Independence, bordering the road, and there’s a fee required ($10 per vehicle) to stay. We came in at night, and are not paying, since we don’t have a vehicle. It seems silly to pay to camp on a patch of dirt with broken glass everywhere when we camp in better spots for free on the trail, and we’re poor.

Right. Anyway. So, we pick a site, the closest one to the entrance off the road. There’s a fire pit and a picnic table with big spiderwebs underneath. We choose our spots and set up our tents. I’m just throwing my sleeping pad and bag into my own tent when I see movement under the table. I point my headlamp, and there, crawling around one of the webs, is a giant black spider with long, spindly legs. On its huge, disproportioned backside, I can see the red hourglass markings. It’s a BLACK WIDOW. And there, on the other side of the table, is ANOTHER ONE. AND ANOTHER. We set up camp right in BLACK WIDOW TOWN.

We have moved away from the table, although still too close for my tastes. All my stuff is inside my tent tonight. It’s a good thing that all our tents are in good shape, that nobody’s zipper is malfunctioning and leaving Black Widow-sized gaps open at night.

Suddenly, I miss home even more. Night.