We woke at the usual time but needed to kill the morning until the store opened. So like 3 hours. We hung the diaper laundry to dry, packed the bags, Toothless had another bath, played on the swing set and eventually hit the store.

We left Laguna after buying our resupply at the store. A bit later than intended but we were efficient. Toothless got another freezie and we got going after a brief chat with other hikers. 

Toothless road walked with a freezie. I had an Arizona iced tea. It was a chill morning.

We alternated shoulder carry and walking. Natasha and I traded more frequently than previous days. This felt much better.

Toothless likes Skittles. We need to get more of those. They are gluten free and hold up to the heat better than chocolate. They also allow him to snack slowly which prevents him from crashing during the day.

Toothless wanted to be called “hiker” today. Not the best trail name. A bit confusing. But Opa obliged and called him that.

After most of the day was over we got to a day use area just intending to catch some shade and grab water at the water tank then saw some other hikers we recognised. He waved us down and whistled – pointed to another picnic table and said they were expecting us.

Trail magic!

A wonderful couple were making hot dogs and handing out sparkling water. We were asked lots of questions and were given lots of hot dogs in return . It was awesome just to hang out and eat and chat. We were also given bell peppers, crackers and an apple.  What a pick me up!

We reluctantly moved on. We had to move further to get out of the Laguna area to camp. We found a slightly sloped but sheltered spot along the dirt road and crashed.