It was hard getting up from that soft motel beds, knowing we have a hard day of climbing ahead of us. But I managed to pull myself up at the end, and start getting ready. The included breakfast was more than enough - they had this waffle batter dispenser, which you then put in the waffle machine, and get waffles 2.5 minutes later. I managed to eat only one. I also had a fresh orange, and a bagel, and was full. So that was a good start. We then just hang out in our room, hoping the cold grey weather over the mountains would lift. We tried leaving as late as possible, but finally we made ourselves go at about 9:30, hitting the trail just after 10:00.

The view when climbing up the trail today.
The view when climbing up the trail today.

The trail went under the interstate, and then under some rails, and started climbing up and along some hills. The weather was still a bit windy and chilly, but not too bad. We were planning on hiking out about 15 miles today, and leave about 12 for tomorrow into Wrightwood. But today miles were all dry, so I carried 5 liters of water on me from the motel. It was heavy. After several miles we reached a small water cache (which we weren’t sure would have water), and I was very happy to see several gallons there, so I drank almost a full liter from my pack, and then re filled. That was nice. I also had a bagel with cream cheese for lunch, which was a first for me, and I liked it.

From there, the trail really started to climb up, and we fell into a routine of hiking for about an hour, and then Idan would wait for me, and we’d rest for ten minutes. We weren’t sure if the campsite that was marked on the map at Gobbler’s Knob (that’s the real name for the place) is valid or not. But we ended up getting here at just after 17:00, and there are enough tent spots around. Pilgrim is also staying here tonight. I got here with about 4 liters of water (it was a very chilly day, so I wasn’t drinking much), and I only need about 2 tomorrow morning, so I gave him some of my extra. I might leave some behind here, in case someone comes along tomorrow and might find some use for it. I’m not going to carry extra water out of here.