Day 1 (4/12/19):Woke up at 4 after 6 hours of sleep, couldn’t sleep more. Better than last year at least. Got the first bus to Campo. Stopped at the post office then hiked south 1.5 miles to monument. Got picture, signed book, put finger into Mexico through the ugly fence. First few miles went great. Started having a hot spot on right foot around mile 4. Think it will blister. Trail got decently tough with a lot of elevation gain. Made it to mile 11.4 in pouring rain and set up camp. Rain stopped about an hour later. Camped near a few girls but didn’t talk. Enjoying my time in the wild “alone” right now, going to have a more social night tomorrow.
Day 2 was 14.6 miles to Boulder Oaks campground at mile 26. Stopped in Lake Morena for lunch, had a delicious bacon cheeseburger and fries. The climb up Hauser mountain was difficult in the late morning sun. The climb out of Morena was very hot. First rattlesnake was seen right before the campground. Campground was nice, stayed with 10 or so people. Met Joren, Rainer, Kevin, Lubos, Teresa, Jason. Lots of Europeans!
Day 3 was 15.5 miles to mile 41.5, plus maybe .5 to the campground. We climbed all day, nearly 3000 ft in gain. It was beautiful but very difficult by the end. My shoulders were aching for most of the day, but near the end I had a sharp pain in my left foot. This subsided after getting to camp. However, later that night my right hip flexor seized up and made it difficult to walk. Very painful. Camped in mount Laguna with Lubos, Teresa, Joren, and Jason.
Today is day 4, currently just after 9 AM. Planning on leaving here later this afternoon and having a short day. Hip is still pretty tender, left foot isn’t feeling the best either. It’s supposed to be very windy tonight.
Mellow Travels 