Julian – Campo – Day 165 Wed Dec 6th

Day 165 Wed Dec 6th
Tent site 1 after Mt Laguna recreational border – Tent site 1 Morena Butte
2615.7 – 2638.5
Approx. 1913 ft ascent 4780 ft descent
23.5 Miles

We woke up to a cold start compared to the previous day. As we approach Long Canyon Creek the ground is frosty and frozen.
It soon warms up as we climb away from the sheltered creek and the sun baths the mountains in warmth once again.

We only have 2 days left of all this and it seems crazy!

In approx 19 miles we have Oak Shores Malt Shop in Lake Morena.
This store apparently offers delicious malted milkshakes and other tasty fast food with our names written all over it.
The plan is to try and get there late afternoon so we can have one final supper on trail.

We meet another new Sobo – Trail Name “Story”
She seems super friendly and nice and tells us how she has been vlogging and documenting her hike on YouTube.
She gave us some great advice about how she has managed to monetize her hike and some good ideas for any future adventures.

It’s been nice to see some new faces on trail and that we are now part of a sobo bubble in the race to the finish line.
It also sounds like the terminus could well be busier than expected.
We pass “Story” sitting on a rock taking a break overlooking the mountains. It’s hot and we excitedly say we must be getting close to Mexico.

At around 11:00 we’ve done nearly 7.5 miles and we drop into the Fred Canyon tent site for a well-deserved break.
The tent site is shaded by a number of oak trees. It offers a perfect spot for a break out of the heat of the day.

As we descend further it gets hotter and hotter. Although luckily there is an occasional cool breeze which offers great relief.

We decided to play it safe with water today. Following a steep side trail down to Kitchen Creek. It was an Oasis with crystal clear water flowing through a creek.

We then started to hike down towards Interstate 8. In the foothills of distant mountains we can see lake Morena reflecting light back at us like a mirror.

Initially we had planned to stop for the night somewhere near the malt shop.
Although after discussing terminus arrival shenanigans we felt it would be better to try and squeeze more miles again today. This would mean that we could have a shorter day tomorrow and arrive at the southern terminus in the daylight for some epic closing pics.

Funnily our pal Smiles messages me to ask whether we plan to really stretch out these last few days. Part of me wants to, but there’s something taking over that’s driving us forward now.

Underneath the Interstate and Underpass we hike through a dry creek bed full of swaths of yellowing willow.
Frogs and toads croak a chorus in unison as we pass through. Making “ribbit” sounds similar to the noise from a wooden percussion instrument.

We stop at Boulder Oaks Campground for one final break. The camp spot had a picnic table and was perfectly shaded by the oak trees. With a cool breeze we had an enjoyable lunch of tuna and tortilla wraps.

These car camping campsites would be perfect back in the UK. Featuring fire grills, picnic tables and a place to park my van.

The next 6 miles seem to fly. The trial seems more sandy and forgiving, despite a few ups and downs.

As we approached the small town of Lake Morena we saw signs saying 21 miles to Mexico, which made us both feel very excited.

We reach Lake Morena trailhead where we are transported from trial to tarmac in seconds.
Oak Shores is a short walk away from the trail up the main street.
Lake Morena is an interesting little place with quirky buildings and ranches and the occasional boat parked outside on the street.

We arrived at the Malt Shop, both impressed with the cleanliness of the kitchen and the menu on display. As we place our order and wait it seems very popular with the locals.

I ordered Gyros and fries, which is similar to a donner kebab. Just much healthier.
Sarah ordered her first ever Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich, which blew her mind!
This is all washed down with a couple of Dr. peppers and of course a malted milkshake, which was a little like Horlics in a milkshake format.
All were delish!

It was a perfect last supper and we couldn’t believe our luck. We even packed out a couple of beers to take back to help celebrate our last night on trail.

During our meal a number of locals stopped to wish us congratulations.
One saying that this was a real feather in our caps and such an accomplishment.
Another guy told us how a mountain lion had been spotted near the trail earlier this morning.
As we had approached the lake we had seen what I thought were cat prints in the sand, but as it was so close to town I had wrongly discarded them.

By the time we left the diner it was dark and the temperature was dropping.
As we walked down the road back towards the trail we both had a delicious taste in our mouths.

It didn’t take us long to get back up to temperature, as the climb out of Lake Morena was steep with steps to negotiate.

We stopped and surveyed a number of campsites evaluating each before making our final decision. As this was the last night it needed to be a peach.

The first potential spot was at higher elevation before we started dropping towards Hauser creek. It was well sheltered, but seemed damp and cold.
We had read on Far Out that there was a decent spot just before we started dropping down to Hauser Creek. So we decided to push on further and check it out.
It’s an educated guess whether you end up in a great camping spot. Where you often don’t find out the answer to this until the next morning, once it’s light and / or after a bad night’s sleep / lots of condensation.
The comments in Far Out were also made by northbound hikers who passed through this stretch way back in April. So there was every chance the comments would now be inaccurate as now we are in December.

We arrived at the tent site to find the ground was dry and flat and it ticked all the boxes.
If we dropped down to Hauser Creek I think we would have found it damp and much colder.
We have a clear view of the night sky and it looks like we’ll get a super nice view tomorrow morning for our last final walk to the Mexican border.

Maybe the Hazy IPA we carried out to celebrate helped keep us warm. Although I’m as warm as toast standing half naked on top of the mountain, whilst getting changed into my bed clothes. Yet only a couple of hours ago I was freezing cold and the idea of stepping back out into the mountains was pretty miserable.
Providing you have the right gear it’s amazing how once you are up to temperature, it can all turn around. Even when camping out in these colder temperatures!

The Mexican border is only 16.7 miles away. If we get up early and push hard tomorrow we should be able to reach this by early to mid-afternoon. This will be perfect for some terminus pics providing the weather is kind on us.