Schedule: Green
Gear: Green
Physical fitness: Yellow
Mental fitness: Green
Schedule: Green. I've reached Mount Laguna, as I'd planned. About 42 miles in, over just about 2.5 days.
Gear: Green. Most everything has worked well. Though my toiletries hid themselves at the bottom of my bag, and I wonder how long the gear will last. It's being well used. The trail is rough on gear. And, it'd always be nice to get lighter.
Physical fitness: Yellow. I knew that a lack of physical training would make things difficult. In India, I didn't make the time to train (though, trying to complete two major deliverables up to the day I departed, completing all the logistical its that come with a cross-border move, and dealing with other personal items limited my time). So I was ready for things to be painful. The good news - no blisters. But my body is definitely being pushed. The weather has been good; sun is extremly strong, but the air temps have been in the 70s/20s. It was a good feeling to end at 3 today and to get a shower and a bed at the Mount Laguna lodge. I expect the short break will help me recover.
Mental fitness: Green (though my coworkers may disagree given the title of this post!). On the whole, feeling good! The scenery is beautiful, the air is fresh and clear, and it's a good feeling being out on the trail. Being a novice camper, I'm learning more each day. There's plenty more I still need to work out and will write about later.
Tips for hikers that I haven't seen before:
* The San Diego 894 bus line to Campo leaves from the "rural stop" bus stop from El Cajon transit center. There won't be a route sign labeled 894; look for the "rural stop" sign listed next to one of the stops. At the moment, the rural stop is immediately across from the trolley stop, right next to the convenience store in the island in the middle of the bus stops.
*I've found that trail runners all seem to be too narrow for my feet. So I've gone with hiking shoes instead -- Merill Ventilators, wide model. These might be heavier, but no blisters so far!
*I recommend bringing handgloves; I've needed these to ward off blisters on my hands from hiking poles.
Gear: Green
Physical fitness: Yellow
Mental fitness: Green
Schedule: Green. I've reached Mount Laguna, as I'd planned. About 42 miles in, over just about 2.5 days.
Gear: Green. Most everything has worked well. Though my toiletries hid themselves at the bottom of my bag, and I wonder how long the gear will last. It's being well used. The trail is rough on gear. And, it'd always be nice to get lighter.
Physical fitness: Yellow. I knew that a lack of physical training would make things difficult. In India, I didn't make the time to train (though, trying to complete two major deliverables up to the day I departed, completing all the logistical its that come with a cross-border move, and dealing with other personal items limited my time). So I was ready for things to be painful. The good news - no blisters. But my body is definitely being pushed. The weather has been good; sun is extremly strong, but the air temps have been in the 70s/20s. It was a good feeling to end at 3 today and to get a shower and a bed at the Mount Laguna lodge. I expect the short break will help me recover.
Mental fitness: Green (though my coworkers may disagree given the title of this post!). On the whole, feeling good! The scenery is beautiful, the air is fresh and clear, and it's a good feeling being out on the trail. Being a novice camper, I'm learning more each day. There's plenty more I still need to work out and will write about later.
Tips for hikers that I haven't seen before:
* The San Diego 894 bus line to Campo leaves from the "rural stop" bus stop from El Cajon transit center. There won't be a route sign labeled 894; look for the "rural stop" sign listed next to one of the stops. At the moment, the rural stop is immediately across from the trolley stop, right next to the convenience store in the island in the middle of the bus stops.
*I've found that trail runners all seem to be too narrow for my feet. So I've gone with hiking shoes instead -- Merill Ventilators, wide model. These might be heavier, but no blisters so far!
*I recommend bringing handgloves; I've needed these to ward off blisters on my hands from hiking poles.
