Mile 0.0 -> Mile 20.2

Trying out past tense, since this has all happened already. Let’s see how it goes.

I expected the rain on Saturday, but we were surprised at about midnight by precipitation. It started as a static-y pitter patter (almost like white noise of television), but it quickly switched to dumping buckets. We all lost some sleep in anticipation of a day of wet hiking. The rain won day 0 at night, so to speak.

It misted in the morning and all the way until the terminus. As soon as we took off, the cloudy weather fueled us until Lake Morena. Maybe it was the excitement, maybe it was the really merciful weather, but we cranked out the 20 miles with no difficulty. We ended the day with a solid burger and a decent campsite at the Lake Morena recreation area. We’re anticipating rain through the night and thunderstorms tomorrow. Still, it was a great day.

My initial group is Trashalope, Joey (“Nothing Yet” or “Papaya Smurf,” nothing has stuck just yet), and Duh Leader. We met Floozie at the camp site and she was the first southbounder we encountered, starting from Idyllwild.

So far the people are amazing. The trail is amazing. The junk food and beer is amazing. Let’s see how the thunderstorms go tomorrow.

Main Photo: Scout and Frodo’s group starting out from Campo, CA at the Mexican Border on May 10. I sat on top because no one else wanted to.