Previous Day Next Day Journal Home Gear List Home
Stopped at: Long Canyon, mile 37.0 Miles today: 16.8
If any day on this trip could be considered hell, yesterday was it- and that was only the second day; however, it did end nicely with 9 hours of sleep. I woke up at 6:00 am today, but didn't expect to leave until noon. I wanted to relax and accept the reality each day would be a continuation of the trail. My body also needed the time off- my back, legs, and shoulders feel great, but my right hip was a little sore.
First thing after washing up, I walked the .3 miles to the small local grocery store to buy sandwich products. For the hike, I would be resupplying only in town and knew the prices in small town would be considerably higher, but I was still shocked to pay $2.99 for a loaf of the cheapest bread. Town resupplying has some advantages over food mail drops: less dependent on arriving in town when the post office was open, no postage cost, and purchase varied foods. The 1 litre Pepsi would have come in handy yesterday.
Virgil, who has been battling a stomach virus for the past 2 days admitted he wasn't sure if he would continue with the trail, "I'm taking the rural bus back into San Diego to get a motel. I need to recover some strength." He has hiked a good portion of the desert before in 1996, so he doesn't need to hike it again, but if he skips it, this hike would not be a thru-hike. I encouraged him to return to the trail when he felt better.
I was the last one to leave Lake Moreno campsite after Kevin left at 8:30 am. I heard someone breaking down their tent around 4:30 am, and it was Glenn who was the first to leave. It would be enjoyable to stay another night, but I would never finish if I hike this slow.
Sitting at a picnic table to enjoy the beautiful morning and writing an entry in the journal was nothing new, except when I looked up, I didn't see my usual truck- all I saw was the tent with shoes laying on the outside.
The ranger station was quite a distance away. The ranger had passed to collect the fee while I was at the grocery store. I figured if hikers took advantage of the campsite and not pay the measily $2.00 for the luxury, then they might try to enforce the $2.00 or charge higher fees to hikers in the future.
Cottonwood Creek had water. Ironically, there was water even though the creek was exposed to the sun, while Hauser Creek, nested among evergreens at the foot of the mountains, was dry. It was .5 miles to Boulder Oaks campground; maybe I should have poured the last .3 litre of water I carried from Lake Moreno into it- the small animals and insects living in it could probably make efficient use of it.
I reached the Boulder Oaks campground in the blazing day and refueled with water. During the afternoon hike, I was anticipating eating some ice cream at the camp store, but I was disappointed the store was closed for good. The camp host showed the way to the rerouted PCT through the camp and up the road.
Painfully, I discovered the people who blazed the PCT made the trail traverse as many peaks as possible. When I thought I could beat anything the trail could pitch, a monstrous climb layed ahead after Interstate 8. With an hour break, water, and a ham sandwich in the tummy, I faired much better!
Immediately before Fred Canyon Road, there was a 1 gallon water bottle with only a couple of ounces left. Since I was very low on water, I gladly took it like a poor man who's offered gold. The hikers ahead must have consumed the rest- the early bird does get the worm.
Kevin said he was staying at the campsite just off the trail at Fred Canyon Road. At 6:00 pm, I reached Fred Canyon Road and should have walked the .8 miles off the trail to the campsite, but I didn't want to take the 1.6 mile detour (.8 miles each way) when I could push ahead 1.6 miles. The decision proved to another serious mistake later. These first few days of the trail seemed to be an education in backpacking, but I wasn't a good student.
My left knee popped and twisted awkwardly about an hour later, but there was no pain. There wasn't pain until I kept pushing late into the night trying to reach the next water source at Long Canyon. I regretted not stopping at the last campsite off the trail at this point. While hiking in the dark with the headlamp, I got upset at all the peaks I was forced to climb. It was dark and the scenic view was useless. Again, I questioned myself, "Is this where I really want to be? Maybe it was time to give up and return to a more comfy life. But I wouldn't just be giving up this trail, I would also be giving up the dream to backpack Japan and even the Continental Divide Trail.1"
The running stream along Long Canyon allowed me to stop for the night because I ran out of water 30 minutes earlier. The spot was good since it was flat and there was a short trail leading down to the stream. At other places, reaching the water was very difficult because of all the shrubs. Conor said he might be stopping around here tonight, but there was no sign of him.
I filtered 3.4 litres, set up the tent, brushed teeth, cleaned contacts, and went to bed in the chilly night at 11:00 pm. The moon started to reveal itself over the eastern mountains, and the extra lighting would have been useful earlier- the moonlight calvary was coming, but I had settled in.
This morning I had felt very strong, but at the end of the day, my left knee and shin were aching badly. To save my body from damage was just another excuse to forsake the trail, but am I going to spend the hike making excuses? (Yesterday, one of the excuse was, "All this water is too heavy to carry.") If I slow down, I could save some wear and tear. Maybe Canada can wait- reaching Canada was the dream, but the goal was to go as far as possible by October 1st.
