The forecast today is for wind gusts up to 30 mph by afternoon, fittingly, our hike today will be shorter. Approx. 5 miles, we climb from the Dante’s View parking area at 5475 ft. elevation, up past Dante’s Peak at 5705 ft, and beyond along a ridgeline to our turnaround point. I slipped in the loose dirt on a downhill section and my hand landed on a pricker bush--that was a bloody scene! A bit over 3 1/2 hours later, when we got back to the van, you could no longer see Telescope Peak and the Panamints though the sandy haze. Back at camp, a bunch of us went on a hike we dubbed the “Poop Loop” through “Poop Canyon” (no explanation needed) and around the mountains behind camp. Dinner tonight was excellent--London broil, garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli. The wind was so fierce that I was in the tent by 8:15, just to get out of the blowing. A fine layer of sand had covered everything in our tent.