First 100 Miles on the PCT

The desert is many things; heat, cold, rain and wind. We experienced it all in our first 100 miles. After the first scorching day, we learned to walk early in the morning, take a long break, and then walk the rest of our miles in the afternoon, after the heat had subsided. On day 2 we practiced just that, and got milkshakes from Lake Morena Malt Shop to help us in the morning. We took our nap at Boulder Oaks Campground before deciding to head a couple miles to a campground that has a legendary oasis below. We got there and found the oasis, but we also discovered that the bush Sarah tripped over that morning was poison oak. He soaked his legs in cold water to get some relief.

Monte Laguna Mini Break

We were going much faster than we had planned. At the end of the third day we were only a little over a mile outside of Mount Laguna when we had planned to be around six. The morning of the fourth day we lay down in our tent using an app to identify bird calls before heading to Mount Laguna. We took our first real break and I surprised Sarah picking up my Easter basket at the post office. I had asked my dad to send him there instead of home several weeks earlier. We ate jelly beans, did laundry, and chatted with the hikers at the restaurant.

Feeling good from Laguna to Julián

The next leg took us from Mount Laguna to Scissor’s Crossing. It was our first big challenge of the trail. At 37 miles and almost 8,000 feet of descent, this was the first real test for my knee. While we planned to do this in three days, the impending rain made a two-day effort look very appealing. We left Mount Laguna and the kilometers flew under our feet. The temperature was cooler, the scenery was incredible, and it seemed like the miles had melted away. That afternoon, after getting water, we started looking for a place to camp. It seemed like they were every 50 feet, but we ended up pushing another mile to find one that was protected from the wind. We realized we had done our first 20 mile day by accident.

The next day we woke up feeling a little tired but generally fine and ready to hit the city. The long descent towards Scissor’s Crossing took us in and out of the contours of the mountains. It was beautiful but I was tired, the wind blew with the promised rain. We hit the overpass, hitchhiked into town, and got free pie at Mom’s Pie. Julián was full of hikers and all the hotels were full. Sarah managed to have her classic luck and get a hotel room after a cancellation just as it was coming up. The rain started to fall as we finished dinner with some new hiking friends. Our first week was a success and we were grateful to have a bed inside.

Hanging out under the overpass

After our first real “zero day” in Julian, we were driven back to Scissor Crossing and pitched our tents under the overpass with one of our new friends. We found a beer in the hiker’s box and drank it while watching the sun set. I thought I would never have imagined myself sleeping under an overpass having a beer with a friend we met two days ago.

Find water

Water is everything on the road. We planned our miles around the next water, resting and rehydrating at the water stops. As we began our second week on the trail, we headed toward a water tower. When natural sources are scarce, trail angels will supply a cache of water for hikers. We ration our water and make sure we always have enough to get to the next source. After the cache we read about another site with a great sunset. We drove a couple extra miles to get there and decided to try cowboy camp, where we slept under the stars. It was cold, but we stayed warm and cozy, and seeing the stars overhead was worth it.

100 miles and Eagle Rock

The next morning, after a beautiful sunrise, we hit the road: it’s day 9 and we’re heading towards Warner Springs. As we descended onto a road we came across «100» written on the rocks along the road. We check our maps and discover that it is true: we have traveled 100 miles! It felt a little disappointing. We continued to a trailhead and found the ultimate magical trail waiting for us there; bacon, bagels, hard-boiled eggs, pastries and coffee. That seemed like a big celebration for the milestone. After refreshments we returned to the trail and moved into the grasslands. It was a big change from the hills we spent the last few days on.

We arrived in Eagle Rock that afternoon, then headed to Warner Springs and met up with some hiking friends we hadn’t seen in a few days. Most headed down a trail of a few miles to camp for the night. Since we had already done our mileage for the day and needed to resupply for the next leg, we decided to stay and rest at the community center available to hikers. It’s hard to fall behind, but we are intentionally trying to keep our mileage low during these first few weeks. We’ve already had some bigger days than planned, so we need to balance them out. One of our friends reminded us that this is the beauty of the trail and the experience, watching people come and go and the miles and interactions as they come.

As we head into the next 100 miles, we look forward to great mountain views and meeting up with our good friends in Idyllwild.

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