Day 4: Mount Laguna to the only safety we could find from the storm

(From yesterday) As I write this, I’m laying in my sleeping bag in an empty water tank off a dirt road, which was BEST case scenario for what was an increasingly dire situation. Now let me tell you how we got here.

After another night of bad weather, I awoke only somewhat rested. The store where Kale and Dugan needed to resupply didn’t open until 9:30, so we slept in. While I love my Zpack Hexamind Solo tent, I am realizing it doesn’t do well in the wind. It flaps around and can be very loud. Other zpack tent owners said they have the same issue. It also could be user error since I’m still figuring it out. I ended up buying some ear plugs, which I hope will help.

While waiting for the store to open, Dugan and I stopped by the local outfitters. I ended up snaging a pair of basically new superfeet insoles from the hiker box, which is a box where fellow thru hikers leave gear and food they don’t want or need anymore. Just the night before I was researching the insoles online, and these happened to fit me perfectly. I also got some trail mix and pro bars from the hiker box at the store. My day was off to a great start.

We finally set out from town around 10:30. Word had spread that weather was going to be very windy, which kept some people from leaving Mount Laguna. Dugan and I felt confident in our ability to get some miles in so we decided to hike on. From the beginning, it was very foggy. Unfortunately, this meant we missed the views at many outlooks. On the flip side, it was rad to experience the trial this way. It was by far the windiest day I have ever hiked in. At some points, we estimated wind gusts to be 45 mph. It was insane. And awesome. We passed at least ten other hikers throughout the day who also braved the weather. We’d stop to discuss where we were from, weather, next water source..you know, common hiker banter.

Here is Dugan and a fellow from Virginia bracing themselves in the wind. 

Toward the end of the day, the weather even cleared up a bit, offering gorgeous views of the area we hiked from. It was breathtaking. This is why I love hiking. You never know what gifts nature will give you.

Then, around 4, the weather took a turn for the worst. Dugan and I had just arrived at a trailhead looking for a spigot in the parking lot when the wind picked up, spraying us recklessly with water and sand.  Visibility dropped to a hundred yards, and the temperature seemed to be rapidly dropping too. We were unable to find the spigot, but we did find some water jugs near an outhouse. We filled up our water bottles and debated camping in there for the night. I was not pumped about that at all, but we had to seriously consider it since we didn’t know the conditions of the next tent sites. We knew it could be too windy. Water began flooding the bathroom from underneath the door, which made the decision for us. We had to hike on.

At this point, I was wearing all the clothes I had brought except for a short sleeve shirt and a pair of underwear. After some almond m&ms to boost morale, we set out into the storm. We tried to scope out a few areas we hoped to pitch our tents, but the wind seemed to be gusting from every direction, making it impossible. After only a few minutes, we were soaked. And tired. We pushed on. It was getting close to 6, and we hadn’t seen any place we could pitch our tents. It didn’t look like we would find new terrain that would offer refuge from the storm that was howling around us either. It got to the point that I could barely walk straight the wind was so strong. I kept telling myself that although I was wet, I could stay warm if I kept walking. I also knew I had plenty of water and food and a dry sleeping bag. We could figure this out. We would be okay.

Then, we saw this gorgeous cement structure off a dirt road. We immediately ran toward it. At first, we thought we could use it to break wind for one of our tents that we both would have to cram into. Further investigation proved it was a dry water cistern and there was a ladder down into it. We were overjoyed. After getting all our stuff into it, we scoped it out. There was a decent amount of mouse poop, but it was such a blessing to be out of rain we didn’t care. It set in that we were safe and dry, and we both relaxed.

After fashioning a clothesline, we had a feast of smoked salmon that Dugan brought from Alaska and wine we had picked up from the store in Mount Laguna. We definitely had something to celebrate. The cement structure is moving around us, but I know we are lucky. After another 20+ mile day into the wind, I’m ready to sleep. Night yall!