Phew, Willow Ridge Trail pops out of the poison oak grove and crosses an open area where there's a bit of a breeze.

It's a hot day, so I wouldn't call the breeze "cool," but the air flow in this open area sure is welcome after the stuffy air back in the poison oak grove.

It scares me that I'm already feeling exhausted (OK, beyond exhausted), so I take a much-needed break here. How will I make it all the way to the top of this hill? I can still see the Los Cruzeros area down in the canyon below, so I haven't even risen risen that much yet!

I've just started having odd leg and foot cramps that I've never experienced before and which are making walking difficult. I've read about things like this being caused by an electrolyte imbalance, so I start eating some salty potato chips after eating a Clif bar, in case it helps.