Day 0 (May 8-9th): Scout and Frodo’s
I was lucky enough to stay with legendary trail angels Scout and Frodo in San Diego before beginning the trail. I was a bundle of nerves as I did my COVID test and entered their extraordinary hiker haven. They had several tents set up, a beautiful tree house, and a campfire pit, around which they shared their trail stories and advice. The first night I stayed, there were only about eight of us. I befriended Ears from Australia and Darius and Gerald from Germany. The second night there were about 22 of us, and it was one of Scout and Frodo’s last days of hosting for the season. While staying at their place, I grocery shopped, mailed my boxes onwards to Idyllwild, and ate really well. I highly recommend staying with them if you can.
Day 1 (May 10th)
Mile 0 – 15.4
15.4 miles (24.8 km)
I woke up at Scout and Frodos and caught the PCT Southern Terminus Shuttle to the terminus with several other friends who stayed at Scout and Frodo’s as well. We all took our terminus photos together and started hiking.
Hitting the first mile marker was surreal! I was still near a couple of friends, so we took a photo together. Soon we separated into a little conga line- passing each other whenever anyone stopped for a break. I saw a rattlesnake just past mile 10, but it was too cold for the little guy to even rattle, let alone bite. I had considered stopping around mile 10 or 11, but not seeing any friends or good camping spots, I continued on my way, making it to Hauser Creek around 7:30pm as the sun was setting. Finally, I found my friends!! It was such a good feeling to know I had caught up with them. Everyone was already getting ready for bed, so I got to setting up my tent. I had never really had to set up this tent entirely alone before, though I have slept in it dozens of times. Fortunately, Darius saw me, exhausted and struggling, and came to help me set it up. I made dinner alone in the dark and fell into bed exhausted.
Day 2 (May 11th)
Mile 15.4 – 28.6
13.2 miles (21.2 km)
I can’t believe that some people hike all the way to Lake Morena on their first day on trail! I woke up after a solid sleep to find all the tents around me gone. I packed up my camp and crossed over Hauser Creek, where I ran into Darius, also packing up to leave. Our friend Gerald’s tent was still set up with no sign of movement. He had already been asleep when I finsihed setting up my camp, so I hadn’t seen him since earlier on Day 1. I continued on, hoping to see him later. I arrived at Lake Morena around lunch time and ran into Magic Man– a trail angel who told us that he tries to follow the bubble down trail. He provided us with some cold drinks and told us we could leave our backpacks if we wanted to go checkout the campground canteen. I headed over that way with Darius, Devon, Slim Jim and a few other friends. After some fries, I went bag to get my backpack from Magic Man and ran into Gerald! He was suprised that I had passed him, which made me proud of how I was doing so far. I boogied on down the trail. I had hoped to go a little bit further, but instead I decided to go a little off trail to dunk myself in a nearby waterfall. I ran into Darius coming up from the falls while I was headed down. When I got back up top, I set up camp and was soon joined by Cliff and Lost Keys– a couple hiking the trail together. Lost Keys is getting her triple crown with this hike!
Day 3 (May 12th)
Mile 28.6- Mile 41.5 (Mount Laguna Campground)
13.1 miles (21.1 km)
Today was a long hot day. I used a couple of my electrolyte packages and they made such a difference! I ended up sharing a few with my new friends Cliff and Lost Keys. They were drinking directly out of their sawyer squeezes, instead of pre-filtering water, which made it difficult to drink enough water and they were feeling the effects. We joked about seeing trees in the distance and how much we missed them! I walked about 9 miles in the morning and then had lunch at a nice creek with a strong stream of water. Cliff, Lost Keys, Trevor and Julian showed up around the same time as me, so we all ate lunch together. I ran into Gerald again at Boulder Oaks campground, and waved hello, hoping to see him down the line! A few more very hot miles brought me to Mount Laguna. Devon (now going by Ohio) had purchased a campsite for any PCT hikers who wanted to join him. We offered to pay him, but he wouldn’t take anything. A good reminder that hikers can also be trail angels! I ended up staying there with Darius, Julien, Cliff, Lost Keys, Ohio, and Yoshi. We enjoyed the picnic tables and the soapless showers and each others’ company!
