The evening of May 16, we arrived at camp CLEEF. We were excited that the concept of this massive dream was finally happening. We had spent the previous weeks answering questions from coworkers, family and friends that ranged from "are you bringing a gun" to "where do you poop?" I was tired of receiving unsolicited advice and ready to break free and walk. After everyone set up their tents and walked to the terminus (which I have lots of opinions about), the trail angels gave a campfire talk about the PCT. Most of the information consisted of dehydration and survival advice but I found the comments on hitch hiking to be very useful. Wave at everyone, be super friendly even if they don't offer you a ride and as a woman, take one for the team and be a "ride bride." It was hot that night and we both tossed and turned on our sleeping pads, finally we just got up at 5am to start the day. They had bagels and other breakfast treats laid out for the hikers, which we loved. The running water to brush our teeth at camp was also appreciated.
The biggest goal for us that morning was to get the PCT tag for our backpacks, and the rangers did checks starting at 6:30am. Coming from the PNW, we realized that starting at 6:30am is too late and it's already hot. We were sweating by the time we reached the terminus and to make matters worse, they warned us that the rattlesnakes are out. I had three major fears going into the PCT. 1) My ACL acting up. 2) Rolling my ankles. 3) Snakes. I grew up in the desert and my mom tried really hard to train me to not be afraid of things (snakes, spiders, lightening) but here I am, a grown woman that jumps at literally everything. I spent the next 2 weeks trying to train myself that not every sound in the desert is a rattlesnake waiting specifically for me, under a bush, to sink its teeth into my calf muscle. As we set out from the terminus, everyone launched themselves down the trail at a pace I found unattainable. With all the energy and anticipation of this day, it was challenging, to not want to go as hard as the others. The biggest thing we learned early on was to get into a groove and not get caught up in what others are doing. On day 1, we stopped at 1pm (8 miles) because it was too hot and agreed we would nap and wake up at 3am the next day. This routine worked for us, until we hit cooler climates. We watched a lot of people push themselves to exhaustion, get blisters and drop out because they couldn't keep up with the pack. We took it slow early on, stretching and warming-up every morning, stopping when it's too hot and stretching before sitting down. Going into week 4, we are feeling strong. Tired, stinky and sore but strong. Now we're consistently hitting about 20 miles a day or that equivalent, with elevation gains. The biggest challenge is trying to enjoy the moment and not fret about the Sierras. We still have 3-4 weeks in the desert and much more to experience.
Favorite town: Julian
Favorite freeze dried food: Peak Refuels
Favorite day: San Jacinto summit
Least favorite day: Descent to Julian
Rattlesnake encounters: 3
Lizards touched: 2
Trail magic received: 2 chocolate chip cookies, 4 fancy raspberry fig bars, 1 beer, 1 breakfast burrito, 2 chicken salad sandwiches, 1 mini bag of Cheetos, 1 ice tea, 1 tangerine
Boxes from parents: 3
Packages sent to the PO Box or Payden's parents house: 5
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