Home, black eyes, blood and the beginning of my hike

Finally I'm finished doing everything back in my home town. It was a great visit, the last few times I've always missed spring.

I'm on the Amtrak train going to San Diego and from there I will go to Campo to start my hike.

I had a really good time at home visiting my friends and family. I also did a lot of hiking around the area where he grew up, but unfortunately a lot of deer also live around there.

During that time I got three ticks in me and went to the doctor and got some antibiotics to take care of any Lyme disease in my system. Hopefully it doesn't happen again while out in the middle of no where. 

On Wednesday the 13th I spent a night in San Luis Obispo and had an unusual visit. The first thing I did was check into my hostel and got all my stuff sorted out. The I felt like getting a little bit of exercise. So I put on running shorts and started to go towards on of the many peaks in the area. While trying to get there I was stopped short by highway 101. I kept trying to find a bridge or an underpass but I had no luck

Then I saw this huge covered pipe on the other side of a fence. So I jumped it and got a little scratched up in the process. Then I went through it just to find myself in a residential area. Then finally I got to some trail leading up the mountain. I made it to the top and had a wonderful view.  While I was going back down I saw tons of bitty college kids talking and acting like I was a strange vagrant, which I suppose I looked like. It was strange being back in a place where most people seem to be very privileged. On my back to the hostel I found a much easier route and didn't have to go through the pipe again. 

After getting back I went to Palazzo Giuseppe's the restaurant where I use to work to see if a gift certificate that I got a long time ago would work. 

When I got there I started asking if anyone I knew still worked there but know one I knew was still around. Then the manager asked me when I worked there. I don't thought it was a couple years ago but when I said 2006 the manager said, "that is nine years ago" and laughed. I was surprised how the time passed. The I sat at the bar and had a beer and ordered some pizza to go. It was weird going back to a place where I went almost every day where nothing really changed except the people.

Once I got my pizzas I went down the street to a bar and sat down for another beer. Having a stack of pizzas made me popular pretty quick. I was talking to people about the PCT and school then all of a sudden I was on the floor with blood all over me. I heard someone saying "I don't know why he hit you." I have no memory of 20 seconds before or after the incident but I guess someone snapped and punched me then took off. I think I got a concussion because I was not good a finding my way back. I was walking around for hour going in circles and passing familiar streets until I finally got back to the hostel to sleep for a few hours then jump on a train heading to San Diego.

  

On the train I tried to sleep and eat some food but each bite I took shot pain from my teeth to the entire right side of my head. I hope that it will get better soon because it is a real challenge to eat anything that requires chewing.

After arriving in San Diego around 3pm I hopped on the orange tram heading to El Cajon, a transit center on the eastern edge of the city. The place wasn't the best but there was a small store that sold soft serve ice cream which was nice. Then at 545 I got on the bus to Campo. During the entire two and a half hour bus ride I didn't hear much English. At times I felt that I was going to somewhere in Mexico. Especially with the burning buildings on the side of the road. I later found out that this was the Tecate factory in Mexico.

Finally I made it but feeling worn out and tired.  I'm in Campo and I'm ready to start my hike in the morning. Kind of a rough start, hope this means my hike will be like a tranquil walk in the park... We'll see.