Written Thursday, 22 Apr 21

I slept moderately well last night, but, as it turns out, my site selection wasn't that great. The site was slightly sloped, and I woke up several times during the night, having solid to the end of my tent.

Overnight, a fog bank rolled over the area, and I awoke to a damp, grey morning, a bit spooky in the pre-dawn when I awakened at 0445. Getting myself out from under my sleeping quilt was hard, but, as it turns out, the only hard thing I did today.

Today was as easy as they come. As soon as I got my morning chores done and ate breakfast, I was able to start hiking by 0630. It was chilly, but I warmed up quickly on the Trail. The path was nice and flat, and progress was easy.

As the mist began to burn off, the ecosystem around me was also changing. The chaparral gave way to tall pines. The rocky ground was covered in pine needles, and, if you are in to Christmas crafts, this is the place to come to gather your pine cones!

By 0800, I come to a fork in the Trail. One direction leads directly into the town of Mount Laguna. The other direction is an overlapping section of the PCT and the Desert View Trail that bypasses Mount Laguna.

I decide to take the bypass and then double back into town. Easy mile and a half, including a quick stop at a beautiful water fountain in the middle of nowhere (right next to a trough for your horse).

By 0845, I have finished a very pleasant walk along the bypass and turn back into Mount Laguna.

The first stop was the Laguna Lodge and General Store where I was the first person through the door and was, luckily, able to secure a room for tonight.

My second stop was the Pine House restaurant for second breakfast. There was already a large group of hikers there. They invited me to sit with them, and we had a great conversation while waiting for our meals.

I had an enormous plate of eggs, potatoes, and a hamburger, with fruit on the side. Aaa and... I ate before taking a picture to show you.

After second breakfast I bought a pain au chocolat on my way out and sit down at an outdoor table to enjoy the sun (see picture above). The sun is nice, but there is a breeze too so I break out my fleece.

As I'm digging through my pack, Silke, the German hiker with whom I had supper in Lake Morena arrives, along with Florian and Karen, two other hikers I met yesterday on the Trail. They're waiting to see if they can get a room at the Lodge. I go back inside with them and have another croissant while they have breakfast.

Mount Laguna is tiny, and there's not much to do but chat while waiting for a my room to open up. Really nice people.

About 1400, the Lodge said my room was ready but said there was no room for the others. I ask if anyone wants to split the room with me. Silke accepts. Florian and Lauren decide they'll head up the Trail and camp.

Silke and I quickly wash our clothes in the bucket provided by the Lodge ("please don't wash clothes in the sink or tub"), get showers, hang out clothes to dry, and catch up on correspondence via WiFi.

About 1730, we decide to walk back to Pine House for supper, but turns out the restaurant is closed. Argh!

We schlep back to the room and make hiker meals from our food bags, laughing about our fancy town stop.

It's a little later than usual for a hiker so time to sign off.

I'm safe, dry, and warm at the Mount Laguna Lodge tonight!

Miles hiked today: 5.0 Total miles hiked: 42.8

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Sea Otter Fact of the Day: In order to fuel their high metabolism, sea otters must eat almost a quarter of their body weight in food every day. A nursing mother might need up to a third of her body weight in food.

Written Friday, 23 April 2021

Today was, I'm pretty sure, one of the top 3 hiking days I've had. Ever.

I didn't sleep particularly well last night, but was up early, and the packing was quick. Silke and I were out the door at 0620 and back on the Trail by 0630, just as the sun was breaking the horizon in the east.

The mist had rolled in again overnight so it was a tad chilly, but a good pace kept me warm. On a clear day, we would have been able to see what remains of the old Mount Laguna Air Force Station (a radar site, I think), but with the fog and mist, I didn't spot anything.

In a few minutes, Silke asked, "Would you mind much if I pick up the pace a little and move out? Just to warm the muscles..."

The nicest way I have ever been called slow... ?

Silke is a very strong hiker, quite a bit faster than me so we said our farewells. Not too long after, I couldn't see her anymore as she zoomed ahead.

The next 3 1/2 hours were spent in a gradual reverse of yesterday's ecological patterns. Moving over fairly flat ground, the evergreen forest slowly faded back into chaparral, and the mist burned off, opening up a view eastward into Storm Valley.

An hour into the hike, I ran across another hiker, whose trail name is Longshot. We chatted as we hiked along. He's from Philadelphia, works in health care process management, and this is his first long-distance hike. Seemed pretty strong to me.

I paid almost no attention to time or distance on this lovely, cool, sunny morning. Thus I was totally surprised to arrive at Pioneer Mail Picnic Area at almost exactly 1000. That means we covered almost 10 miles in 3 1/2 hours! For me, that's a blistering pace.

