Stats

Start: Lake Morena – Mile 20
End: Tent site past Mount Laguna – Mile 45.4
Elevation Max: 6,045
Elevation Min: 3,056
Elevation Change: 4,828 up & 1,957 down
Average Heart Rate: 132
Walking Time: 7 hrs 54 minutes

The Walk

I woke at 5 to a quiet camp site. Not even the turkeys were making noise. There were 20-30 hikers in tents but nobody was moving. I laid in bed until 5:30 and decided it was time to get up.

I packed up camp as quietly as possible. Kind of a shame I may not run into some of these people again. Especially the section hikers Malt Man and Pizza Girl. But there are a ton of amazing people on trail. Almost all show an internal locus of control and optimistic mindset. I think you need these to push through challenges of the trail.

I headed to the bathroom for sink laundry and noticed a boil order on all camp water. I’m not sure if my water filter covers the boil order or not. So I decided to drink as little of my water as possible. The next water source was only 6 miles away.

I threw on my pack and headed out. After 30 minutes of hiking by headlamp the sun woke up. It also woke up turkeys. They were really vocal. Yelling back and forth.

The morning miles were smooth so I made it to the next campground without needing water. But I was thirsty. It had a bathroom and water spiquot! Woo! Also it was a girls birthday who was packing up. She decided to walk a few miles this year in celebration. Ha.

After a few desert miles of mild incline the clouds left and sun came out. I welcomed the warmth for myself and for my damp tent. It was wet from condensation off the lake. Usually I try to avoid sleeping in valleys or close to a big body of water. Because everything gets damp. It’s like sleeping in a cloud.

10 miles in I came across a colorful van and black lab. A guy, Cheshire Cat, and his lab, Stella, were hanging out. He offered fruit, and my mouth watered. Apples, pears, oranges, or pineapple. I picked a pear and it was glorious. A perfect snack and break at 10 miles. The second trail dog was fun and we played fetch for 30 minutes.

I asked if he was out hiking. He said. “I live here. And yesterday I lived down there. Tonight I may live over that way.”

He hiked 1,100 miles of the PCT last year. He said. “It’s not how much you’ve done. But how much of your life you spend in trail afterwards.” His mindset and lifestyle suprised me. But he was more content than most of the people I’ve met in my life. There is something magic – something society is missing that anyone can find out here. I don’t have my finger on it yet. But I know it’s out here. And I look forward to sharing it with you.

The trail opened up on a ridge with a vast desert view. The ridge was sun exposed. And the temp shot into the mid 80s. It didn’t feel terribly hot and there were enough water sources along the way. But I knew it was a taste of days to come in the Southern California desert.

Eventually the ridge climbed around 5,500 feet and desert transformed into a pine forest. It felt amazing to be back in a cool forest with lots of trees! I enjoy the desert, but walking through a dense forest hits different. I hiked for a few more miles and took a break at the last water source before Mount Laguna. Only 4 miles to the next restaurant 🙂

This was my first long break. My body felt good for walking 18 miles and I ate tuna and avocado for lunch. I also took time to dry out my gear in the sun.

I chatted with a few hikers who passed by, then headed to Mount Laguna. I met up with Ron just before town and we chatted about what to order at the restaurant. BUT it was closed on Monday😞. Very sad. I was looking forward to a salad and maybe pizza.

We walked through town to a small market and they microwaved a hot pocket. At least I got a hot meal and resupply.

The campground was closed, so we had to keep waking. I was tired and stopped at the first clear spot, 3 miles ahead. Just in time to catch the sunset over a vast desert view.

A heat wave is moving in so the next 3-4 days are going to be hot! Hopefully I’ll get another good nights sleep.