The first week on trail has flown by! It’s been hard to slow down to write about everything as the momentum and adrenaline of starting such an extended journey swept me along. I’ve already made it 150 miles from the border to the town of Idyllwild. Thanks to the magic of social media I have been connected with my first cousin once removed who lives in Idyllwild and has generously offered to host me while I take my first zero day (Hiker slang for a day where you don’t hike any miles on trail. A day often filled with town chores such as laundry, grocery shopping, gear repair, and other resupply activities.) Thanks mom for posting about my journey on Facebook! And thank you cousin Colin and Paul! I could not have asked for a more relaxing and enjoyable first zero. I would also like to thank everyone who has made such generous donations to the fundraiser. We have already reached our goal of raising a dollar per mile of the trail and its only week one! The Max Fund and SMILE Camp are two amazing organizations, and your support means the world. Thank you so much!
Back to the start of the journey… Day zero was primarily spent in San Diego completing some final errands such as mailing my bump box (a box you continually ship yourself to resupply towns as you make your way along the trail. Contains things like extra town cloths, gear you may only need for certain sections such as micro-spikes, electronics, etc.) After a last lunch in town with my friend Katie, I was picked up by a trail angel (people who have provided support in the form kindness and generosity to hikers aka trail magic) Alan and a car full of hikers headed to the border. Alan was so kind and had brought us all Lara bars and bananas for the ride, asking thoughtful questions about how we had prepared, our gear, and what we were excited for on trail. I was immediately struck by how international the car of hikers was: two of us were from America, while the others were from Italy and New Zealand.
After heading to the southern terminus for some group photos and to ceremonially stick our feet across the border fence so we could say: “we started in Mexico!” We headed to CLEEF, an equestrian camp near the border that hosts hikers about to start their journey. Trail angels at CLEEF offered a hiker talk going over topics ranging from common medical concerns on trail, water conditions, to hitch hiking etiquette. I was again impressed by how international the crowd at CLEEF was: hikers hailed from not only all over the US, but also from the UK, France, Australia, Germany, Israel, and Japan. It was a restless first night with all of the excitement in the air. Since I had decided to cowboy camp (sleeping without a tent) that first night by the border, I spent most of it awake watching large barn owls swoop overhead. The first couple of days were exhilarating. I planned to cover at least 20 miles each day so I could eat dinner in the towns that the trail passes near. Town calories are critical for maintaining stamina on long through hikes and also offer something to look forward to as you’re building up your trail legs over the first couple of days.
The first week on trail has flown by! It’s been hard to slow down to write about everything as the momentum and adrenaline of starting such an extended journey swept me along. I’ve already made it 150 miles from the border to the town of Idyllwild. Thanks to the magic of social media I have been connected with my first cousin once removed who lives in Idyllwild and has generously offered to host me while I take my first zero day (Hiker slang for a day where you don’t hike any miles on trail. A day often filled with town chores such as laundry, grocery shopping, gear repair, and other resupply activities.) Thanks mom for posting about my journey on Facebook! And thank you cousin Colin and Paul! I could not have asked for a more relaxing and enjoyable first zero. I would also like to thank everyone who has made such generous donations to the fundraiser. We have already reached our goal of raising a dollar per mile of the trail and its only week one! The Max Fund and SMILE Camp are two amazing organizations, and your support means the world. Thank you so much!
Back to the start of the journey… Day zero was primarily spent in San Diego completing some final errands such as mailing my bump box (a box you continually ship yourself to resupply towns as you make your way along the trail. Contains things like extra town cloths, gear you may only need for certain sections such as micro-spikes, electronics, etc.) After a last lunch in town with my friend Katie, I was picked up by a trail angel (people who have provided support in the form kindness and generosity to hikers aka trail magic) Alan and a car full of hikers headed to the border. Alan was so kind and had brought us all Lara bars and bananas for the ride, asking thoughtful questions about how we had prepared, our gear, and what we were excited for on trail. I was immediately struck by how international the car of hikers was: two of us were from America, while the others were from Italy and New Zealand.