Of course, Silke had been here for half an hour already, and she had found Florian and Lauren. We ate a quick lunch together as Florian and Lauren dried their tents in the sun, and I filled and treated 4 liters of water for the Trail ahead. This is the last reliable water for 24 miles, so I want to carry as much as I can. Of course, I pound a liter and a half with my lunch too.

I'm ready to go before everyone else. Pack on. Head up the Trail.

The next 11-12 miles of Trail are almost a blur. The path follows the contours of Garnet , Oriflame, and Chariot Mountains, undulating upwards and downwards, but mostly downwards. For nearly the entirety of this halting descent, I am on a ledge hewn out of the side of these mountains, with a full view of the desert valley below and other mountains in the distance. It's a true feast for the eyes.

As we progress, we pass by or through many interesting geological formations too, making me wish I knew more about geology so I could understand how these formations came to exist.

At the far end of Chariot Mountain, the Trail takes a sharp downward plunge, losing several hundred feet of elevation in about half a mile, at the end of which I stop for a snack and some water in a small pool of shade.

By now, it's 1530, and I am a little giddy about the scenery I've enjoyed so far and the distance I've covered--20-21 miles by now. I still feel great and press on.

The first half mile past my snack break is a steep, upward climb on a dirt road that gets me up to the Trail, now following a contour of Granite Mountain. The general ecosystem changes again too. The paths are a lot rockier. The scrub is a lot shorter, and, by and large, everything seems sparser and browner.

At some point around here, I also catch a hiker, Brandon, whom I have been slowly overhauling for the last hour. He steps aside to let me by, but then falls right into step behind me, and we chat as we hike. He's about 20, a self-professed ski bum, from Wausau WI who has already thru hikes the Superior Trail in northern Minnesota.

We pass a good camp spot, but it's only about 1645 so we decide to press on a bit to get closer to the town of Julian, which is the next town stop on the Trail. Another hour of hiking tonight will set us up for an easy trip to town tomorrow morning.

Pressing on, Brandon and I discuss the fact that we have both put in some miles and that we will sleep well tonight.

Not too long after this, I nearly meet disaster. The trail here is poorly maintained and seriously eroded, sloping to the downhill side. As I take a step into my left foot, I roll my ankle, which wouldn't normally be a big deal. But I try to plant my trekking pole in the ground to stabilize myself, and the eroded soil just collapses beneath my weight. I fall full force off the side of the Trail, thinking I am about to tumble down a long embankment.

Luckily, my downward progress is arrested by a sizable chaparral bush, whick, poky and bristly as it is, beats a cactus or a long fall.

I involuntarily unleash a stream of curses and extricate myself from the bush, only to look up at Brandon's horror-stricken face. I can't do anything but laugh. I know that must have looked funny. But I also know Brandon is thinking, "OMG, I'm going to have to take care of this random guy I just met who is old enough to be my grandpa."

I assure him I am okay, climb back onto the footpath and set out for camp.

Could have been bad. Wasn't.

Presently, we do arrive at a place where one hiker is already camped and there's room for two more tents. We decide to call it, a little after 1800.

The other hiker is a female, about my age, whose trail name is Condor. She mentions how much she is looking forward to going into Julian tomorrow and how luv she was to get a room.

Oops! It never occurred to me that I might need to reserve something ahead of time.

Luckily, I have cell service and use the time while my cold supper is soaking to call around to the various hotels in and around Julian, but there is nary a room to be had.

I'm about to give up when I think to check AirBnB. I find a place at n almost reasonable price, book it, and get confirmation from the host, all inside 20 minutes. Is technology awesome, or what?

As I'm hitting notes to myself before lights out, I realize I have hiked 28.4 miles today, which is, I believe, my second longest hiking day ever. And the people, the scenery, and the Trail itself were so engaging I barely noticed.

Oh, yeah, still had 3 liters of water left so, after supper, I'll still have a liter to carry me to town in the morning.

An amazing day all around and , near-disastet aside, certainly one of the best days I've had on an trail at any time.

I'm safe, dry, and warm in my tent tonight, on the skirt of Granite Mountain, looking out over the desert.

Miles hiked today: 28.4 Total miles hiked: 71.2

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Sea Otter Fact of the Day: The species name for the sea otter is Enhydra Lutris

Written Saturday, 24 April 2021.

Good sleep last night! I did have to get up in the middle of the night, after a waxing gibbous moon had set behind the western mountains, and the sky was atwinkle with stars and planets. The plane of the milky way was even faintly visible, almost overhead. I need to figure out a way to use my Night Sight camera feature on the new phone to capture this.

Chores, breakfast, and pack-up went by quickly, as they always do on a town day. I was on the Trail at exactly 0600, before official sun rise.

