“my feet and I have this understanding… I place one in front of the other and they transport… its called walking/running/hiking…, and it opens the window of my mind and lets all the clutter rush out… like so much stale air… I dont know what my mind would do without my feet”
~Kit Mitchell PCT Hiker
Mount Laguna to Chariot Canyon (Anza Borrego State Park)
21 miles
Today was made just for hiking. We had a great stay at the Mount Laguna Lodge. Rested and restored, we set out. The terrain was gentle and mostly downhill, the weather cool with a light breeze, and the views were expansive. Most of the day we traveled through old burn chaparral. At the Pioneer Mail Picnic area we met our second thru-hiker, Andy from Australia. He has completed the Appalachian Trail and now is hiking the PCT. He was super friendly and we are hoping to help him out when he will be passing through Tehachapi. While on the trail I have been handing out these fun little cards I ordered from the company Moo Cards that has my contact info. We are hoping to assist hikers again this PCT season.
So far on this trip I have managed to use every pit potty on the map and not use any water from a natural source …until this afternoon. At Sunrise Trailhead, getting water was…..interesting. For the next couple of days we have great distances without water. Hikers rely on funky water tanks, horse troughs, and golden water cached by Trail Angels that stock water in bottles just for hikers. They use their time, money, and gas for no pay just to help. It is quite incredible. Tomorrow we hit the flat desert. I am not good with heat and couple that with hauling 4 liters of water (about 10 pounds extra weight in the pack) I am concerned. But for now we had a great evening with a PCT trail crew we are camped next to in Chariot Canyon. They shared their fire, laughter, and love of the trail.
