Mt. Laguna PCT 10 Miler

I went up to Mt. Laguna this weekend and hiked 10 miles on the PCT. I tried to finagle Simone into letting me do a 1 night backpack but she said NO. She is not ready for me to be gone overnight just yet so we compromised with a day hike. What a fabulous hike it was with a few surprises along the way!

I got a pumpkin spice latte on the way to the trail and it ran right through me so I had to take a crap at the trailhead before I even started. LOL. That very important business taken care of, I started walking. It was a chilly 53 degrees but sunny and clear. I wasn't very far in, just starting to get in the zone, when a deer burst out of the brush directly in front of me! Scared me to death! I scared the deer too. She wasn't expecting to see this two legged creature hogging her path. She took off up the trail and I resumed walking with a jack hammering heart.

The Chariot Fire blew through the Mt. Laguna area a couple months ago and I didn't realize it had burned all across the PCT. Most of my hike was through this burn area. Some sections of trail were hard to discern. It looked like the trail was burned and washed away in certain parts. I had to scan ahead to see where the trail emerged further up. It was eerie and ghostly silent. The wind blew ash sideways up on the ridges that overlooked the desert basin.

Walking, walking, walking. Smelling the sweet autumn air. I turned a corner and stopped dead in my tracks. I said out loud "Are you kidding me?!" Directly in front of me, was one single sunflower, it's face beaming at me, arms waving in the breeze. It sat solitary in the middle of the trail with the area surrounding it blackened by fire. I felt like I was given a gift from God. I may blow up the picture I took and frame it, I love it so much.

Continuing on. I realize I have to pee really bad. I scope out both directions and see no one so I squat. Unfortunately, I forgot that Sunrise Highway runs just above the trail in this section. As I'm squatting, I glance up to see a few cyclists rolling along. They laugh and wave at me with my white ass hanging in the wind. I merrily wave back. What else can I do!

I continued on to my turn-around point and then took about a 10 minute break to eat my lunch. I had PB&J, a nectarine, and a Tanka bar. Tanka bars are pemmican. Essentially buffalo meat and cranberries squished together into a bar. Very good protein.

I headed back to the truck and finished 10 miles in 5 hours, 7 minutes. Ending temperature was 65 degrees.





I got these fingerless gloves to cut down on blisters between my thumbs and forefingers from gripping the trekking poles.  They also prevent sunburn on the back of my hands.  They work great!





























Crazy right?!