3/18 – 3/20
It was strange finally driving south to the Mexican border after so many years of hoping and planning to hike the Pacific Crest Trail.
I have been researching the PCT since I learned about it during the summer of 2017. Since then, it has stood alone on my bucket list and wedged its way into every note or plan I made for the future.
I thankfully wasn’t nervous. After planning and thinking about it so much, there was nothing else to think about. I felt confident I had what I needed to begin and would learn the rest along the way.
As we got within an hour of Campo, some clouds began rolling in and I saw a big lightning bolt out of the window. It didn’t rain for long, but I started with my rain layers.
Dad and I were the only ones at the terminus aside from some construction trucks passing by. Most hikers start sometime in the morning but I got started at about 2:30 pm. I later heard from Kevin and Delinda that they saw about 10 people getting detained after illegally crossing the border that morning!
There are logs for hikers to sign all along the PCT. As you meet more hikers and travel further, the logs are a fun way to keep updated on whether the people you’ve met have continued on trail and how far ahead they are. I have since met many of the people who signed the first trail register before me!
Not even a mile into trail, I came upon Camp Lockett where other hikers were staying the night before getting started. Many take in a shuttle from San Diego and wait until morning to have a full day of hiking. I was not expecting to be meeting people that soon!
I have seen the “Class of 2024” wall on Facebook and had no idea it was right next to the southern terminus. I signed the wall, grabbed a free sticker, and set back out.
It took some time to get out of Campo and to stop seeing the border wall every time I turned around. I found out later that there is normally a naked man at the first water crossing but I was spared and didn’t see him. I guess everybody accepts that he lives there and he hasn’t caused any problems.
I hiked 8 miles and found a really beautiful place to sleep as the sun was setting. The hike was beautiful overall but I was looking forward to having a couple days knocked off to feel like I was doing a long-distance hike.
On day 1, I only met two hikers named Kevin and Delinda (aside from a non-PCTer who was looking for a rare land snail variety).
I talked to them briefly as I set up my tent for my first night, and we were surprised by a SpaceX launch before bed.
Day 2 was much more interesting on the social front. Most past PCTers say they wished they took more pictures of people they met, so I’m trying to do the same if I’ve spent more than a short moment with somebody on trail. Hikers normally overlap at water resupplies and end up talking.
One of the things I like about being on trail is that you don’t know how much time you’ll spend with somebody when you first meet them.I came across Magic Mike and Rockin Robyn early in the day and stopped to talk for a while. They’re from Florida and Alabama but met on the Appalachian Trail and are tackling another thru-hike together. They were full of stories from the AT which did not make me want to hike it at all (Lyme disease, storms on Blood Mountain). I’ve since crossed paths with them maybe 5 times but I don’t think we’ll keep the same pace for much longer.
I met Tarot coming down into Hauser Creek. We ended up hiking for the descent and hanging out while we filtered more water. She is a mother from Seattle with a hypnotherapy practice. It’s been her dream to hike the PCT for over 20 years! I learned a lot about her family and had such a nice time getting to know her.
I met Tarot coming down into Hauser Creek. We ended up hiking for the descent and hanging out while we filtered more water. She is a mother from Seattle with a hypnotherapy practice. It’s been her dream to hike the PCT for over 20 years! I learned a lot about her family and had such a nice time getting to know her.
I hiked the rest of the way to Lake Morena on my own and was motivated by the potential of getting a burger in town. It turns out Lake Morena has a campground with a designated PCT section (only $5 a night) so I took advantage of the camp showers while I was there.
My third day started off strong with a hiker box at the Lake Morena campground. Hiker boxes are for leaving unwanted items behind that other hikers might appreciate. Sometimes they have nice gear but this was mostly discarded food. Everybody is figuring out what they like and leaving the rest behind. I snagged some bars and had cereal for breakfast.
I was listening to The Great Gatsby on audiobook until I caught up to Tarot later down the trail. I wasn’t planning to match pace with anybody this early but I hiked the rest of the day with Tarot. We spotted interesting plants and small animals and had so many great conversations along the way.
We had lunch under this bridge and it felt amazing to take off my shoes and walk in the cold water.
Around this stretch were some of the first trail sections that were more level and pleasant. The overall consensus from hikers that I’ve talked to so far is that the desert section has far more of an incline than they expected. It hasn’t been unmanageable, but it is certainly not a mellow start and I am grateful to be here when there are many seasonal springs (although we got rained on a bit today).
After days of climbing up through canyons, we made it to a beautiful view less than 2 miles from camp.
We’re 32 miles down and hopefully I can kick up the mileage in the next couple days.
It’s the end of day three as I’m writing this and I’m in my tent in a nice canyon with big oak trees and frogs croaking. I’m 10 feet from the creek and camping next to other hikers (Tim, Manon, and a few whose names I’ve forgotten). It’s been a great day. My back is very sore but my feet and knees feel stronger. My body is coming to terms with the daily abuse of carrying weight but I’m taking it slow and hoping to avoid overuse injuries.
Tomorrow, we head to Mount Laguna. It’s only 8 miles away so I’m planning to resupply and continue on trail towards Julian. I’m hearing something about free pie in Julian.
Other tidbits:
