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Walking

Day Two: Hauser Creek to Yellow Rose Spring

We got an early start on the Pacific Crest Trail this morning, departing Hauser Creek shortly after 6 am. It was another chilly morning and our gear was covered with condensation and frost. We need to work on our technique for packing up wet tents in the dark — I’m sure this won’t be the only time we have to do that.

We had an excellent breakfast at the Oak Shores Grocery in Lake Morena Village.

The mild daytime temperatures continued today as we hiked past Boulder Oaks and then up Kitchen Creek. We found very nice camping and good water 4/10 of a mile north of the PCT near the Yellow Rose Spring.

Photo: Deb and our small tent near the large trees at Yellow Rose Spring.

Mileage: 14.8 miles

Hiker Tips: We started the PCT with just 1.5 days food and resupplied at Lake Morena Village. This worked very well for us. The Oak Shores Grocery is now serving excellent food. We had breakfast there and ordered sandwiches that were large enough for both lunch and dinner. It’s only another 1.5 days to Mount Laguna, so you don’t need to carry that much food.

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Walking

Day One: Campo to Hauser Creek

Today we began a long walk. A 2,660 mile walk from the Mexican border to the Canadian border on the Pacific Crest Trail.

White Jeep gave us an early morning ride to the Southern Terminus of the PCT (thanks White Jeep), where about 30 other hikers also started hiking today. A surprisingly large number considering how early in the hiking season it is. The hikers spread out pretty quickly, and we spent the day leapfroging with a half dozen other hikers who walked about the same pace as us.

We decided to only go as far as Hauser Canyon the first day. Our plan is to hike a relatively easy 15 mile per day pace for the next three weeks. Plus, this sets us up to spend Saturday night at Mount Laguna (mile 42).

Mileage: 15.4 miles

Hiker Tips: No water in Hauser Creek. We carried 5 liters of water each from Campo which was about half liter more than we each needed. Temperatures were very mild — low around 27.

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Walking

Fall Colors at Hauser Creek

Hauser Creek
Hauser Creek

Last weekend we hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from Highway 94 to the Lake Morena Campground. We stopped at Hauser Creek for lunch, and to enjoy the fall colors. After lunch we hiked out of the Hauser Canyon and on to the Lake Morena Campground.

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Walking

The Otay Mountains

The Otay Mountains
The Otay Mountains

On this morning’s hike up Mount San Miguel, we walked up into the clouds. On the way down, as the clouds started to clear, we could see the Otay Mountains in the distance.

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Walking

Mount San Miguel

Mount San Miguel
Mount San Miguel

We made another hike up Mount San Miguel on Sunday. Great views, but a steep walk up. About 4.8 miles round trip, with just over 2,000 feet of climbing. The area is starting to be discovered. We are seeing many more hikers on the mountain now, than a year ago.

Categories
Walking

Mount San Miguel

The view from the top.
The view from the top.

This morning’s views above the marine layer on my hike up Mount San Miguel in Chula Vista.