Second Day Hiking

Saturday, April 26, 2014. 18.5 miles. 38.5 total miles. Word for the day: cold

Today is the first day on the trail that truly felt like backpacking. The first day I slack packed 20 miles from the border to Lake Morena. I spent the next day with Eva at AZDPCTKO and enjoyed being with other thru- hikers. Today I said good bye to Eva, and left the lake heading north. It was windy and raining at the time and continued most of the day. It hailed and snowed briefly just for added variety. It was very cold and I expect it to get even colder tonight. I hiked the first 6 miles alone, adjusting to the weather, thinking about Eva (who I already miss), singing old Keith Green songs, and praying.

I caught up with a group of hikers at Boulder Oaks Campground which is just before the trail goes under the I-8 freeway. One young man seemed anxious to leave and I'm not one to stand around chatting, so I offered to join him. Turns out he is from Spain and is in the USA just for the PCT. He wanted me to lead and after a few miles, he said he liked the pace I set. I think there is another reason: he is terrified of snakes and wants me to hike in front of him to reduce his chance of stepping on a snake. (I plan to have some fun with this fact later.) We are camped in a meadow at 5,707 ft. Above is a picture of my tent and the surrounding area. I'm a bit tired, but no major aches and pains. No blisters, sun burn, or bug bites. Overall, it was just a nice day of hiking on the PCT.

Tomorrow morning we will hike to Mt Laguna and I'll pick up my first resupply box. My friend didn't plan any resupply boxes (it's harder when you live outside the country), so he will be buying food off the shelf in each little town. We'll see how that works out for him. 

I feel like I've written a lot for typing with two fingers on an iPhone. There might even be more later, but now it's time for DINNER! I hope there aren't too many typos. :) 

It's almost 7pm and the wind is still blowing. It's too cold to do anything besides crawl into the tent and study the maps for tomorrow, write and read. I hope the wind calms down and we get some sun tomorrow. I have no cell signal so this post will have to wait...hopefully tomorrow.