Day 3: Mt. Laguna to mile 53.5

11 miles.

Well....the rain last night resulted in the picture above....

As soon as I finished uploading my blog post last night, the wind really started to pick up, then the rain came, and then the wind picked up even more. There were 50-60mph gusts all night. I put in my ear plugs and got some decent sleep until about 2am. My tent was taking a beating from the wind and the walls were beginning to bend down and touch my sleeping bag. I tried to adjust my trekking pole to tighten the sides of the tent and I ripped out the stake for the main support. I got out in the pouring rain and secured the line. Soon after the walls were flattening out, and another stake was ripped out when I tried to adjust. The thick layer of pine needles and soft dirt weren't holding any stake in. At that point I remembered the bathrooms.

While still in my tent, I packed all of my gear into my backpack. I got out and pulled the trekking pole to flatten my tent. I ran to Brendan's tent (he has the same tent as I do) and asked how he was doing. He also was having troubles keeping his tent up in the wind. I told him about the bathrooms and he decided to do the same.

I ran the 100 yards to the pit toilet bathrooms. Luckily they has just been opened the night before, and hadn't been used since last summer. Therefore, no smell. Brendan came and set up in the second of the two rooms of the outhouse.

A few hours later, John, who was camping near us, woke me up by opening the door to my room holding his soaked and wadded up tent. Of the 5 of us camped on Mt. Laguna, only 2 tents were able to survive the winds.

In the morning, the wind was still howling and still raining pretty hard. All 5 of us hung out in the pit toilets for much of the morning just for shelter. Hiking in those conditions would have been miserable.

By about 11am, we started hiking. The wind did not stop all day. We were blasted by winds around 50-60mph which would push us off the trail. Luckily, we weren't hit by any real rain, just a constant mist.

This weekend is the Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off (ADZPCTKO) at Lake Morena. It is a 2 day event where all of the current PCT thu-hikers, along with PCT alumni, trail angels, etc. meet to kick off the start of the PCT hiking season. There are presentations on gear, water report, snow report, bear safety, etc. along with vendor tables, and food.

Our plan was to get picked up by my girlfriend Sara at a road 11 miles from where we started this morning. We also decided that a trip to the Viejas buffet would be a perfect side trip before we went to Lake Morena. When Sara showed up, she had picked up 2 PCT hikers a few miles down the road who were hitchhiking back to the Kick Off. The six of us, (Me, Sara, Brendan, Prudence, One-Step, and Pounce) all squeezed in Sara's car and headed to Viejas. Unfortunately, the buffet was closed for remodeling, but they had 50% off coupons for all of their other food places so we got a good deal.

I have a dentist appointment tomorrow to get a couple cavities filled....so while everyone was dropped off at Lake Morena, I had to head home for tomorrows appointment. I am actually at home now writing this in my own bed. Don't worry, I've checked the rule books and have confirmed that this is not cheating. I'll head back to Lake Morena tomorrow after the dentist to attend Kick Off until Sunday when we will resume hiking.