Day 4 (May 13th)
Mile 41.5-56.0
14.5 miles (23.3 km)
Today was amazing! In the morning we shared the trail with a 50 mile endurance race. My head swiveled every few minutes to let a runner pass me on the narrow trail. It was an out and back race, and runners were running from Boulder Oaks Campground, which we passed mid day yesterday. I said a few words to every runner that passed to cheer them on. Several of them wished me a good hike. One actually stopped running to tell me that I inspire him. They inspired me! The morning went so fast with so many little boosts as the runners went by. As the day got hotter, my spirits dampened a little. We had a 9mile water carry today, which was long and hot and the arches of my feet are really starting to hurt. By 2pm I made it to the picnic area that had a water spout and I ran into a bunch of my friends: Ears, Lost Keys, Cliff, Darius, Julien and others! We all siestad in the shade until about 4pm when I worked up the energy to hike another 3.2 miles to a dry campsite– which meant I had to carry extra water with me for dinner and the morning. I was glad I did though. This was the most beautiful section of trail so far! Completely stunning. Darius and I ended up hiking together and we found Julien set up in a crevice. Luckily, Darius pointed out an absolutely stunning camp spot, with a view looking out at sunset over the mountains. I set up my tent without my fly, so I could enjoy the stars. Just as the sun was setting Darius, Julien and I climbed onto a big boulder to cook dinner, take photos, and watch the sun set.
Day 5 (May 14th)
Mile 56.0- mile 71.1
15.1 miles (24.3 km)
When I woke up this morning, I climbed back up onto the boulder to watch the sunrise. I love that boulder. As the sun rose, the day got HOT– the lack of shade was brutal. In the morning I felt great– super strong and moving quick, but as the sun rose higher and we started a steep descent, I slowed down considerably. I was aiming for a watering spot to eat my lunch, but when I arrived the creek bed was dry! Luckily some hikers pointed me up stream about 100 meters to where there was still a trickle. I hung out there for a while with some friends, hoping that the intensity of the sun might decrease in the evening. No such luck, so I kept hiking. It was a beautiful but hard day. I am very excited to get into Julian tomorrow for a nice hot shower.
Day 6 (May 15th)
Mile 71.1- mile 77.1 (Julian!)
6.0 miles (10 km)
In the morning, I spent the morning walking with Darius and Julien, enjoying the blooms and scaly creatures of the desert. We made it to Scissors Crossing by about 10:30am and caught a hitch into the town of Julian together.
Julian has everything a hiker could want! A great gear store, several hotels and FREE pie from mom’s pie! Not sure where to head first, we went and got some pie at Mom’s! This was my first vegan test on trail. I ended up eating the pie, but skipping the ice cream… It was free after all! Then we went to the gear store. I decided to replace my Sawyer Squeeze, which I have had for several years, because I was jealous of the flow that everyone else was able to achieve. The boys told me that they were going to stay at Julian Lodge, and I suddenly realized I didn’t know where I would be staying or who I would be staying with… It felt a little like walking into the cafeteria at lunch on your first day of school and hoping you’ll find someone to sit with. Luckily I ran into Ears at the gear store and she invited me to share a hotel room with her and a Taiwanese hiker named Yellowjacket. The Lodge offered laundry for 20$ per bag, so we all went in together to clean up. Darius and Julien decided to pass and instead washed their dirty socks in the backtub. Darius later admitted that this was a mistake.
Being in town for the first time was a strange feeling. It was easy to get caught in the vortex of town and feel like you didn’t want to leave. It was comfortable. Ears– an accomplished hiker who had already completed the Appalachian Trail– told me that she was thinking of leaving trail because it wasn’t what she wanted at the moment and this made me wonder if I was doing the right thing. To be honest, I have been so focused on just getting by, that I haven’t truly thought about what I want. I am excited about the places I am seeing and the friendships I am making, but I also am desperately missing my partner and my dog. After a small existential crisis and a long, hot, soapy shower, I head out for pizza with Ears and a few other friends. My first ‘nero’ day in town is a success!
