Miles 0-20 Day 1&2

Start:0 End:11.3 Total: 11.3

Jeff took me to the trailhead around 11 , we snapped a few pictures and I was off! There was another couple taking their photo with the monument before me and a man that same after. Pretty smooth walking to start, cloudy with some sprinkles but nothing bad enough for me to put on my rain coat.

I caught up with the couple, Jake and Alexa, and we walked together for a couple miles. They have been living in Buffalo and have been together 8 years. On their first date Jake warned Alexa that he would eventually take off to do this, little did Alexa know that she would one day join!

The vegetation was not what I thought. There was a lot of green bushes and big boulders and these really scrappy annoying viney bushes that overgrew the trail and would scratch up my legs. I really wish I had worn my pants!

The other man that started behind me, his name was Mark and we leap frogged each other a bit. He took his final pass of me for the day around mile 8 when I stretched my legs a bit. I was feeling pretty good until this point and then I really started to feel the weight of my pack. My base weight or weight without food and water is 19.5 lbs but fully loaded it was more in the 35-40 range. 

Shortly after this break, around mile 11, I turned the corner and lost in thought jumped at the sight of another woman. “Oh my gosh I’m sorry I forgot other people are out here” I exclaimed. We briefly chatted and she introduced herself to me as KC. She said she was aiming to stop around mile 11 and I said I was shooting for 15 as there was a stream there but was getting kinda tried so we’d see. 

I kept going and around mile 11 I found a cute little nook where I thought I’d take a break. KC soon was about to pass and I called out to her. She decided she’d sleep there for the night and said she had too much water so she might dump some out. I was debating going further as I did not have enough so that was my sign that I was to stay for the night. No sense in pushing too much too soon.

Later in the evening while we were both in our tents I realized my purple pack cover that I had stuffed in the side pocket of my pack had fallen out. I called out to KC to share the tragic news and she said she’d see in on the trail 2.7 miles back. I was exhausted and sore and it was dark and the sky’s were threatening rain. I thought about going back for it as a big rain storm would be moving in but I had a trash compactor bag thanks to Jeff and Julie that I decided would do the trick so I went off to a peaceful slumber.

Day 2

Start:11.3 End: 20 Total: 8.7

I slept peacefully throughout the night and was awoke by a thundering rain and the pole that keeps my tent up collapsing. I awoke and quickly fixed it and assessed that some of the other stakes had fallen out, shortening the room I had in my tent. The thing with my tent is that it is a one wall system, so whenever that one wall is wet, anything that touches it gets wet. I got on some rain gear and went out in the storm to re-stake them. I came back in and was in and out of sleep until about 7am when I awoke and noticed pools forming in my tent due to another stake coming out. I decided it was my in my best interest to pack everything up and do the 9 miles into lake Moreno as quickly as possible.

I started gathering my belongings and getting ready for the day. Putting on my hiking clothes, shoving my items into bags. I then entered into the torrential downpour and began packing up my sobbing wet tent. I stuffed my tent and ground tarp into my side pocket and pulled the compactor bag over my pack. I started off strong, for about ten minutes, until my legs remembered they weren’t acquainted with that pace and we slowed. I passed an hiker in his 60/70s with a big smile on his face and we made remarks of what a beautiful day it was to hike, neither of us were being sarcastic. It was a long 4 mile decent into Hauser Creek where I had planned on making it the night before. The rain hadn’t let up and KC gave me a liter of water so I decided I would make due with that.

After the descent into Hauser Creek, was the ascent out of it, 5 miles into Lake Moreno. I kept trudging on, passing a few people that had remained in their tents. Now fully soaked to the bone, through my rain jacket, through my rain pants. Annoyed at how much I had to stop and pee. My hands were freezing and I kept alternating holding them up to my neck, moving as quickly as my tired, out of shape legs would allow.

Eventually, I caught a glimpse of lake Moreno and picked up the pace, getting more excited as it grew closer, and colder and colder. The rain had stopped its intensity but water still constantly came down from above. My plan was to go to the malt shop and get a warm cup of coffee, the only thing getting me through those last 5 miles. I saw a campground and cut off the trail and bushwhacked directly to the nearest building, a bathroom.

Another hiker was in there, dry and warm and told me tales of pancakes as trail magic in a tent nearby. She pointed me in the direction of it and I stumbled over and announced myself to this enclosed 6 person tent “knock knock, I heard there were pancakes” “yes yes come in” they opened the zipper and there sat 6 individuals all dry and warm. I was sopping wet but they made room for me. I took off my rain coat and trail angel mark handed me a cup of chicken broth and a pancake the size of a plate. Trail angel Legend handed me a thick coat and I really started to shiver. These guys saved my butt, I think I woulda been in trouble had this village / campground not been there. Another hiker, Katy, told me they had a cabin where I could dry my stuff and stay if I wanted to. I delusionally told her I was planning on heading back out if it cleared up. 

After a couple of pancakes and warm liquids, I was still freezing and followed Katy back to the cabin she was sharing with her mom, Mama Kitty. They made room for me and another “refugee” as Katy called us, David, from San Fransisco who started the same day as me and made it to Lake Moreno on the first night. 

Mama Kitty had turned on the heater and put up paracord for us to dry out our wet things. I got out of the rest of my wet clothes and put on warm ones. I stayed there enjoying the warmth for the day. A few hours later KC knocked on our cabin, she had found my rain cover! Someone must’ve found it on trail and had hiked it into town and threw it away, she found it in the trash can by the local restaurant!

We had a dinner of spaghetti provided by our trail angels and then after some deliberation of heading back out, I returned to my warm cabin to sleep indoors!

Thanks for reading, stay tuned for more tales from the trail!

❤️Lioness