Written by John Swart – From April 18, 2014 –
Phone updates, April 16 – A 180-degree turnaround: I’m back in my cathedral. Hiked 20 miles to Lake Morena. Beautiful chaparral countryside with swaths of wildflowers, intriguing rock formations, and mountains in the distance. Only a single (albeit maddening) glitch: the tent would not pop up! Ended up sleeping with the tent draped over as a makeshift bed sheet. Fun.
April 17 – Hiked 16 miles. More gorgeous countryside: live oaks, abundant wildflowers, crazy rock formations. Beginning to feel the hike though. The old bones and feet are beaten up, but I’m still truckin’ along. And an end-of-the-day success: finally got the %&@#! tent up! Then slept almost 12 hours.
April 18 – Hiked 14 miles. Going at a different rate than Ben, so the hike is now solo. One mishap and one near mishap: stung in the face by a bee and almost stepped on a rattlesnake. Stopped briefly in a rustic cafe in Mount Laguna to make calls and rest aching quads. The countryside is now a gorgeous piney forest overrun with funny little lizards.
From April 21, 2014. Live from Julian, California.
Howdy, all, from the Wild West gold town of Julian, CA, where I am currently reposing in the oldest continually operated hotel in the state of Cali (as the cool folks would say). I’m snagging a little R&R after jumping off the trail around noon in the high, very hot desert. I ascended from the trail to 4,000 feet (in a hitched ride), landing in this beaut of a town, nestled in pretty dense forest, twelve miles from the trail.
So where do I start to recount the events of the last five days and 75 miles? I guess from the border of Mexi (as the soon-to-be cool people say).
The journey began near Campo at the junkyard quality fence that runs along the border. I thought the fence was to keep unwanted hikers out of Mexi, but I was told otherwise.
I was very pleasantly surprised to see bushy, mountainous terrain with a wonderful array of flowers and huge boulder rock formations. I had to hike 20 miles to get to the first water source—a somewhat daunting distance the first day out, especially in rather intense heat and with a somewhat heavy pack. But it felt glorious to be out there in all that beauty. My pre-trail fears and trepidations quickly evaporated and were replaced by wonder and awe. I met some really fine folks who were starting out as well, and I felt totally welcome into the trail community.
After a tortuous-like climb the last five miles, I reached my destination, Lake Morena, only to find I couldn’t get my new, untried, friggin’ tent up. A cold, dewy night it was, and there I was, draped in the collapsed tent.
The next day, physically beat and sleep deprived, I struggled to get ten miles in, collapsing under a big, beautiful oak tree by Kitchen Creek where, voila, I got the tent up—after a phone consultation with the tent company.
After a long sleep, I hit the trail, renewed and invigorated, which was very fortunate as the trail wound its way up 6000 feet to Mount Laguna. I was treated along the way to beautiful vistas that stretched for miles. The terrain changed from chaparral to alpine-like, with a multitude of oaks and pines.
After stuffing my belly with yummy food and buying some equipment at a very nifty outfitter, I banged out another 4 miles to a state park. The scenery became quite dramatic with precipitous drops from the 6000-foot mountains, plunging thousands of feet to the desert. Words cannot describe the beauty.
After sharing a camp site with a fellow hiker and a Dutch cyclist, I hit the trail for what ended up being a grueling (by the time it was over) 20 mile hike that followed the descending mountain ridge toward the desert. I was richly rewarded for all the expended physical energy by the stunning views.
I arrived at the camp/water source in a semi-zombie-like state, muddling through dinner and collapsing into my little bed-on-a-slope, as it turned out. In my exhaustion I was entertaining serious doubts about my capabilities regarding this endeavor. Fortunately, a good rest eradicated those doubts, and the short, nine-mile descent to the desert floor went extremely well. And, now, blessed rest ’til tomorrow, when I start with a 2000-foot ascent. Oh well just another day on the trail.
So, a few quickies: A huge thanks to HealthForce Nutritionals and Eclectic Institute for their super foods which are greatly contributing to my energy and stamina. I am also meeting great folks along the way, including a new buddy who lives five minutes away from me in Asheville. Yes, I guess it is a village. So there’s the nitty gritty. Have much more to say but must get rest for that climb tomorrow.
