We parked the dinghy onshore and had a lovely view of Madrone at anchor

A quick sail north from La Ventana found Madrone anchored at an idyllic two-mile crescent of white sand named Playa Bonanza.  Located at the far southern tip of Isla Espiritu Santo, the bay offers good protection from northerly winds.

In the beginning there was a trail which disappeared shortly after this photo was taken. From then on we picked our way around spiny plants through the desert

The eastern shore of the island is indented with a series of bays, and the guide book wrote that the closest one, Bahia San Gabriel, was accessible by hiking from Playa Bonanza.  Angie never misses a chance to test Mike’s hiking stamina, so an expedition was scheduled.

The cardon cactus’s name was derived from the Spanish word for thistle, cardo.

After a quick look at the guide book, Mike confidently predicted that the walk would be about a mile.  So, the crew donned flip-flops, grabbed a single bottle of water, and set out for the beach in the dinghy.

After seeing this goat skull Mike was sure we should turn back

Since it only rains in Baja when hurricanes hit, the primary vegetation ashore is cactus and scrub bushes.  And since the entire island is unpopulated and a little remote, there was no trail to the next bay.  Instead, we set out on a cross-country trek, winding around giant cardon cacti and avoiding the large thorns on the desert bushes.

Can we turn back yet?

A couple of miles into our one-mile hike, we stopped on a small rise where we could see both Playa Bonanza behind us and Bahia San Gabriel ahead of us – we were about half-way across.  Instead of a quick one-mile jaunt, it was to be a 6 mile expedition.

Bahia San Gabriel was stunning- it was well worth the trek

Undaunted by the 90+ degree heat and blazing desert sun, Angie pressed on with Mike in tow.  Despite all the complaints, even Mike had to agree that Bahia San Gabriel was worth the walk.  Emerald water shimmered in the sun, and a nesting colony of frigate birds was a constant buzz of activity.

Everyone made it back through the desert OK – it turns out humans don’t actually need that much water to survive.  Next time, maybe carry an extra water bottle….

Cooling off in Bahia San Gabriel