Mother’s day started with a call to my dad. He was with my nephew Jack, who had a soccer tournament today. We caught up while I started heading down from Mt. Laguna. After that, I called Meghan to see how her move to New York went. So far so good.
Today’s hike took me back into the desert. The trail roughly followed a ridge high above the desert giving an amazing view.
Since I got an early start, I was one of the only hikers on the trail. This gave me lots of opportunities to see wildlife. I saw my first snake (no rattle) and some lizards finally let me get close enough to take a picture. I saw a coypte too, but it ran before I could take a picture.
I only took 1 short break today and finished 22 miles by about 3 PM. I took a break and waited for some fellow hiker to come by and urge me on. The next hiker stopped and we both set up camp. Soon after, many of the people from the night before showed up.
The hiker hobble is setting in. Most of us look like 90 year old men stumbling around camp, even though we can walk 20 miles a day.
There’s a town near the trail that offers free pie for thru hikers. That means tomorrow will be my first experience hitchhiking!