Week 2: Mt Laguna to Julian

 Day 8

Checked out the "gear" store in Mount Laguna - not worth it, they are converting to a bike store, even though they posted on the PCT Class of 2022  Facebook page that they were going to sell backpacking gear. I left Mount Laguna at 11:30 and managed to do 10.6 miles ( more downhill than up ). I made it into the Pioneer Mail Picnic area just before dark. One thing I sent home that I shouldn't have,  was the blower I use to clean the camera sensor. Wouldn't you know it, there's a dust spot on the sensor and I have no way to clean it off. Grrrrrr !@@!

Day 9

The Day started easy with a gradual climb on a paved section that was part of a road from Mount Laguna to  Julian built in the 1920s. 

The afternoon was harder with uneven terrain  and steeper climbs. I managed to do 15.6 miles, straggling into the campsite at 6:30. I definitely need a new backpack as one of the pieces of the backpack frame broke.

Day 10

I hiked 8.1 miles to where the PCT crosses The Great Southern Overland Stage Route south of Highway 78, about 13 miles East of Julian. I was hiking the last 5 miles with a young woman. As we approached the road. I saw a vehicle waiting. I asked if she had called for a ride and she said no. We waited a few minutes and when a vehicle approached,  she stuck out her "magic thumb" and the trail angel "Ghost" pulled over and gave us a ride into town. 

The first thing I did when I got to town was to go to Mom's for a  free piece of Boysenberry Apple Pie. 

Mom's gives every through hiker a free piece of pie. After "lunch" I went to 2 Foot Adventures to buy a new pack. I ended up with a Superior Wilderness  Designs 50 Liter pack.  It's pretty good, but I  wish it had more volume. Before Ghost picked me up, I  booked a room at a lodge 2 miles out of town. I ended up sharing a ride to the lodge with Hoover, a Brit who will "hoover up" any food left on the table and Romar, who also stayed at the lodge.

Day 11

Hoover, Romar and I took a Zero at the lodge. In the morning we went into town to ship stuff ( my bad backpack ) 

I've got a long way to go.

 

home and to buy some food. We bought steaks, which Romar cooked for us. YUM ! YUM ! 

It turned out that today was a good day for a Zero. As there were severe winds and several hikers had to be rescued when their tents were destroyed by the high winds and heavy rain.

Day 12

Took a Zero as my left knee was bugging me. Hoover and Romar returned to the trail.

Day 13

Another Zero. Ordered a sensor cleaning kit and a few other items, and had them shipped to Mountain Valley Retreat at mile 101. I had a Bewicks Wren perch just outside my window.

Day 14

Got dropped off at the trail at 7:45 and hiked until 4 PM. I did almost 15 miles with an elevation gain of 1,300 feet in a bit over 8 hours. Not bad !!!

 The new pack is fairly comfortable.  I admit I was dragging at the end. I spent most of the day hiking with three hikers from Germany. We could have gone further, but we stopped because there is a water cache close by.

 Normally,  you are told NOT to rely on water caches ( places where people have put out bottled water for hikers ), but this is an exception.  To be honest, without the cache at Scissors Crossing  (where the trail crosses under Highway 78) and the one where we stopped  ( mile 91.2 ), the PCT would be impossible for folks like me to hike.  The last "natural " source of water before Scissors Crossing is at mile 68 and the next one is at mile 101. Do the math: from the first spring to the second is 33 miles, divide by 5, equals at LEAST 7 Liters of water ( you will need more actually for cooking ). That's another 15.4 pounds ! That might not seem like much, but trust me, it's a LOT !! And that's assuming you have the space in your pack for all the water.

We did see some Wild Turkeys. We saw two Navy F-18 fighter jets doing low level flying and in the evening several Marine Corps helicopters flew over us.