The first couple miles were almost due east, and the rising sun shine directly into my eyes, under the broad brim of my hat. That forced me to look toward the path, which is a good thing, I suppose, but I'll never know if I missed some views. I could have stopped to put on my shades, but if you have read this far, you probably know I'm not the smartest hiker in the world.

The path was definitely inclined downward, and by the time I had hiked 4 miles, the altitude had dropped below the altitude of the southern terminus, where I started the Trail 4 days ago.

After a couple more hundred feet of descent, the Trail bottomed out, flattened out, and turned just about due north towards Scissors Junction. I had an absolutely wonderful hike through the chaparral and sagebrush as the desert woke up for the day. I never expected the desert to be so beautiful.

Another 2.6 miles brought me to a metal gate. Passing through, I turned left and proceeded a few hundred yards to a road where I was met by none other than John, the gentleman who had given me a Gatorade when I arrived at Lake Morena on Tuesday night. He once again offered me an ice cold Gatorade, and no Gatorade ever tasted better. Thus ended my longest waterless hiking stretch so far.

John is just one of an amazing group of people who are collectively known as Trail Angels because they freely volunteer their time (and, often, money) to help out long-distance hikers. Thru hiking would be nigh unto impossible without these people. There are not enough thanks.

I tell John I hope I'll see him again and he says, "Same. Probably will. Be safe."

Another quarter of a mile brings me to spot known as Scissors Junction, so called because of the shape made by the roads coming together here. This is also the spot where hikers can hitch into Julian, 12 miles up the road.

Not for the last timeon this trip, I raise my hand, extend my thumb and go from hiker to hitchhiker. And today the hitchhiker gods smile in me. In less than 2 minutes, the second vehicle down the road pulls over to pick me up. The driver is a Marine, newly stationed in San Diego who has never seen the desert, and he is more than happy to cart me in to town.

In about 20 minutes, I find myself in the heart of Julian, a lovely little town in the middle of California apple country.

My first stop is Mom's Pie shop, where they offer a free piece of pie to thru hikers.I get the apple boysenberry with a flaky crust, a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of coffee. I'm lucky enough to join a table of half a dozen other hikers, some of whom I recognize and some I don't.

I send a message to Silke, Florian, and Lauren, to see if they are interested in joining me at the AirBnB, and I move across the street with some of the hikers to the Julian Cafe and Bakery for breakfast. I have the Julian Cafe Breakfast Platter.

After breakfast, I head over to Two Feet, the local outfitter to get a few supplies and then walk up the street for lunch at Heroes, a great, military themed deli, where I get a gigantic order if avocado toast and a 22 ounce hard cider (followed up with a good local IPA). While I'm eating, I get a message from Florian that they would love to join. And then, almost immediately, a message from my AirBnB host to let me know my rental is ready a little early.

So I schlep me gear down the street to a very nice little house that fits us perfectly. Along the way, Florian, Silke, and Lauren have picked up Karolina, a Czech hiker who I met previously in Mount Laguna. We have the space, so she's in.

We all get showers, get laundry in the washing machine, and head out in search of...food! I join the group back at Mom's while they get free pie, and I pay for mine (classic apple pie this time).

Everything is in walking distance here so we hop back and forth between Main Street and the house, getting chores done and eating.

Our last stop for the night is Romanos Italian Restaurant, where the portions are bigger even than they hikers can handle. We all take boxes home.

I'm safe, dry, and warm tonight in an AirBnB in Julian CA.

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Miles hiked today: 6.1 Total miles hiked: 77.3

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Sea Otter Fact of the Day: Sea otters are subdivided into three subspecies by range:

• Enhydra lutris lutris (or the Asian sea otter, which lives off the coast of northern Japan and eastern Russia)

• Enhydra lutris kenyoni (or the northern sea otter, which lives off the coast of Alaska and western Canada)

• Enhydra lutris neiris (or the southern or California sea otter, which lives off the coast of central California, from about Half Moon Bay to Santa Barbara)

Written Sunday, 25 April 2021

Had a great rest last night, and today was a mostly sunny day for, well, eating.

Julian is a beautiful, little town and a great place to meet for food and drinks. We should all get together here someday, y'all!

We did get a ton of chores done, and around 1600 I sent Karolina, Silke, Lauren, and Florian back to Scissors Crossing to start hiking again.

My own ride is at 0700 tomorrow. The bad news is that tomorrow's forecast is for rain and temperatures that top out in the low 40s. Seriously!

Could be a long day...

But, for tonight, I am safe, dry and warm in Julian CA

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Miles hiked today: 0 Total miles hiked: 77.3

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Sea Otter Fact of the Day: In the 1700s and 1800s, sea otters were hunted nearly to extinction for their luxuriant pelts