Solo Camp #2

I did solo camp #2 out at Mt. Laguna this weekend.  I think I've established that I can camp by myself now.  I felt good and had a nice little routine.  The weather was beautiful- high of 60 during the day and a low of 35 at night.  I got to the campsite Friday afternoon and set up in about 10 minutes.  Pico and I walked out to Big Laguna lake and chilled out for a bit.  Listened to the bullfrogs croaking and the ducks quacking.  We walked back to camp and started a fire and watched the sun set.  I made freeze dried chicken teriyaki and then read my kindle and ate some skittles.  I had an In Style magazine this time but wasn't feelin' it.  We stayed up as long as we could stand the cold then went into the sleeping bag about 8pm.  There was a family of black woodpeckers in the trees above my tent. They sounded like a family arguing they got to talking so much like they were trying to talk over each other.  They didn't peck holes in the tree while I was trying to sleep so I was thankful for that.  They were all black with a red head and they had 2 large white spots on their wings when unfurled.  I didn't get a picture of them but I found one online that was similar:


The next day, Dennis came up to hike with me.  He stood outside my tent and made growling noises and got Pico all worked up.  I just laid there because I didn't want to get out of the warm sleeping bag.  We hiked 4 miles and then Dennis had to leave so he could sleep for his night shift.  I hiked 4 more after he left.  I ate a freeze dried dinner of beef stew and it was SO good.  Never thought I would say that about a freeze dried but man that sucker was good.  It's my favorite so far.  Then I built up a roaring fire and watched the sun set.  Back into the sleeping bag at 8pm to read my kindle some more.

Next morning, I ate my oatmeal breakfast and decaf coffee and then packed everything up.  I drove out to the PCT trail head and hiked for 2 hours going south on the PCT.  I saw 6 people.  Four backpackers, 1 runner, and 1 grizzly adams looking guy.  I asked the backpackers if they were thru-hikers because they had full beards but they said No.  I was disappointed.  The grizzly adams guy had a contraption hooked to his waist that pulled what looked like rolling luggage behind him.  It was his backpack on wheels that he was pulling like a cart.  Kind of weird.

Then I started the drive back to San Diego and stopped at a Burger King just west of Alpine for an Angry Whopper except they didn't have any so I got a regular Whopper.  I think Burger King should sponsor me on these backpacking/camping excursions, don't you?

Enjoy some pictures!

This is my huge campsite:

First day hike on Big Laguna Trail:

First day at Big Laguna Lake:

 

Dinner- Yum!

 

Sunset through the trees the first evening:

Roaring fire:

 

I don't know what this is but thought it was creepy:

 

Second day hike with Dennis:

 

Me :-)

Big Laguna Meadow:

 

Pico freezing his butt off:

Mmmmmm- beef stew!

 

This is a ground squirrel and I'm pretty sure it stole Pico's food!

Scenes from my beloved PCT on the third day:

 

 

Lakers Game

We went to a Lakers game last week and had fabulous time!  We were way up in the nose bleed seats but the zoom function on the camera worked great.  We saw Jack Nicholson too.  He was wearing a green hat and green shoes for St. Patty's day and we could see him on the front row from way up where we were.  Enjoy some pictures.  Oh, and the Lakers won :-)