Gorgonio stole my keys

A little background story.. Last year I promised myself I wouldn’t attempt Gorgonio in one day again. Let’s just say, this year I said it again, but will never forget how serious I am about it. The trail is beautiful, I had perfect weather, but I’m a firm believer that if I am putting in this long of a hike, I will make sure I enjoy and photograph along the way. Unfortunately, this doesn’t leave enough time to come back down in daylight. I’m not a fan of this. This trail is tough. I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning canyon area, it’s so GREEEEEN! There is of course a good amount of water along this trail as well that is enough to distract someone like me into wanting to sit by the water and contemplate life for while. 🙂 I spotted several signs of fall, as the leaves were beginning to change. As I began to reach the summit, I had to give myself alot of self talk. “You are almost there, for real this time.” ” You came this far, keep going.” ” You really need to question why you put yourself through this.” “Just kidding, you love hiking.” Once I made it to the top, it was freezing, and there were large chipmunks who looked like they might eat me if I sat still long enough. {please stop feeding these guys!} I didn’t have time to hang out, as I was losing time against sundown, so I headed back down. This is where the hardest part of the trail began. My knees started hurting, the rocky trail felt long and steep. But I had to keep my pace up to get down safely. Luckily, I met a hiker who ended up helping me keep my sanity while the darkness set in on the trail. Between our lights, and our conversation, and me “casually” clicking my hiking sticks on every rock possible to keep the big forest critters away, we made it down the mountain. Then, I realized I made a costly mistake. I apparently did not safely secure my car keys into my hiking bag, and frantically emptied all of my contents into the parking lot searching for them. No, I didn’t find them. This is the part where I again am VERY thankful for the fellow hiker, as he was able to get me home so I was not stuck in the dark. Lesson learned. Never just toss your keys into your bag. Also, either camp a night on the mountain, or start no later than 6AM. Although this all sounds like a warning against climbing this beast of a trail, it isn’t. This trail has tremendous amounts of beauty, and the 360 summit views are unforgettable. Just prepare better than I did. 🙂