The last few days have been a whirlwind. On Saturday morning I was beginning my pre-hike tasks when there was a knock on the door. My mom said she was my aunt and asked me to answer. When I opened the door they were some of my best long distance friends!!! I instantly burst into tears. Apparently there was a plan in motion to surprise me since Tuesday when my very pregnant friend decided she needed to ditch her cross-country work trip and fly out to hug me before I left. Surprised was an understatement.
We all got up very early to go to the terminal. I said a long, tearful goodbye to my dog, Mica, and we left. Of course, my dad was playing a sad acoustic playlist, but the moment Angel by Sara McLaughlin came on, I begged him to change it to Taylor Swift.
About an hour later we approached the border with Mexico. Right there at the top of the hill was the terminal. It is difficult to put into words the feeling of touching the monument for the first time. There’s anxiety about the days ahead, sadness as I say goodbye to my loved ones, excitement about being in the place I’ve been reading about, all wrapped up in a single moment.
I took photos and videos in the terminal, signed the registration book, ran my hand over the border wall with Mexico, had another round of tearful goodbyes, and officially took my first steps on the road.
The first steps towards the PCT seemed surreal. After the tears dried, I felt an overwhelming sense of calm. I made it. I’m doing this.
I walked to CLEEF, the equestrian center about 0.25 miles from the terminal, where I signed my name on the banner and located my water. I didn’t stay long as it was getting late and the weather forecast called for a warm day in Campo.
Shortly after leaving CLEEF, I approached the 1 mile marker. Only 2,649 left!
I continued jumping with a group of hikers who had stayed at CLEEF the night before. At about kilometer 14, we came across a much-needed water tank to refill our bottles and took a long rest in the shade. Here I met hikers from Germany, Finland, Portland, Brazil, Cool Beans from Scottsdale, and a few others. We were all talking about camping plans and hesitating to make the 4 mile climb to the top of a hill to camp and watch the sunset.
The plan was great in theory, but a mile later we found a huge shady camp. We collectively decided to extend the climb until morning and set up our tents.
At camp we sat in a circle to get to know each other and have dinner. It’s quite remarkable how many different lifestyles and places around the world this trail attracts.
We had a nice little yoga session to stretch our sore muscles, then around 7:30pm, as the sun was setting, we slowly made our way to bed in our tents.
I couldn’t have asked for a better first day.
This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!
For more information, visit the About page of this site.
