27 miles today. Our second biggest day, and we made it before dark. Woke up at five to the alarm on Jerry's new calculator watch, and we were on the trail by six. The first few hours went well, but by eight the sun was already bearing down. We followed the trail down out of the hills, past a dam, then along a highway. We found an empty cooler when the trail veered off again, the remains of trail magic. Then it was back up a steep hill. It was very hot, and I struggled to the top of the hill and over to see, suddenly, a lake! It was beautiful, spread out far below us. Speedboats and jet skis glided around on the surface and the shores were dotted with people fishing. We skirted the edges on the lake for a mile before finding a trail that split off and made our way to the pavilions and shade for an early lunch.
After lunch, we went back up to the trail and around the edges of the lake some more. Eventually, the trail cut away from the lake and descended to a road below. Tom and I caught up with Jerry, who had passed us during lunch. He hadn't eaten yet, so we followed a bike path to another picnic area, this one with a water spout! I filled my Nalgene, chugged the liter, then filled it again and drank some more. Then, I waddled over to a grassy area where Tom and Jerry were relaxing. I laid on my back in the grass, shaded by a tree, and I thought of home. I don't think I've ever been as homesick.
We rested for about an hour, then reluctantly threw our packs over our shoulders and headed back to the trail. The sun was now very hot, and we climbed into the hills, dripping sweat. Lots more climbing and a long descent, and we found ourselves in Crowder Canyon, where we made dinner a a creek and set up camp under buzzing power lines. I can hear traffic on a road in the distance.
22 miles to Wrightwood. Should be there Monday morning. Night.
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