After heading to the southern terminus for some group photos and to ceremonially stick our feet across the border fence so we could say: “we started in Mexico!” We headed to CLEEF, an equestrian camp near the border that hosts hikers about to start their journey. Trail angels at CLEEF offered a hiker talk going over topics ranging from common medical concerns on trail, water conditions, to hitch hiking etiquette. I was again impressed by how international the crowd at CLEEF was: hikers hailed from not only all over the US, but also from the UK, France, Australia, Germany, Israel, and Japan. It was a restless first night with all of the excitement in the air. Since I had decided to cowboy camp (sleeping without a tent) that first night by the border, I spent most of it awake watching large barn owls swoop overhead. The first couple of days were exhilarating. I planned to cover at least 20 miles each day so I could eat dinner in the towns that the trail passes near. Town calories are critical for maintaining stamina on long through hikes and also offer something to look forward to as you’re building up your trail legs over the first couple of days.
I was impressed with how much water the Southern California desert had this late in the season. A May start is historically considered a late start on the PCT, but late snowfall this year has made conditions ideal and water plentiful in the usually dry desert. This also means that the desert is filled with flowers right now and my first couple of days were spent admiring all the different types of blooms. I passed through Lake Morena and gained elevation heading into Mt. Laguna, where the crisp air at 6,000ft and smells of ponderosa pine reminded me of home in Colorado. Hiking from Mt. Laguna into the town of Julian was the first real taste of the Crest part of the trail, with sweeping views of the desert valleys below and the distant snowcapped peaks to come. The miles into and out of Julian were some of the hottest I’ve experienced so far! I made it to Scissors crossing, a road junction where hikers often hitch into Julian, in the sweltering midday heat of the desert that was only manageable due to my favorite new piece of gear: a golden ultralight umbrella for sun and rain.
I was greeted at a shaded underpass near the crossing with banjo music being played by the relative of another hiker who was being picked up. These unexpected moments are some of the most fun parts of through hiking. Trail angel Ghost picked up a truck full of us and took us into Julian and gave a quick tour of the town. The town of Julian was where I had shipped my first resupply box and I was eager to enjoy some classic PCT experiences such as free pie at Mom’s bakery for hikers and a visit to Two Foot Adventures gear shop, “the best ultralight backpacking store in the universe”. However, after acquiring my free (gluten free/dairy free!) piece of hiker pie and a beer at Julian’s brewery, I ran into multiple hikers who were complaining of feeling sick or who knew of other hikers that were sick in the area. Maintaining health on trail is critical for a successful hike, so I caught a hitch out of town with the lovely Smith family and made it down to the RV resort near Scissors Crossing. The resort offered day passes that included showers, laundry, and even a refreshing dip in their pool, a welcome break from the desert heat!
Excited to get back on the trail and eager to beat the heat on an exposed southern facing incline out of Julian, I was able to get a ride from a trail angel nicknamed The Professor, back to the crossing in time to start a night hike. Being able to get in and out of Julian while resupplying, showering, and doing laundry was totally unexpected and probably one of the most efficient town days I’ve ever had backpacking. Thanks to two awesome trail angels and an easy hitch, what usually takes a full day just took an afternoon. That night I saw my first barrel cactus and tarantula by headlamp and found a comfortable spot to set up camp a couple miles up the incline. The next day I as I hiked along the exposed ridge, fighter jets passed by in the valley below performing arial acrobatics during their training runs. On trail entertainment!
It’s a 14 mile water carry out of Scissors Crossing to a water cache on the desert ridge, so having that nighttime start and a sunrise hike in the morning meant I made good time to the cache and was able to take a long midday siesta to avoid the heat. Siestas are a critical part of desert through hiking. You can make way more miles in the cool early morning and late afternoon hours of the day instead of roasting in the midday heat. I set up an excellent siesta spot in a bush that was able to support my umbrella and provide constant shade. I ate food and stretched as the midday heat beamed down on the trail to the water cache, frequented by both hikers and one of my favorite desert creatures: horned lizards! Hikers follow the weather, so when afternoon clouds cut the desert heat, I packed up camp and continued along the ridge.
