Day 1! 20.57 miles

Aaaaaaaaaaand he’s off!!!

Today was so great! I experienced super crazy nostalgia as Alanna, Luci, and Grandma Susan drove me to the trailhead! This trail that I’ve been obsessed with for 2 1/2 years has finally met its match! :)

The family drove me all the way to the terminus where we took pictures and then I was on my way!

The early morning at their house was freezing cold! But luckily when I got to the trailhead it was a nice 60 degree sunny morning :)

I meandered down the first part of the trail with the hugest smile on my face! Just excitedly taking in the familiar scenery and the beauty of it all. I was beaming when I saw my old friend, the Yucca..

Speaking of friends, I made my first one before mile 2! His name is Jacob, he’s 19, and really awesome! He hiked the Appalachian Trail last year, and is planning to do the Continental Divide Trail next year, making him a Triple Crowner before he turns 21!! it turns out we have a very similar natural hiking pace, so we headed off together.

Jacob 

It seemed like every turn brought back memories of our 2016 hike, I even stopped to re-enact one of our favorite photos taken on location! 

Thinking about you Bee’s Knees :)

The temps were about 15 degrees cooler than in 2016, so we found ourselves CRUSHINg the first relatively flat miles. We did 13 miles by noon! Eventually we ran into a hike named John from Japan. It’s his first time to America, but his English is quite good! 

John

So far John and Jake and I have a pretty matched pace; we ended up walking all the way to Lake Morena (mile 20) together. On the steep hit descent up Hauser Creek Canyon, we were told to stop on trail by a few rangers and fire Dept. people. There was a dehydrated hiker being airlifted off the trail!

Poor guy! 

Overall I felt a lot better physically than last time. For one the sun was less intense, two the pack is about 5lbs lighter, and three because this time I only had 4 liters and last time we took 6! (And didn’t drink too :p)

Legs started getting the normal hamstring tenderness which is usual for hiking 20 miles on your first day after not being super active for the past week. I was hoping to somehow magically avoid all blisters, but alas, my soft, weak Oregon feet got shredded up by this desert sand/heat. Nothing major, only one on the right on the bottom, and all the rest are in between my toes on my left foot (don’t know what’s happening there.. haha) I’ll spare you the pictures.. (today)

At Lake Morena Campground, we walked up the road a little to the small store and I had a great tuna melt! I also picked up some tortillas and fruit snacks to compliment my food bag for the next 20 miles. John decided to say there for the night, but Jacob and I decided to go about 1/2 a mile outside the campground to avoid the $5 to camping fee there. I’m glad we did as we found a sweet place to throw down feet from the trail..

Not bad for the first campsite on trail!

Another addition/upgrade to my gear. Still Big Agnes, but only 1lb 15oz, the Fly Creek HV UL2.

(Heightened Volume) (Ultra Light) (2 person)

Well, it’s been a night long day and since it’s almost 8:30pm, I gotta get to snoozing! 

Thanks for reading!