ADZPCTKO 2011

Pete and I at the border monument in Campo. (above)
ADZPCTKO was a success. After work last Thursday, I had an absolutely beautiful drive through the mountains to Sacramento where I met Spillz and Stumbling Norwegian. The three of us drove through the night to reach San Diego by 2:00am.

Camping in McCain Valley (above)

We met Hojo in San Diego, who called us and told us to join him at the Motel 6, just in time for the royal wedding. After a short night's sleep, we enjoyed a bacon filled breakfast at Denny's. Spillz dropped me off at my friend Pete's house in San Diego.

Pete and I packed up our things and spent the night camped in McCain valley after stopping by the border monument in Campo. We met an aspiring thru hiker named John who was just beginning his trek. It was a real treat to spend some time in the dry desert areas again.

After leaving McCain Valley, Pete and I spent some time near Mt. Laguna and did a short hike. Wildflowers were abundant.

We also came across these old Native American mortar holes. After leaving Mt. Laguna, Pete and I stopped by ADZPCTKO. Class pictures were being taken, and it was nice to see some of my old hiking friends again.

PCT Class of 2011 (above)

I ran into some familiar faces: Hiker X, Bigfoot, Grinder, Turtle Don, the Sobo Hobos, and Allan and his kids. That evening, there was a slide show presentation of the 2010 hike as well as a video about one man's 2008 thru hike. It was a very pleasant evening.

After saying goodbye to Pete, I camped in the Lake Morena campground and woke up early to meet Spillz and Norwegian for the ride back home.

Sunrise near Lake Morena (above)

The ride home was a real treat. For the first time, I was able to really observe the importance of water, and how vital it is to the farm fields in the central valley of California. It was fascinating to see the irrigation canals coming from the Sierra Nevada mountains, and to observe the "Congress Created Dust Bowl." Where water was forbidden, the land simply dried up along with everything planted on it. Sometimes there were fields of dead trees. Winter rains are not enough to sustain these fields in the dry, hot summer. Overall, it was an excellent weekend.