It’s so bright I’m able to write this by moonlight sitting on my small out cut of Tyvek in the middle of the desert. I just snapped my spork clean in half and am glad Yogi suggested to bring two of this item.

It was a long day on the trail from 7:30am this morning to arriving at camp some time after 6pm. I was glad to get a start on the heat as it reached 43 degrees today and there was very little shade.

A few miles short of the water cache my feet hurt so badly I couldn’t continue walking. I sat down, stripped of my shoes and socks and did my best to relieve the pain. Pac Man stuck a sterile pin into two of my blisters which hurt like hell, but it was exactly what they needed.

At the water cache we bumped into our hiker friend Chris who we ran into yesterday. He was glad to see us saying we were the most entertaining people he’d come across on the trail so far. We gave him some extra food as he only had tuna left for another two days, then chilled out for a while in the shade together drinking powdered Gatorade.

Trail angels had stocked this cache up so well with clean bottled water. These volunteers are unbelievable, how they got that much water into a remote part of the trail is remarkable.

After we stocked up on water we just found a shady tree and rested for 3 hours. I had to drain 4 more blisters and was terrified at how my feet looked under the bandages. After 3 hours of air and sun they looked and felt much better which improved my mood immensely. It also allowed me to walk another 3 miles to the campsite I’m at now.

We’re at mile 94, almost at 100! The next water source is about 7 miles from here and Warner Springs my next resupply town is about 15. The only resort is apparently closed so I’m not sure what kind of shower/laundry arrangement there will be. At least my next food supply will be waiting at the Post Office for pick up.

Tonight I am camping on a beautiful ridge top in the San Felipe Hills located in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. I’m sitting in shorts as the sun goes down having just polished off dinner, so I think it’ll be another hot night!

Roll Up got a head start today so Pac Man and I carried on for the first 10 miles to the water cache alone. We passed a few south bound hikers heading to the Kick Off and we were over taken by a couple of lightweight hikers. One of them had passed a woman I saw on Day 1 (Snap Dragging) who had just made it to Lake Morena. He said he was so inspired that she was still kicking on after a four day stint to the first campsite. I hope she carries on until the end.

I had gone through 2 litres of water by the time we reached the cache and refilled all 5 litres after taking a bit of time in the shade. The next water cache is at mile 91 so we planned to hike five miles to 82 where we are now, then get up early and do 10 miles with the last 2 litres of water I have left. We’ve finally reached the desert and it’s over 30 degrees during the day.

We called Roll Up at the water cache and he told us his feet were in such bad shape he was going to rest up in Julian, meet his family and then rejoin the trail in Big Bear City. I hope he makes a speedy recovery.

I felt good in the heat today but my feet and shoulder were done after 15 miles. I hope to reach my next resupply at Warner Springs by Monday. Off to bed soon, until tomorrow.

Tonight I can hear kyotes in the distance and country & western tunes being blasted from someone’s car on the other side of the hill. It’s an absolutely stunning night, relatively warm and no wind with a perfect view.

This morning I said goodbye to my two trail buddies as I wanted to head out on my own. I needed to feel the tranquility of Day 1 and also ensure I know what I’m doing out here by myself. The solitude helped me feel more connected with this new ‘home’ of mine and I felt more focussed on the trail ahead.

The first task was finding the next water source off the trail. Despite the fact it says for horses only there was a tap on the side which provided slightly cleaner water that still needed filtering. I left a note and some trail mix for the boys and bumped into them on the way back to the trail after tending to my ever increasing sore feet!

The day got extremely hot and made me think about all the training hikes I’d done over summer back at home. Being out here is the furthest I’ve ever felt from home. I think each day feels like the equivalent of a week or a month. I already feel very used to not having a roof over my head.

After a quick beef jerky wrapped in cheese snack I was back on the trail battling with the sunshine and the pain of so many lose rocks under my feet. Almost thinking boots could have been a better idea. By about 2pm today I was pooped. There was very little shade the whole day so when I finally found some I made good use of it.

At around 4:30pm the boys caught up to me and asked if I was missing anything. I replied with a blank expression until Pac Man pulled out my entire water proof sleeve of maps and my trail notes. Hmmm… Scary that I didn’t even realise they were missing. Today I found my lost sunglasses case in a hiker box but my headlamp has never resurfaced.

There was some amazing scenery today with the San Jacinto Mountains (I think) in the background and some beautiful desert flowers in bloom.

Tonight I used my first aid techniques to ensure all the cuts and blisters on my feet are cleaned and covered. My whole body hurt after 17 miles today, the longest distance I’ve done so far.

