17/3/20
PCT Day 1
15.4 miles
Campo (mile 0) to Hauser Creek Tentsite (mile 15.4)
Finally, the day we had been dreaming about, then planning, had finally arrived. Today we started the PCT! Dad drove us from Huntington Beach to Campo on freeways that, due to the corona virus situation, were very quiet for a Tuesday morning rush hour. I was a mixture of nerves and excitement and Dad have to pull over for two wee stops on the way even though I had only had a coffee to drink this morning (along with lemon meringue pie and ice cream – the only sensible way to set yourself up for a thru hike!) ?
We parked up near the infamous southern terminus posts and after some final preparations checked in with the PCTA at the terminus, had the obligatory pictures taken and set off at 1015.
Dad joined us for the first 2 miles before turning back and we were off on our adventure. The weather was cool and cloudy for most of the morning, in contrast to the weather we had all imagined on this day, even Dad had remarked as we arrived at the terminus that when he had imagined dropping us off there, in the desert, he had pictured a hot sunny Californian day.
The weather improved a bit throughout the day and we enjoyed the walk, thinking about how far we would go today, would we make it to Canada, what would tomorrow bring, do I have enough food, do I have enough water…… I think it finally hit me about mid afternoon that we were really doing this. We have saved, quit jobs, given up a flat in London and it’s all been a bit non-stop recently with planning and preparation but now, with time to think, the realisation set in and I felt all warm and fuzzy!
We had been planned to go about 16 miles today and were aiming for Hauser Creek tentsite which we arrived at about 1800 that evening with about an hour remaining until sunset. Not the most ideal camp spot in a valley by a stream but there were plenty of pitches despite it being a popular first day camp spot and we found a pitch, setup camp and had dinner. Content, sore and aching (yes, already!), it was lights out for me by 2030 with the frog chorus from the creek for company as I drifted off.
18/3/20
PCT Day 2
13.2 miles
Hauser Creek (mile 15.4) to Wild Camp (mile 28.6)
Our second day on the PCT was full of sogginess from the beginning. Alarms went off at 0600 and before long were were breaking camp, prepared for a damp day. On the move by 0715, we had about 4.5 miles to Lake Morena where we were hoping for a hot drink, some food, and I needed to pick up a few snacks for the next few days. At Oak Malt Liquor Store & Cafe, we were able to order a couple of toasted sandwiches and some supplies but had to takeaway so we headed to the campground up the road to find shelter, share a sandwich (saved the other for later!) and use the facilities.
The rain continued most of the day with a few dry patches from time to time. On the plus side my rain ‘kilt’ was doing an excellent job and making me easy to spont from miles off. ? When the trail passed under Buckman Springs Road, we used the protection of the bridge to have a brief stop with a few other hikers (social distancing observed!) and grab a snack. Moving on, the trail crossed Cottonwood Creek and we experienced our first ‘river crossing’ with no way of keeping feet dry getting across and just round the corner the trail itself resembled a stream. Not too much further, another river crossing where the planks of wood put across the stream were floating. That’s a few more ‘river crossings’ than I was expecting in the desert! ?
We didn’t have a campsite or distance planned, but after arriving at camp the previous night at 1800, we had decided that we ideally wanted to be arriving at a camp by 1700 to allow enough time for setup and dinner before dark.
We considered stopping at Boulder Oaks campground but facilities weren’t great and there was a fee to camp there so we continued 1.6 miles to a spot and grabbed the chance to setup during a break in the wet weather by 1600. The rain continued on and off as we hunkered down in the tent and finished the sandwich we bought earlier in the tent.
I can just about hear highway 8 down in the valley below and we had good phone signal so checked weather forecast. Below zero tonight and due snow tomorrow. An interesting day to look forward to tomorrow with the trail steadily climbing about 1100ft to Mount Laguna. Looking ahead at the forecast tomorrow night in Mount Laguna, it reported overnight temperatures of -10 so we decided to use the good signal to book a place to stay in Mount Laguna where we can dry out some wet gear (it’s only day 2, we are easing into it! ?).
19/3/20
PCT Day 3
12.9 miles
Wild Camp (mile 28.6) to Mount Laguna (off mile 41.5)
A slow start this morning, alarm snoozing, packing up, eating breakfast and then waiting for a break in the rain to jump out, do our business in the wild and pack up a soggy tent.
The weather forecast had improved since yesterday and we were hopeful of drier, slightly warmer conditions. We set off with the prospect of a dry night in lodging at Mount Laguna in about 12 miles. We were climbing for a few hours through a mixture of wet and dry spells with chilly temperatures and not to much wind. As we climbed, rain turned to snow and for at least half the day we hiked in snowy conditions, 4-6 inches in places. ⛄
Despite the climb and conditions, we made good time to Mount Laguna and found the Pine Tavern open for takeaways. We grabbed a coffee to warm up and found our home for the night just round the corner. I nipped back to the Tavern to get a couple of takeaway burritos for our dinner. We showed and spent the evening drying all our gear in the tiny house. The heater has been on full, windows open and wet stuff hanging everywhere!
We made plans for the next two days with a couple of camping options 15 and 18 miles further along the trail for tomorrow and bearing water sources in mind as some long waterless stretches coming up. The weather is due to warm, brighten and wind should be low so the second camping option, which promised great views had us pumped to get a solid day in tomorrow. We made sure we had enough food to get us to Warner Springs (about 4 days solid hiking away) where we had posted a package to collect at the Post Office.
I spoke with Dad to get an update on the corona situation. At the moment we feel we are minimum risk to ourselves and others and with a package to pick up at Warner Springs, we can get to Idyllwild with minimum need to interact with others and minimum chance of picking up the virus ourselves.
The day before we started, the PCT Association released a statement asking hikers to take care and use common sense but the advice wasn’t to not hike, the trail was open which is why we felt starting was the right thing to do and continuing while we are not interacting with others is a reasonable thing to do.
Just before I went to bed I saw an update from the PCTA and a statement from Big Bear asking people not to make trips to Big Bear (a stop about 2 weeks away on the hike and not the first place to make such a statement)… ?
3 days on the PCT has so far given us quite the mixture of conditions and experiences!
✅ Rain ☔
✅ Sleet
✅ Hail
✅ Snow ⛄
✅ Sun ?
✅ ‘River’ crossings
✅ Nature poo ?
❌ Snakes ?
❌ Bears ?
❌ Trail Magic
❌ Hitch Hikes
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