Day 2: Settling in

Day 2: 9 May 2019
Start point: Hauser Creek, Mile 15
End point: Kitchen Creek, Mile 30
Highlights: Getting to know a few fellow hikers, not rushing ourselves
Lowlights: I feel like we could have taken fewer long breaks

Hauser Creek to Lake Morena

We started the day at Hauser Creek, at the bottom of a fairly sizeable canyon. Ordinarily, most people push through Hauser on their first day, but this is a very wet year and there’s actually water in Hauser, so it was quite a crowded spot.We left camp around 7:30 and climbed out of the canyon. Around 10 or so, we arrived in Lake Morena, a San Diego County Park, with campsites, boating, etc. We stopped in for breakfast burritos at the local general store and hung out there for a while. There we met Wiki (trail name, derived from Wikipedia), a queer (they/them) materials scientist from Oregon, who hikes in flip flops.(And often with no socks)

Morena to Kitchen Creek

We more or less stuck with Wiki for the rest of the day. They did 800 miles of the PCT in 2016, and so had a lot of hiking wisdom to impart upon us which was hugely appreciated. They suggested the name “American Pie” as my trail name, because I’m recording that song every day, in order to stitch them all together. I like it as a name, but I feel like it’s a little too early to know what really fits, and I’ve only really chatted with a few people. I’ll mull it over for a few days and see if it feels right.Today marks a couple of milestones: our first trail magic, where some dude who just dropped off his son at the terminus was out giving fruit, and our first freeway (under)crossing, as we passed I-8.(I-8)Eventually we made it to Kitchen Creek, where we scrambled down from the trail to the creek for dinner and sleep. Unlike yesterday, which was crowded, our campsite was totally empty when we arrived, and by a very charming creek.(Kitchen Creek)Before too long a couple other guys arrived, finishing off their first day (a 30 mile push). These guys are insane (though independently so, as they only just met this morning) – one of them is 15 years old, aiming to do the trail in 80 days, and is carrying 4.5 pounds on his back, not including food and water. We hung out with Wiki and this kid Milo for a bit, sang some songs, then went to bed.We took a pretty leisurely pace throughout the day, so we actually went slightly less far than we did yesterday, and had quite a lot more time to do so. I found that to be a bit frustrating at times, but I think both Chris and I feel physically and mentally better today than as night, so I think it was wise to relax a big more.Tomorrow we push to Mt Laguna by lunchtime, where we can do a partial resupply and gobble up the local mac and cheese.To sleep now in order to wake up super early to make it to Mt Laguna by lunchtime. Thanks for reading!