The exposure of the ridge provided cell service and I decided to call my parents for the first time on trail. As I was describing the days sightings of jets and horned lizards, I spotted a rattlesnake ahead of me on the trail. This was not the first rattler I had seen, but this was the first one I had managed to elicit a rattle from. I’m convinced rattlesnakes have a flair for the dramatic, because of course I’m on the phone with my mom when it starts furiously rattling to the point that my parents can hear it over the phone while I’m standing 15 ft away. Sorry mom! Rattlesnakes will move on if you give them room, and after waiting to warn some hikers who I knew were close behind me, it was easy to pass the bush that the snake had chosen as its refuge. Later that same day I hit 100 miles! It feels like this trail is just flying along under my feet.
I awoke the next morning shrouded in mists that had turned into fat raindrops at around 4 am. I had cowboy camped that night and hastily set up my tent for the first time on trail at when it started raining. Off to a soggy start, I walked through misty cow pastures with oak trees occasionally looming out of the fog. Just as the mist began to break, Eagle rock came into view. Eagle rock is a formation that takes the shape of a soaring eagle (can you find the shape in the photo?) on the traditional lands of the Kuupangaxwichem or Cupeño indigenous people. Seeing the sun break up the mist around the formation felt like the spark I needed in my day. I was having my first gear issue that morning as well and needed to stop in the town of Warner Springs to figure out what was going wrong with my battery pack and charging system. Turns out I just had an old wall outlet that was going bad.
I managed to hike up out of Warner springs to a campsite with probably the best sunset view I’ve had on trail so far, and a lovely night of conversation while camping with fellow hikers who I had started repeatedly seeing on trail over the past couple of days. The first week of a through hike feels like speed networking: your meeting tons of new people all at once, you’re not sure who you’re going to see again along the trail or who you’re just going to pass by everyone is gaining their hiking legs at different speeds and going all different paces, from 5 miles a day to north of 30. I try my best to remember people’s names, since nothing makes someone’s day on trail then being remembered by someone they met briefly a week ago and haven’t seen since. Having a trail name like Cleopatra is helpful due to its unique and memorable nature.
The sunset camp spot also offered spectacular views in the morning of a cloud inversion in the valley below. It’s wonderful to wake up dry and look down below to where you woke up wet the morning before! Another hot day of hiking through an area with minimal water sources. Mikes place, a trail angel’s property along the trail, offered up a water cache that I’m grateful I took a full 5L water carry from. Even though hiking 10 miles mostly downhill with a full water load is tiring on the knees, it’s worth it when the spring at the bottom of the hill is a red muddy puddle with an oily sheen. Other hikers reported a metallic taste, even after filtration and treatment. I collected 1 L from the spring just in case I needed it that night. Thankfully I made quick time into Idyllwild the next morning and was able to dump the spring water without having to use it.
It was an 11.7 mile hike to highway 58, where I could hitch to Paradise Valley Cafe to be picked up by my cousin and taken into town. 11.7 miles was my shortest day on trail and to some, would be considered a nero. Nero is one of my favorite hiker slang words because everyone I ask has a different definition. A portmanteau of near and zero, its most basic definition is a near zero mile day on trail. Ask around and this can mean less than 5 miles, less than 8 miles, or less than 10 miles to some hikers. Some hikers define it as a day that you hike less than half your average miles, to others, it’s any day you hike less than your average millage, even if that’s in the 20s. One of my favorite definitions is that it’s any day you’re able to feel rested and like it was an easy day on trail. The 11.7 miles to Paradise was nice and easy, especially when I was able to have a big breakfast at the cafe with other hikers and my first real latte on trail with my cousin at a shop in the center of aptly named Idyllwild on a beautiful summer day. With week one complete, I’m looking forward to my first real zero here in Idyllwild. Next up on trail is the San Jacinto range, with a 10,000 ft peak that promises views of both mountains above and desert below.
Happy Hiking!
