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Water, Wattage & WiFi (D-2)

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Today was going to be tough one. If yesterday's elevation gain of 1000+ m was difficult, today's 1400+ m was going to be relentlesly uphill from the start to the end. With hiking legs still to be developed and 3 liters of water carry for a total pack weight of around 18-19 kg, it promised to be a challenging day.  And it lived up to the challenge 😄.  There were a few bright spots though including coming across the cold and clean Kitchen Creek and meeting a bunch of hikers both local & PCT.  The second half of the day was a slog and I was ready for it to end. The goal was to reach Mt Laguna town and find a place to replenish water, charge my phone and get some WiFi as I doubted there would be any decent cell phone signal.

But, lo & behold, as soon as I stepped off the trail to go to town, I was introduced to the famed Trail Magic!! A few trail angels has setup a picnic and generously welcomed all the hikers with cold soda, snacks, cookies, pie etc.  They also have free spots to pitch our tents, in addition to hot coffee & pancake breakfast the next morning.  All this for free with not even donations wanted or accepted!  What a wonderful thing. On top of that, they had a generator running to charge phones too 😄. Finally, the cell phone signal was so good that I was even able to make a short video call home.
The gentler start

Trail crosses under a highway overpass
Cooling down in Kitchen Creek
Wet cloth on the head for the afternoon hike
Trail magic!

For my data-minded friends:

Comments

LisaB said…
You are amazing Ravi!! The scenery is beautiful. Thanks for sharing your experience this way. Look forward to hearing and seeing more.
Lisa
April 19, 2022 at 12:04 PM
Sreedevi said…
Wow SR! too good yaar...please keep on sharing your experiences...I am getting the feel of
the PCT through your posts.
April 20, 2022 at 2:04 AM
Mangala said…
This is an adventure of a life time! Thanks for taking all of us along!
April 20, 2022 at 5:56 AM
Kavita Nair said…
who took ur pic from the back? its come out well!
April 21, 2022 at 2:20 AM
Vipul said…
You look fully charged up Ravi, nice pics.
April 29, 2022 at 6:51 PM
Elvis Almeida said…
Hi Ravi, thanks for sharing your journey. It's absolutely amazing and inspiring to first experience it and the other to do it all by yourself. I really envy you. Great going. Best wishes and keep sharing so I too can feel your experience.
August 7, 2022 at 10:00 PM
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