I’m getting some interesting tan lines, especially on my hands from my hiking pole straps. Even though I’ve worn long pants since day 1 my legs are also filthy. There is very little water for the next 30 miles so I’m dependant on a water cache 10 miles away to get me through. The boys are heading into Julian tomorrow and depending on the water scenario at the cache I may possibly too so I can purchase an extra bottle of water to carry over the next stretch. We’ll see what tomorrow has in store.

I’m writing this by the first camp fire we’ve been able to light on the trip. We did a 10 mile day in 5 hours which wasn’t too bad and made it to Pioneer Mail Picnic Area at mile 52.7 by 6pm.

I drained my one big blister this morning and it felt a lot better having done so. Then it was off to the Mount Laguna Sports and Supply store where I purchase a light rain/wind jacket, a new headlamp and a warmer pair of gloves. Then at noon when the post office opened I picked up my first resupply box. The plan is playing out well so far.

My mind has been going a million miles an hour on the trail with not enough time to really even finish each thought. I did think a lot about fear and the need to identify fear to overcome it. I don’t feel scared out here at all but my thoughts seem to be travelling on an emotional roller coaster, way up and then way down, and everything in between.

We’re still travelling well as the three amigos. Pac Man leading, Roll Up at the back and me in the middle. We’ve got some big waterless stretches coming up so we’ve started paying closer attention to trail notes. The dessert will certainly be a test.

By the end of today my feet had definitely had enough. Mount Laguna seemed a world away and when we hadn’t reached it by 6pm tonight we started getting concerned. Luckily after Pack Man and I walked in the wrong direction for half a mile Roll Up and trail angel Dave pulled up in a pick up truck to get us!

In the morning I felt a stinging pain in my shoe and it wasn’t until 30 minutes later that I took off my shoes and discovered my big toe was numb. When I looked inside the shoe I discovered a small black spider that must have bit me. Roll Up said if my foot was ok tomorrow all should be well. It’s feeling pretty good now so let’s hope it stays that way.

It was cold last night and I felt like I was awake at least half the night. I slept we’ll on my stomach but constantly woke up with numb arms so need to figure out a more comfortable position. We were up by 6:30am but it took us until 9:30am to ‘break camp’. I guess we can only become more efficient.

At lunch today I fuelled up on salami and cheese wraps but in my mission to rid myself of food I over consumed salami and found myself in a coma for a few hours until my stomach started crying out. The rest of the afternoon was hot and I just didn’t feel great in the gut. Also need to establish a balance of refuel Vs overload.

After being picked up tonight and taken to the Mount Laguna store by Dave tonight life became good again. We bought some beer and corn chips and found ourselves a cabin! My first real shower was so welcomed as was the laundry bucket where we cleansed a few socks and underwear.

I have a box waiting at the Post Office which doesn’t open until noon tomorrow. We’ve decided to take a Nero (near zero) day tomorrow to wait for the Post Office and to check out the gear store as I’ve already lost my headlamp and need warmer clothes. I’ll also want to visit the general store again as we were pretty overwhelmed with all the items we could have purchased tonight.

I woke up a little seedy this morning after making two new trail buddies at camp last night. One of which carried a bladder full of Wild Turkey, the rest speaks for itself. I started the trail on my own after a big group of 19 set off about 30 minutes prior. I ended up walking off in the wrong direction, almost earning me the name ‘other way’, but quickly turned back to find the actual trail head.

A boy named ‘Ketchup’ soon past me and then I picked up another hiker called ‘Legend’ for a little stretch. The rest of the day was just me and the beauty of the trail. I was walking through cloud for most of the day but the temperature was perfect, Sarah’s dad almost had heat stroke on their Day 1 back in 2004 so it’s a very different year.

I had gone about 10 miles by about 2pm and decided early on I wouldn’t make it to Lake Morena. I still had plenty of water and decided to stop 15 miles in at Hauser Creek. This is where I met Alan (Pac Man) and Luis (Roll Up) and where the fun began.

Alan was my trail angel this morning and brought me a much needed coffee in bed. We were up by 6am, I definitely could have slept for a few more hours. But we powered up the hill by 8am in the direction of Lake Morena. By the time we reached there I’d sweated out the Wild Turkey and was feeling a little more human.

We filled up water, repacked our bags and used a civilised toilet before heading on another 10 miles to our current location near Kitchen Creek. Pac Man and Roll Up only met up at the start of the trail so as three solo hikers we’ve formed a little group which made Day 2 a lot of fun.

My feet and back are in pretty good shape. My shoulder hurts a little but considering the miles we’ve gone I’m pretty happy. Nights here are COLD and my fingers are starting to turn numb. Until tomorrow…

More to come…