March 4. Another 18 miles

Day 3

The night was warmer than expected although my elevation was considerably higher at over 4000 feet. I camped off a dirt road among the manzanita. 

Slept mostly with the sleeping bag as a blanket. Unfortunately I woke up at midnight and could not go back to sleep so I read a little more of the Martha Grimes novel "Vertigo 42" whose main characters are favorites of mine: Chief Inspector New Scotland Yard, Richard Jury, and his very rich and never inept friend Melville Plant, formerly Lord Plant. Exciting stuff. 

I got up relatively early and was on the trail by 6:50. A few miles along I caught up with Buffalo and BeachBum as they moseyed on down the trail. They planned to go another mile then camp to allow Buffalo's feet to heal a bit more - more likely for the toenails to come off. Ouch!

I experienced my first equipment failure today with a broken eyelet on my shoes. 

I had contacted La Sportiva to obtain a replacement pair of laces but I didn't think the eyelets would fail. I'll attempt a repair tonight in the coziness of the tent. 

Next stop was the Mt Laguna Lodge where I met John, the proprietor, and learned that Betsy had impressed him as a good and honest person by turning in a wallet the day before. The owner was reached and returned to pick it up. I picked up my resupply package after walking back to the Pine Valley restaurant for an awesome salad and a burger.  

Then I packed up and hit the trail to finish out an 18 mile day at the Laguna Campground where there were hot showers! Yay!

Tomorrow looks questionable. Water resources are sparse over the next 50 miles. I'll need to be careful. 

Allen