PCT 2023 | DAYS 2-6 MM 11.4 TO MT LAGUNA + A ZERO DAY WIND STORM

DAY 2

Miles Hiked: 8.8 miles

This is turning out to be a much different experience compared to last year. It was a very cold morning. The rain from the night before froze everything it touched. My tent was covered with a thick layer of ice droplets. My shoes were solid. Everything was wet. Luckily, it was a short day into Lake Morena, where I have decided to end the day. I am going to take it slower this year to help reduce the risk of overuse injury. No 20-mile days for a while. I want to keep the miles down for a few weeks. Hauser Creek was full of water, many of the campsites flooded. I met many hikers at Lake Morena that were also at CLEEF, including future tramily members: Erik “Woodsy” and Nichole “Radar” (and her husband Ray), among many others.

DAY 3

Miles Hiked: 12.4 miles

Today is a bigger day, but the weather is much cooler than it was in this section last year. I remember the climb into Mount Laguna being miserable in the heat. Today, however, I woke up with frost on my tent. I started out late from camp so that I could dry out my tent in the sun. There were two water crossings this year (I honestly don’t remember if these were wet last year). I met Jörg “Cowbell” at Boulder Oaks and convinced him to zero in Mount Laguna (the weather report said anywhere from rain showers to wind storm). While it isn’t feasible to zero every time there is wind or rain, there was no rush to get to the Sierra or even San Jacinto, with the high snow year. It turned out to be the best decision and booking ahead saved me from sleeping in the bathrooms. Most people I talked to stopped at Fred’s Canyon. I decided to push to Cibbets Flat Campground and met two couples (Chris + Ashley and another couple that had met on their thru-hike years before) and another solo hiker Dana “Tumbleweed.” This ended up being my first Trail Magic! I joined their campsite, sat around a campfire until after dark, got homemade chocolate chip cookies + beer. It turns out that most of them were from the Seattle area (where I am as of March 2024).

DAY 4

Miles Hiked: 8.9 miles

Town Day! My plan was to get into Mount Laguna by early afternoon and then take a zero. Snow started a mile or two before town. It started as small patches on the side of the trail. As I got closer to town the trail turned to slushy snow and mud. By the time I got to town, it looked as though I had been jumping in mud puddles all day. I checked into the Tiny House Hostel; shared with Cowbell, Diane “Gritty,” Carsten, Katrin “Bobcat,” Cynthia, and Brian “Not Dave.” Dinner at the Outpost by Valley Farm.

Look at baby Cowbell, Gritty, Bobcat, and Carsten!

DAY 5

Miles Hiked: 14.7 miles

Zero Day for weather (high wind warning)

I stayed inside for most of the day, as it was cold and ice was being blown from the trees. I eventually stepped out to resupply at the Mt Laguna Store. As the day went on, hiker after hiker entered “The Office” (bunk room attached to the actual office), looking for SOMEPLACE to seek shelter. The Tiny House Block (and Pine House) were doing everything they could to house hikers. The Tiny House Block had people in the laundry room, bathrooms, under an RV port, a utility closet. Booking ahead of time wasn’t a bad idea after all.