Day 7 – What a difference a day makes !!!!!

Day 7 – April 20th, 2018

Mount Laguna (42.7) to

Oriflamme Canyon (55.9)

Anticipating and hoping for better weather today, I opened the heavy curtain in the little room cautiously: Yes !! The sun was rising in the east and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. A promising start to the day, time to get back on the trail. But first I had to try on the new shoes again, the ones that despite being one size larger, wouldn’t fit my badly swollen feet when they first arrived. Being a proctastinator, I had to tidy the room, shower and finish packing, intentionally delaying my departure out of fear the shoes wouldn’t fit. If they didn’t, I would be forced to slide my still damaged feet into them and hike to Julian where a larger pair was waiting for me; thank you REI. Hi

After delaying my departure for as long as possible, it was time to try on the new shoes. They fit !!! And they were comfortable. What a difference a day makes. The weather was perfect and the shoes fit, it was time to go.

The trail leaving Mount Laguna has a gentle downgrade and provides an excellent overview of the dessert floor below. While walking along the narrow trail,
birds soared effortlessly while catching the warm therminals. In the distance you could see the Saltan Sea, another example of the effect the California drought is having on various inland bodies of water.

The moisture from yesterday’s rain and snow has rejuvenated the desert blooms, bringing colour to an otherwise harsh environment.

As the sun began to set in the west, I made camp in a lovely boulder field of perfectly round stones of various sizes, some as small as small cars and some as large as houses.