7 am – I was wide awake at 5 am but didn’t leave camp until gone 7 am. I was the first up and the last to leave! I’m walking with Di and Disco Daddy and the pace is just right.
 
7.18 am – We talk about poo a lot on this hike! Horse poo, human poo and we also see a lot of coyote poo! Di knows her poop. She also told me that she could hear something sniffing around her tent last night which scared me to death! I was camping next to her and never heard a thing.
7.26 am – We stop at a small creek which was just 1 mile from our campsite and fill up on water. For some reason, we got talking about cows (I can’t remember why?). Amber suddenly declares her love for cows and drops her shorts/leggings to reveal a very beautiful tattoo on her thigh of a Highland Cow.
8.10 – Amber & Harry are speedy hikers so we soon lost them. Me & Di are happily hiking and puting the world to right when a booming voice comes from just below us and shouts “boo”. It scared the bejesus out of me and I nearly fell off the mountain… thanks Harry!
 
9.08 am – Three of us (me, Disco and DinkyDi) are walking side by side on a road track singing “D.I.S.C.O” the 70’s song. We were so distracted that we didn’t see the turn-off for the PCT! One mile later we thought it best to check the FarOut Guide and I declared “In my  walking club this is known as a squiggle”. We traipse back up the hill (no singing now!).
 
9.42 am – We head down to Hauser Creek which is flowing really well but is easy to cross using stepping stones. From here we need to camel up as we have our first big mountain to climb (3496ft!). Others are here doing the same. Joel exclaimed that he had seen a snake! My heart stopped. It wasn’t a rattler, but a small grey-coloured one with a tiny head. He had to poke it with his pole to move it off the trail. We also bumped into a young man who was still packing up his tent. He shouted out to us “Watch out for poison oak!”. I had no idea what it looks like so I went over to his little tent spot and he showed me the evil plant! Noted.
 
The climb starts now. Let’s get this done!
 
10.10 am – 6.48 miles done. This is a hard climb and full of switchbacks. I’m with DinkyDi and Disco Daddy. We stop for a quick breather numerous times on the way up and we are drinking so much. The views are just spectacular and it’s difficult to out it into words. We are walking through boulder fields and then gorgeous green areas. The flowers are wonderful as well. Note to self: take photos of the flowers and Cacti 🌵 tomorrow!
 
12 noon – All three of us turn a corner and there it is in the distance. Lake Morena in its full glory. It feels so good to see civilisation. 1 mile to go until we can order that cheeseburger that I’ve been thinking about for a while!
 
12.30 pm – We made it to the famous Malt Shop where we all ordered burgers and coke. It tasted so good! Probably the best burger I’ve ever tasted! It’s gross though as I’m filthy and there is dirt under my nails! Captain Cook is here and has decided to continue on to the next campsite as he wants a PCT tag, and he can get one from the PCTA at Boulder Oaks Campground. That’s another 6 miles! Many people didn’t get their PCT tags at the start of the trail as the lady giving out the tags was on holiday for Monday & Tuesday.
 
We finish our food, gather our stuff and lift those heavy rucksacks onto our backs. Heading back to the campground Dinky Di and I decide to camp there. It’s $5 for the night and more importantly, they have hot showers! I have no soap or shower gel but find some in a hiker box. That will do! The shower is so good. It was $0.25 for 4 mins. I had 16 mins and washed my clothes at the same time. I feel like a human being once again.
 
3.15 pm. There are lots of familiar faces at this campsite and also quite a few new ones. We said goodbye to Disco Daddy, Supervisor Sam and a few others. Sierra (a young lady from Montana) was sitting on the floor rubbing body glide on the inside of her legs. “Are you ok?” I ask. “Chub rub sucks!” She says. They all head off to Boulder Oaks to get their PCTA tags and we will catch up with them in a few days.
 
4.10 pm – An older gentle turns up at the campsite with a big bag of tangerines. His name is Scott and he lives in the village. He adores ThruHikers and he gives trail magic every day to those at the campground. He points out a huge pelican that flew over the lake and also an eagle. Wow! “Does anyone need a lift to the Malt Shop?”. Six of us say yes please and hop into his people wagon. “Would you like a little tour of the lake?” He asks and we all say yes enthusiastically. Lake Morena is stunning. He drives us around pointing things out and telling us stories of the village and about his own hiking experiences. He gave tips on how to gut a fish and where the best place to go trout fishing is in the area. He showed us an eagle’s nest that had two youngsters. It was just surreal. I’m so glad we stopped here. Scott dropped us off at the Malt Shop and I bought snacks and lunch for tomorrow. I was tempted to have another cheeseburger but thought I’d save my pennies.
 
I spent the rest of the evening chatting around the fire pit and then writing my blog in my tent.
 
LEARNINGS:-
Showers are the best invention ever!
 
Thanks for reading my rambles.