Second Day Southern California. 8 May 2018
/I barely slept last night. I listened to the sounds of sleeping hikers adjusting on top of noisy sleeping pads mixed with the sounds of small animals snapping twigs and rustling through the brush. I had kept my food in my food bag and then placed it an odor proof sack so I wasn’t worried about any mice trying to get into my pack. I must have dozed off a few times and then suddenly it was 4:30am. I heard a fellow hiker staring to pack up. I decided to do the same so I could climb out of Hauser Canyon before the sun really started to heat up the still cool air. Packing wasn’t so easy as I was a bit disorganized last night after the failed tent set up. But eventually I felt ready to go. It was about 5:30am. With goodbyes to hikers still packing, I made my way out of the Canyon. I had to climb 1200 feet in 3 miles. It was hard but with frequent rest stops among the switchbacks I was soon at the top. I had passed of a few hikers along the way. I then made my way down to Lake Morena where I planned on having a breakfast burrito at a store just up the road. There I ran into some of the hikers who had left before me - RO, Kevin, Huge. It was great to see them and share our experiences of the hike so far.
After breakfast, I headed into Lake Morena to get more water, use the facilities and repack my backpack. The mesh suspension on the back panel had come loose due to the heavy water carry and I needed to tighten some of the straps. That all took some time. When I started to hike out of Lake Morena is was already 9:30. I had planned on hiking only 15 miles today and had already done 5. So 10 more to go.
I immediately started using my trekking sun umbrella. I really disliked hiking with it but I had no choice with the blaring sun and heat. The umbrella at least provided some shade overhead. But hiking with it connected to my backpack was not ideal and certainly not something I was enjoying. I hiked alone all morning working my way through the brush and sandy path. I saw the occasional lizard running along side me for a brief moment before scrambling away. I hadn’t seen any rattlesnakes yet. But I heard stories of other hikers encountering them already so I was definitely on the lookout.
I was feeling good but sore from yesterday and in both feet, my second toe was sore. I think my shoes are probably a 1/2 size too small and when I hike downhill, that second toe is pressing agaisnt the toe box. Both nails are now darkened so I will have to order new shoes from REI soon.
I stopped at Boulder Oaks Campground to get more water. There I ran into Kevin, Ro and Huge. It was nice to see them again. We made a plan to hike to Kitchen Spring and stop for a swim and then hike further to Cibbets Campground which had potable water and camp sites. After Ro and Kevin moved on, I decided to stay and rest. I took off my shoes and socks to let my feet air out and dry. My toe nails were not looking good. So I put some lukotape over the one that seemed to be a bit swollen as well. I drank a lot of water at the site to camel up and then headed out.
This part of the trail hugged a ridge line so the views were fantastic. However, I was so hot and sweaty that I just wanted to find some actual shade. Again my mouth was dry and I just couldn’t seem to get enough water. Also, my appetite was completely gone. I had the breakfast burrito and then a bite of a power bar but nothing else. I just wasn’t hungry.
After a few more hours of hiking, I finally came to the road for Kitchen Creek. It was a .5 mile walk downhill. So I made my way to the creek and spring. I saw the water running from the spring but the creek was pretty dry. But no one was there. I thought that maybe Ro and the others had already left so I decided not to stay but to push on to Cibbets.
Around 5pm, I finally arrived at the dirt road leading to the Cibbets Campground. I had been hiking about 10 hours. And I wasn’t hungry and the water wasn’t making me feel any better. By the time I got it the campground, I was completely exhausted. It was a 17 mile day. Ro and the others weren’t there. But I did recognize Nurse from day 1 and another hiker I had passed on the trail. I was told by the camp manager to set up anywhere and that the water was drinkable. But instead I just laid down on the picnic table and couldn’t move. My stomach was feeling awful. My mouth was dry and I was not hungry. Eventually I made my way to a camp site to start setting up as the sun would be setting soon. But then I was suddenly sick and had to bring up the electrolytes I had put into my water. I used some water to rinse out my mouth and then continued to set up my tent using large rocks to hold the tent stakes down. I got myself ready for bed. I just couldn’t eat anything. I thought that after a night’s sleep I would feel better in the morning. I pushed too hard too fast. I didn’t understand this climate and what the heat can do to the body. The trail was beating me. And for today, I could only accept that defeat and then hope that tomorrow I would learn from today’s mistakes. But I have to admit that I was not enjoying myself. Hiking alone all day was not fun. At least not for me. And now camping alone is not fun. At least not for me. Things could change. But tomorrow had to be better. But for tonight, I rest in my tent, in my sleeping bag. Grateful that I made it this far.
