Once I began hiking tuesday, all the nervous jitters I had leading up to the start melted away. Five of us started out from the monument and quickly formed a close group. It was a pretty hot day, and we were all carrying a ton of water and food, But the views were great and everyone was getting along in our group. Four of us ended up camping together the first night. We ate dinner together in a little circle, swapping hiking tips back and forth. I love to cowboy camp (camp under the stars without a tent) and it seemed like it would be a nice night to do it. Boy was I wrong! I woke up the next morning with my sleeping bag and all my stuff soaked and covered with frost from condensation. I was a little made at my self, but I knew it I would be able to dry out everything during lunch. Day 8.5 miles.
Everyone broke camp the next morning at different times l, but we all agreed to meet at lake Morena for lunch. I got a late start but we all ended up getting to the lake at about the same time. Everyone dried out their wet gear and we hung out in the shade to avoid the heat. After everything was dry the four of us went to the little deli down the road to get a bit to eat. "One day in and I'm already eating out?!" I thought to myself. But the smell of sweet potato fries was too tempting. After lunch we packed up and hiked on. The desert was hot, but the all the different cacti, wildflowers and great views kept me going. We ended up calling it a day at a local campground. We almost wanted went on, but the idea of a table, a water spigot, and a toilet was too appealing. I figured we should take all the easy nights we could get. Day 2- 18 miles
We broke camp the next morning in just about the same order as the day before. Roman and Candyman as they would come to be called left first. And Special K and I left about an hour later. It was all uphill on our way to mt. Laguna. Fortunately though, we had cloud cover the whole time. It was soo cool to see the vegetation change as I gained elevation. Near the top, the desert changed to forest. I was hiking in a cloud and the mist gave the trees a very mysterious feel. It looked like what I imagined the Highlands of Scotland to look like. Everyone in our group had separated throughout the day, but we all met up again at the top. There is a great restaurant at the top we all ate at. And while we were eating the owner said that we could sleep in the dining room that night since the weather was supposed to be pretty cold and wet. At first i was hesitant bbecauset delt like cheating, but the idea of warm dry night getting to know more hikers sounded pretty good. That night 25 hikers had a big slumber party in the dining room. It is soo great meeting all these people. Everyone is incredibly nice and have great stories to tell. So far I've met hikers from all over the US and the world. Only downside to the slumber party was that somebody was always moving or adjusting and our sleeping pads can be pretty noisy. Day 3 - 16 miles
It was pretty easy to wake up the next morning warm and dry. I even got to have a free cup of coffee. I lost my sunglasses somehow the night before, but as I was leaving I found a pair I'm a a hiker box (a box where hikers leave things they don't want anymore). A started off by myself but met up with several new people as I hiked. Hiking with someone else is always way ore fun and makes the time go by faster. I hiked with 4 different people that morning and before I knew it I had already hiked 13 miles before lunch! I met up with our group again. We lost one, but picked uo another. Everyone was feeling good so we decided to go for our first 20+ miler. They were some tough miles by the endnof the day, but we had some amazing views and we were able to get low enough of the mountain that the wind wouldnt keep us upball night. Decided to cowboy camp again since i knew the breeze would keep the condensation from falling. It was so great to just open my eyes in the middle of the night and see the milky way and countless stars in full view. Day 4 - 22 miles
I woke up the next morning to discover my first blister. All in all though my feet have been holding up pretty well so far and Icant complain. Started out a little slower than I wanted, I knew I would be doing less miles today so I wasn't worried. As I descend off mt Laguna I was greeted by sweeping views of the desert and mountains to the north. At the bottom, I walked through the first true desert so far. The vegetation is all so unique and interesting here. At a road crossing I encountered my first trail magic! Trail magic is where someone leaves a cooler of cold drinks or a stash of candy bars etc for hungry hikers to take. This particular trail magic was amazing. They were set up in the shade under a bridge in the shade. They had cold beer, margaritas, fresh fruit and veggies, grilled cheese, oreos and chairs! How i llove sitting In chairs! It was relaxing just hanging out under the bridge with 20 other hikers and a belly full of free food and beer. It felt like a vortex becaise it was so hard to leave. Luckily though my group was heading to an rv park to resupply and rest up a little so we didn't have to get right back on trail. We split up to make hitching a ride easier, but didn't have much luck. We finally got picked up but not until after road walking for 2 miles. Though I'm very thankful for the guy who picked us up because we were able to get to the little store before it closed. The rv park has been great so far. Free wifi and showers! And laundry! Such luxuries! Don't know when I'm heading out tomorrow, but I'll try to keep updating when I can. Day 5 - 14 ish miles