Mason

Day 3 – Horse Water

Originally published on Mason Hikes the PCT 2017.

Mileage: 24, which felt way better than yesterday.

Day three started off nicely with sleeping in, a quick walk into Mt. Laguna, and even a shower (thanks kind stranger that left quarters in the shower)! I topped off the morning with a bit of Silverado beef chili/quice and hit the trail out of town at around 11.

I hiked a bit and then found (what I thought was) a great afternoon nap spot underneath the boardwalk for a look out point, but I soon realized that tons of people come by and talk about anything from how crazy PCT hikers are to the profound meaning behind Ponyboy’s words in The Outsiders (not a joke). When I heard the sixth car pull up, I decided my nap was over.

After my nap, I got into a hiking groove and miles seemed to be falling off left and right. Part of this was because I changed my eating/drinking strategy so that I had a more constant flow coming in, but I really do wonder if certain miles on the trail are shorter than others. I think they have to be, but I don’t really have a way to prove that.

As I was chugging along, I noticed that many of the water sources were dry, so I was excited to hear of a reliable source in a few more miles. When I got there, I recognized it immediately from a YouTube video I watched: horse water. It was a disgusting trough of green/brown water with dead mosquitos, flies, and weird brown clumps with a handy little scoop to serve yourself. After exploring all other options, I started filtering and hoping that it wouldn’t kill me. My Sawyer Squeeze clogged twice during the stop due to god-knows-what being filtered out, but I eventually started heading back out to trail.

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On the way, I ran into a woman I had met earlier named Katie who informed me (after I made a joke about waiting for the next water source) that the next reliable water was in 17.9 miles and that I should make sure I have enough because people have already been evacuated on this stretch. I took her advice and decided it was a night hike into morning hike type of day. After looking up how many mountain lion attacks have happened in southern California, I hiked a few miles in the dark to call it a night.

Current pain: I’m currently just waiting for my left nipple to scab over and fall off from chafing, but other than that, I’m all good. I did witness the brutal murder of a lizard by a snake in the middle of the trail, so my heart hurts for his wife and children.

How I pass my time: