Date: April 7, 2016

Laguna Campground (mile 47.5) to bushcamp (mile 61.5)

Miles 14

The forecast predicted rain after 11 am however the familiar pitter patter arrived early. It started raining at 3 am and continued on and off throughout the day. When inside a tent, the sound of the rain is magnified which is awesome but makes it very hard to motivate to get out of a warm sleeping bag. We were both tired from the day before but threats of afternoon thunderstorms helped us rally to get hiking.

We were walking by 7:30 with our dri ducks and umbrellas to shield us from the rain. We hiked 6.9 miles to the last water spot before camp. In the middle of a field lay a water tank and nearby a horse trough. Instructions on how to get water from the pipe feeding the horse trough were written with a sharpie on a nearby stone. This felt like an adventure!

We hiked another 2 miles and set up camp. Our bodies were tired. Laurie’s right knee (which she kept trying to diagnose and treat while walking) and left foot were hurting her. As were Andy’s love handles. We had focused so much on keeping our feet happy that Andy developed welts and blisters on his sides where his hip belt rides. We decided to camp early. We could have continued on but with only one known spot and at least 4 known people ahead of us we decided not to risk it.

We set up the tent and jumped in just as the rain began to pick up. We traded and shared food until our bellies were content. We didn’t bring enough Advil (or vitamin I as Laurie fondly calls it)- but we did have more than enough food!

The following hours were filled with tent yoga, phone calls to family, Instagram posts and blogging. The consistent cell service has been a pleasant surprise.

We ended the day with a tasty dinner of buckwheat and veggies and mashed potatoes with dill a la Shushan (Andy’s mom who cooked and dehydrated most of our dinners).

Lastly, today Laurie got her trail name- “saver” because she always saves one last piece of candy, one last bite of cheese or one last pair of clean socks…just in case.

Trail names are given to each other by fellow hikers- they are nicknames that follow you throughout the hike if you choose to accept it. Andy gave Saver her trail name.

Today the exhilaration of the trail wore off for Laurie and the pain set in. Or perhaps moral was low because of the rain. We anticipate many ups and downs as we continue to hike. Moments of bliss and moments of pain. 

Many thru hikers talk about the constant discomfort. Today we experienced this, different parts of the body talking to us at different times. It is a great opportunity to practice mindfilness- tuning into our bodies and changing what we can and accepting what we cannot.  

And now we will fall asleep to the sound of the rain. Good night.

Today we are grateful for a functional, dry tent and candy

Date: April 6, 2016

Bushcamp* (mile 27.7) to Laguna campground (mile 47.5)

Miles: 19.8

*bushcamp is camping in an unmarked campsite. Andy learned this term from and Aussie who hiked the PCT last year.

We woke up at just before 6 with a goal to start hiking by 7. The night was calm and we both slept well in our secluded camp spot off trail. We left camp at 6:45- getting closer to our goal of 30 min from waking up to walking!

We hiked 2.5 miles to a natural spring. It was our first natural water source and felt like a little oasis in the dry desert.

We hiked on into the wind, hugging the hillsides winding up and up toward Mt Laguna at 6,050 ft. In total we gained 2,500 ft but spread out over 14 miles it felt pretty mellow. The trail meandered through manzanitas, oaks and high chaparral.

We met a few more hikers, including one hiking with his dog Lucy. Like highways, the closer you get to towns- the more people you see.

We walked into the town of Mt Laguna in search of running water to wash our faces. The strong winds made for a sticky and thick conglomeration of sunscreen and dirt. Andy got a new buckle for his pack (thank you Mt. Laguna Outfitter and Pilsbury) and we road walked another .5 mile back to the trail.

Home for the night lay 4 miles ahead and with peanut m&ms and bars in hand we we set out for the final push. Unfortunatley- there was no campsite. Instead we ate dinner, aired out our feet and stared out into the distant mountains knowing that soon we will hike there.

We rolled into the Laguna campground (.7 miles off trail) around 6:30 and were sorely disappointed to learn that a single campsite cost $23!

We wandered around looking for other thru hikers to share a spot but ultimately decided to camp by ourselves- away from the social butterflies.

We are not feeling overally social at the moment. Hopefully that will change with time as we figure out our routine and settle into the groove.

We are happy with the progress we made today- surprisingly feeling less tired than the day before.

Good night. 

Tonight we are grateful for cool temps and home cooked meals.

        

   
    

Date: April 5, 2016

Hauser creek (mile 15.4) to bush camp (mile 27.7)

Miles: 12.3

We wake up at 5:45 to the sounds of birds chirping. It is chilly out and we are toasty in our sleeping bags. We both slept well (Andy with his Sea to Summit pillow and Laurie with a buff stuffed with clothes).
We sort food for the day, prep our feet and giggle as Andy continues shuffling.

We start hiking at 8. These leisurely mornings are nice but won’t last long. Eventually we hope to be able to break camp in 30 min. Good thing we have 5+ months to practice!

Once on the trail we gradually climb up and down to Lake Morena. The temperatures remain mild and hiking in the shade of our umbrellas with a light breeze feels divine. Our feet feel good and our bodies a little sore from the heavy packs the day before but all in all we are 2 happy hikers.

We spend 2.5 hours at Lake Morena stretching, looking for a new camera, calling family and eating lunch.

After chatting a bit with other hikers we set out again around 2:30.

About an hour in we run into another hiker stopped waiting for a rattlesnake to cross the trail. We chat a bit and then part ways as we stop to air out our feet and snack.

Around 6:00 we find a nice secluded camping spot and decide to call it a night. We didn’t reach our goal of 15 miles/day but plan to make up those miles tomorrow with an earlier start.

Good night from the desert.

Today we are grateful for: gentle grades and leukotape.