Day 1- Miles 444.1 to 447.1

With my DIY backpack loaded at 30lbs (with food and 3 liters of water), I left the Acton KOA late at 3:30 pm. I paid $10 p/day that I would be out on the trail for parking and was determined to spend the night out.I walked 3 miles in 2 hours with some effort on the slight ascends. This will give you an idea of my physical conditioning at the moment. I'm 48 years old, chubby and no Cory Everson. Do you remember her?

The first challenge I found was crossing the Santa Clara river. Although small, it was running quite fast from the recent rains. Walking up and down its muddy banks, it took me around 40 Minutes to figure out where to cross it safely several times with pup in tow.



Once this grand accomplishment happened, I eagerly crossed the railroad tracks and took a photo of the upcoming terrain. Apparently I missed noticing the historic spike monument until a fellow hiker pointed it out on my photo, to the left. Oh well, on I went.

Eagerly looking for a campsite, I eventually came upon a spot that looked somewhat flat enough to set camp. It was getting dark and cold, so I pitched my tarp for the first time here. I tried to make sure there were no gaps from the ground, placed stones on the end that faced the wind and went to bed.

What I discovered in the next few days was very helpful: no matter how cold it is, a tarp needs plenty of air to come thru the bottom in order to avoid condensation. I was treating my tarp as a tent, basically expecting a dog to meow.


Photos of  Day 1

Unknowingly (there were no signs), I hiked a small area of the trail that was closed due to fires from last year. I stayed on the trail the entire time, not hurting the young vegetation that is starting to spring from the ashes. This was the terrain for about .5 mile after crossing the  Santa Clara river.

2 hours and 3 miles into my walk, as the sun was setting, I decided to pitch my tarp at mile 447.1