Contents: Boulder Oaks Campground to Burnt Rancheria Campground - 16.9 miles
Today was another good day. We wound up putting in bigger miles than expected, but we made decent time and the terrain was interesting. For much of the morning, we were in sight of highways, and we crossed under I-8. We could also see windmills in the distance for part of the day. As much as I appreciate a remote wilderness experience, the man-made features were neat to look at and really made us feel like we were walking across the country, and not just out for a long hike.
I got a lot of use out of the Sawyer Squeeze today, and I am really liking it. The one part I struggled with was getting water into the pouch, as I often had to collect from fairly small sources. Extra Credit is using a similar filtration system and she had made a scoop out of the bottom half of a plastic soda or water bottle. She let me borrow it, and it made all the difference. I could scoop water into the pouch and then filter it as normal. I'm definitely going to make one for myself when I'm in town tomorrow. I think the system is going to work well though.
Tonight I'm sharing a campsite in an open campground in Mt. Laguna with Laura, Bryce, and Justin as well as some new peeps - Ohenro, Breeze, Majellan and Chimichanga. Bryce and I just got back from eating strawberry shortcake at the town restaurant. It was delicious. Hiker hunger is definitely setting in!
Tomorrow Bryce and I are resupplying in Mt. Laguna. We're hoping Extra Credit, Karl, and Kayla will catch up to us in town. They are just a short distance behind now. Laura and Justin are good to go in the food department, so I think they're going to continue north first thing.
The walking is going well so far, and I'm really happy. Thru hiking already feels very different from my usual weekend warrior style adventures. Many of my past trips have been very goal oriented. Often on alpine climbs or ski trips, I'm so focused on the climbing or skiing, that I don't appreciate the hiking, especially on the exit. Once the goal is accomplished (or not), I become very focused on just getting out as quickly as possible. A 12 mile hike can be torture. With thru hiking, it's a totally different mindset. Canada is so intangible at this point, that it doesn't really feel like a goal. Eliminating that goal aspect makes the walking a lot more pleasurable. I hike until I'm tired or hungry and then I rest. Once I feel replenished, I amble on a little farther. I feel relaxed about it. Even though it's only been a few days, walking has definitely become my job, and I think it's pretty awesome as far as jobs go!
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