PCT Day One: Better to Share the Fruits of Life Together (Miles 0-18.2)

So I finally made it… Campo, California. It feels a little unreal, but very different than when I did the AT. When I did the AT, I was a nervous wreck, fiddling with my backpack all day before starting and repacking it a thousand times.

Now I just finished a job where I had to bring all my backpacking stuff, so it’s not a big hassle to pack it up again for Campo (minus the introduction of more sun protection and less rain gear).

My family and I stayed near Mount Laguna the night before, that way we had a shorter trip to Campo. We reach the border and it is quite ominous to see the wall extending in both directions.

I’ll also meet runner Eileen! I was able to chat with her for a bit and tell her about my previous job as a ridge runner back East. It was very interesting to talk about that and the crazy things they had seen this season.

But in the end I have to go, my parents and my brother say goodbye to me and I can say goodbye to them.

Differences between trails

One marked difference between the AT and the PCT is how close the PCT is to urban areas at the beginning. There is a nice campground just a half mile away and plenty of places like that to get started.

Another big difference is water. From the beginning, there aren’t that many water sources in the first 20 miles. But there is a water tank at kilometer 14 that I take advantage of.

Despite starting at the first one, I don’t see many people along the way. I passed by a couple groups near the start, but ended up camping alone this first night. Admittedly, I didn’t make it to Lake Morena, where a lot of people end up due to my late start, but I was hoping to see others. Also, the PCT doesn’t have the same style of camping as the AT, so people seem to naturally spread out more about camping.

Reflections from the first day

It’s always strange for me to reflect only on the day of hiking. I’ve always found it best to go hiking together, to connect and complain about something bad that day. To brighten the highlights and the new mileage of it.

But on my own, it’s hard to stay positive.

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