So back on the trail after a great memorial day. The locals says this section of the trail is the hardest :). It seems like at most locations the locals say that either the trail entering their location or leaving their location is the hardest on the PCT. In Mt. Laguna it was because it is all uphill. Also Mt. Laguna is either the end of the 2nd or 3rd day on the trail and people are figuring out that their shoes are all wrong and they have blisters or battered toe nails. The angels at Ziggy and the Bear (after the 20 mile down hill from Mt. San Jacinto) say the next section is the worst because you have just come down 20 miles and you now have to start the ascent into Big Bear. The locals here say the next section of the trail into Aqua Dulce (SweetWater) is the worst because it is totally exposed and there is very little shade. Only one cave along the way you can go into to get relief from the sun. All of these people are probably correct. Each section of the trail is the worst… or perhaps rather it is the best.. each section seems to give you something new to think about. Anyway, Lenora dropped me off pretty early in the morning and so the exposed landscape did not really cause me any problems and the walk into Aqua Dulce was a good one. I have a picture down below of the cave that provides shade. It is not on the trail exactly but there is a well worn path that leads to the cave. This section of the trail was really quite nice. A lot of great rock structures including Vasquez Rocks. This apparently is a famous site because a number of Star Trek episodes were filmed here. When I arrived they were just starting to set up for some HUGE event and I’m guessing it was Star Trek related. I did not hang around long enough to find out. I continued on into Aqua Dulce where there are are 3 things that interest a PCT hiker. There is a cafe with great burgers, a cafe with great pizza, and a store with every thing that a PCT hiker needs. All of these places are very welcoming to PCT hikers and so I spent about 2 hours here getting a great burger and shopping for some food in the store to take along. There were probably at least 30 other hikers hanging around and waiting for the heat to drop off before continuing and just enjoying the little town. I left about 2 pm to continue but at this point in the trail you are actually walking right along a paved highway and the heat beats you from above and below. About 2 miles down the road another hiker named Sarge catches up to me. We soon come to a little church with a nice lawn and a big shade tree and we both agree it is foolish to keep walking in the heat and so we stop and rest on the lawn in the shade for about 2 hours. During this time no other hikers come by. They were smart enough to stay in town and enjoy the food and drink. Sarge said he had retired because who he was working for was doing immoral things. That pretty much opened the door and I had a wonderful time talking with Sarge about how wondrous the trail is and how it is natural to think of God while walking in such beauty. We started to walk again and it was not long before Sarge surged ahead and sadly I have not seen him again. I made it about 6 miles out of town to the top of a ridge and camped for the night. A good first day back.