Pacific Crest Trail - Day 2

Start: Mile 11.4 - backcountry camp
End: Mile 26.0 - Boulder Oaks Campground

We started the day with a few miles along a ridge and a rocky steep descent to a stream around mile 15.

Somehow we figured it would be an easy 5 miles to Lake Morena, but a glance at the upcoming elevation map on FarOut had us scrolling right like that Murderhorn scene from the Simpsons.

I wouldn’t usually balk at 1200 feet of elevation gain, but 900 ft in under a mile and a half on rocky terrain in the in the middle of the day was rough. A burger and a nap in the grass in Lake Morena was exactly what we needed.

It‘s pretty amazing how good a greasy burger tastes after hiking 20 miles through the deserts

My pack is the white one on the left. It’s the 35L Wrangler from High Mtn Gear. So far I’m a huge fan. It would be perfect with a stretchy pocket underneath like Pa’lante puts on their packs.

My pack weight without food and water is somewhere around 13 pounds and I’m actively evaluating everything in there after trudging through the first 20 miles of desert heat. Some people are carrying full 70L packs weighing 30+ pounds. It’s impressive the amount of baggage people are capable of carrying around.

I’m not sure what was going on with this place. It was a huge block with a bunch of retro looking buildings but was empty and fenced off with no trespassing signs.

After a lazy afternoon in Lake Morena, we pushed 5 more miles to Boulder Oaks Campground at sunset. There were lots of burn scars and a pretty eerie vibe for the last two miles - definitely happy to put those miles behind us looking ahead to tomorrow.