Days 1-3

Day 1: 15.4 Miles (0-15.4)

Day 1 started in Mexico. Not literally, but we did put an arm into Mexico so I can official say I'm walking 'from Mexico to Canada'. After taking our terminus pic, we headed out as a group. 5 Americans from all over, 1 from the UK/Singapore, 2 Dutch, 1 from the Czech Republic, surely more to come.

Around 1pm we stopped at mile 8.4 for lunch, but more importantly - a break from the sun. We took shelter in the only place we could find, under a bush, and set up a rainfly to protect our legs. Lunch was Tuna and potato chips.

Around 6pm we rolled up to camp at mile 15.4. We all decided prior in the day we were going to ditch our tents and sleep under the stars tongue- otherwise known as 'cowboy camping'. After coming up with a rough plan for tomorrow, we stretched, ate, laughed, set out alarms for 5:45am and got in bed by 8:30pm.

Day 2: 16.7 Miles (15.4-32)

Day 2 started with a 4 mile climb in to Lake Moreno village. We stopped at the malt shop where everyone enjoyed a nice burrito and I had potato chips and a whole block of cheddar cheese thanks to my compromised immune system (celiac). We ended up staying for 2 hours and leaving around noon, hiking during the hottest part of the day (not smart)

After an exposed stretch, we made it to a small creek that pooled into a nice swimming spot. We had missed the peak sun window, so getting out was awfully cold, but still nonetheless a great feeling.

We hiked a final 2 miles into camp during a beautiful sunset. My calf started to ache, so when we got to camp I did a lot of stretching. Hopefully it feels better in the morning because we have an 8 mile 1,800 foot climb to start the day.

Day 3: 15.5 Miles (32-47.5)

Day 3 started with a long uphill climb to the town of Mount Laguna. While ascending up to 6,000 feet, the landscape turned from desert to forest with tall pine trees.

Upon reaching town, my friends all went inside to enjoy their nice juicy burgers, but I fund a friend. Tori is a fellow celiac and we waited outside together after this encounter:

Me "can I please have the cheeseburger with the gluten free bun"

Restaurant: "ok"

Me: "do you mind changing your gloves when putting together my burger, I have a severe allergy"

Restaurant: "we can't do that"

15.5 miles later and we made it to camp. Today is day 3 and we have yet to use our tents. Falling asleep under the stars remains unbeaten. Today we camped at an official campground and had a fire. Feet and calves are sore but hoping it's just them getting into shape.

Days 1-3 stats: