4/24
18 miles (mile 41.4, campground near Mt. Laguna to mile 59.5, sunrise trailhead)
We didn't intend on walking 18 miles today, but it's cold and wet. We were hiking in fast moving clouds all day, Super windy, super damp. The weather was on the verge of drizzle and rain all day. We put on our rain gear first thing this morning and just kept walking to stay warm while hoping to find a decent sheltered place to camp.
We didn't exactly find the spot out of the wind, it feels like we are camping inside a wacky inflatable fun man. At least we aren't sleeping inside the pit toilet like 3 of the hikers we ate lunch with today. I shouldn't speak yet, the night isn't over yet. The wind chill when we set up camp was 38 at 5pm but it's pretty warm inside the sleeping bag.
Looks like we will drop at least 2000 vertical feet tomorrow so I am hoping to exit the cloud even if it's still very windy. I'm not looking forward to putting on wet socks, shoes, pants and jacket in the morning.
I didn't expect it to be so cold and wet 4 days from the border. I think a lot of hikers are unprepared for this type of weather, thinking that it would be warm and dry, wanting to save weight by not packing warm gear. We feel more prepared than most. Also our packs are heavier.