Sunday, June 8, 2014

Day 2

May 25, 2014

It was the first night cowboy camping on the ground.  There wasn't a whole lot of sleep that night as I kept wondering if a rattlesnake or scorpion was going to craw into my sleeping bag to cuddle with me.  Not really my idea of a very present spoon.  Well none of that happened, so it was time to hit the trail with Lake Morena ahead.  

The sun decided to beat down on me early.  With no place to get water until Lake Morena, it was important to not over exert myself and burn through all my water which was 5 liters total and 11 pounds just in water itself.

At about noon the heat in the desert became so intense that I felt like I was baking in an oven.  It was time to stop to let it cool down before I pressed forward.  That is when I found refuge in a dried up wash that had a few small trees that offered cover from the what seemed to be angry sun.

As I laid there taking a nice siesta, two day hikers came trampling down the hill.  Each with only two 16 ounce water bottles to make it nineteen miles from the border to Lake Morena.  This was absolutely crazy! Luckily for them, someone had dropped off a small water cache at the bottom of the hill.

It was time to get a move on.  Even though the shade was nice, I had to leave it behind.  As I started to walk it appeared that my legs had other plans.  For about an hour it was slow going as my legs seemed to be on an union break.  

Finally my legs decide that they would like to work and progress was made.  Before I knew it I was at Lake Morena.  Now I needed to decide if I was going to stay there or continue forward.  Well I decided that I had been beat up enough over the last two days in the blazing sun, that a shower would be nice.  So I set up camp for the night at Lake Morena, planning on getting an early start the next day.



Day 1

May 24, 2014

The morning got off to a slow start.  Slower than I would have liked.  Whether it be due to the  few extra beers with good company then night before or the anxieties of what lies ahead.  All I know is I didn't get out of the house  until after 0800 and still had over an hour drive to get to the trailhead.

My neighbor Scotty was so kind to drive me all the way from Mission Beach to Campo to see me off.  At this point emotions are on over drive.  The anxiety of the unknown ahead is so strong that it is as if there are 1,000,000 butterflies zipping around inside of me.

We arrive at  the southern terminus around 10:00 am.  The sun is already beaming down like a spotlight.  I take some quick photographs then begin the journey by putting one foot in front of the other.  Scotty followed me in his car along the dirt road that paralleled the trail for about a mile, snapping photos every chance he got as if h e were the paparazzi.

Before long I was alone.  Nothing but my own thoughts in my head and the trail under my feet.  So I walk.  At this point I am on a good pace, jamming along.  I get to the 94 Hwy crossing, continuing on a trail that I believe is the Pacific Crest Trail.  However silly me ends up on an international traveler trail.  I am going along and can't help to notice all the trash strung along this trail.  Something just didn't seem right, so I checked my GPS.  By this time I had gone five miles out of the way before I reached the trail again.

With the late start and the re-navigation it would have but me at Lake Morena camp ground very late in the evening.  Plans change, therefore I decide to stay at the top of the mountain then hike the Lake Morena the next day.

The night was peaceful with only coyotes howling at the nighttime sky that was lit up with a vast amount of stars that sparkled like the light on the Las Vegas strip.  The only other noise through the night was the Border Patrol helicopter that was completely blacked out, that flew right over my camp to check me out.