DAY 4: LAGUNA

There is a lot of foot pain. Not really blisters, just aching. It will go away, but in the mean time, while we're breaking in our bodies and acclimating them to a grueling lifestyle, it is very unpleasant.

Today we woke up at our lovely Burnt Rancheria campsite (set up the tent on a paved parking spot because the entire campground was sprouting little prickliest that were as sharp as nails - pricklies that even poked through our ground sheet!) to a still abandoned ghost of a campsite.

There is "no remote camping" allowed in the Mt. Laguna Recreation Area so we had high tailed it here order to stay out of trouble. There were strange bird sounds at night and an owl the size of a dog in the tree above us that kept needing to go places, so I had trouble sleeping. There was also a very low flying helicopter at 1:00am that woke me out of a deep sleep and was so alarming (and creepy) that I couldn't fall back asleep.

Made it to Mt. Laguna by 9:00am just in time for the store to open! I bought candy bars (because, somehow, I've been chocolate-less this entire time) and promptly devoured a dark chocolate Milky Way for breakfast. Followed by 2 Starbucks mocha drinks (those coffee delicious things in the glass jars?) I LOVE THOSE.

We spent the next 6 hours loitering on the General Store deck - eating junk food, unpacking our bags everywhere, etc. - at noon the POST OFFICE OPENED and we had our mail drops waiting there for us!!! This was so exciting for some reason.... Considering we packed those boxes for ourselves only a few weeks ago.

We reloaded our food bags, taped our feet, and went to the local outdoor outfitter, where I bought insoles! I'm excited to actively try and curb the insidious foot problem that is taking place.

Met about 20 other thru-hikers at the lodge. It was nice to finally meet more people, finally. It's crazy to think that all of those people were right behind is all along! We were among the first crew to roll into town.

Finally got back on trail at 2:30pm and immediately felt the pain. Ache feet. Good thing we only went 5 miles this afternoon... I think our feet need some time to rest, elevate, and heal.

We are camped at "The Shrine" tonight and its splendidly serene (although odd). It's a sort of camp-esque/cabin area-esque/village off of the hwy that seems to be vacant. There are SHOWERS here and a real bathroom! It is interesting how luxurious a camp bathroom/shower/washing your clothes in a sink with spiders has become. I was grinning the entire time. Washed my clothes!!!! Now they hang to dry on a fence while we sleep.

My posts feel so rudimentary now that I'm using an iPhone type. I apologize for spelling errors, iPhone autocorrects, and disjointed text.

There's a fire burnin' somewhere (wildfire) I can smell it in the air, and the views are obstructed by smoke. It's eerie.