Seven lessons learned from my first PCT section in the desert

A few weeks ago, I finished my first section hike of the year on the PCT in Southern California from late February to early March (you can read about it in my other posts here and here). As someone from the complete opposite climate in the Northeast, it was my first time backpacking in the desert. While I’ve done some trail running, day hikes, and camping in the Southwest, I’ve never done long-distance hiking in the desert before.

These are the lessons I learned in this section and that I would like to share in case they may be useful to others:

1. Apply sunscreen to exposed skin.

Being from the north, I’m not used to the sun’s ultraviolet rays being very strong. I knew that wearing a hat and hoodie on the PCT was essential, so my face and upper body were always protected. I also applied SPF 50 sunscreen to my face, hands, and thighs, and used a Burt’s Bees lipstick with SPF 30. However, I forgot to put sunscreen on the back and bottom of my legs because, honestly, I’ve never had to do that before in the Northeast.

That turned out to be a mistake. On my second night, as I lay in bed in my little house in Mt. Laguna, I noticed that the bottom of my legs were a little sore and a little itchy. I figured it was just the dry air and sore muscles. It wasn’t until day 3 that I realized I had a mild sunburn behind my knees and on my calves. Oh no!

From then on, I made sure to put sunscreen on any skin that wasn’t protected by clothing. I noticed that every time I went up, especially later in the day, the sun was at my back and the back of my legs were directly exposed. I considered wearing pants, which would be the best option to protect me from the sun, but I have a low tolerance for heat and preferred to wear shorts.

My tan lines after completing my first section of the PCT in the desert, and to think they’re only going to get worse this year!

2. Be strategic when it comes to hydrating.

After reading about Southern California, I learned that water sources can be scarce, especially when seasonal sources dry up. Therefore, I knew it was especially important to pay attention to reports about water sources, stay hydrated, fill up on water whenever I could, and leave reports for other hikers coming up behind me.

On the Appalachian Trail, my longest water ride was about 15 miles in Virginia in late May. On my first day of hiking this section, I hiked 16 miles on water. So from the beginning, I was pushing my limits.

As someone who has competed in distance running since I was 11, I learned that hydrating the day before a race is important. I treat my section hikes the same way. I also know that I am more susceptible to dehydration when traveling due to the dry air on planes and generally drink less fluids than usual. So while traveling to San Diego, I made sure to hydrate well.

On my first day of hiking this section, I also made a conscious effort to start hydrating early. Since I woke up I started drinking liquids. There was only one water fountain relatively at the beginning, but I still drank a lot of water before reaching it and stopped at that fountain to fill up.

Cooling off in one of the desert’s water sources, Kitchen Creek

I’m notoriously bad at hydrating while walking, so I calculated how much water I should drink each hour and held myself accountable. My mantra was to hydrate early and often. I also carried Liquid IV and Nuun to add electrolytes.

Every night I drank at least a liter of water after finishing the hike. To plan where I would stop for water each day, I reviewed the comments on the FarOut app about water sources for the next day. In the morning, before I even started, I drank about a liter of water. I paid close attention to the date of the comments and made sure to leave updated comments if needed for the hikers behind me.

3. Walk when it’s cooler.

Since I was flown from San Diego, I started my first day around 8:30am. It was already hot! After that, I got up earlier and earlier every day to beat the heat. Coming from the Eastern Time Zone, I honestly preferred to get up early and finish my day no later than 4:00 pm. At the end of my trip, I started at 4:00 am.

I started out in the dark most days of this section, but it meant seeing lots of beautiful sunrises!

I would start with pants and a fleece jacket because it was cold. Then, when the sun came up, I quickly shed my layers. Once the sun crested over the mountains, it started getting warm pretty quickly, and that’s when I put on my hoodie, hat, and sunglasses. Even when the weather forecast called for 60 degrees Fahrenheit, the sun made the temperature much warmer.

Enjoying the sunrise near Sunrise Highway in Mt. Laguna, which was a cooler and windier morning

I’ve heard that hikers often hike at night and take naps during the hottest parts of the day. While I didn’t take this approach for this section, I anticipate having to do so when I return to the trail later this spring when temperatures are even warmer.

4. If you are using an umbrella, use an accessory for it.

I had never used an umbrella while walking before and had considered purchasing one. In the end, I decided I probably wouldn’t need it for this section since it was so early in the season. I was more worried about snow than sun when planning this trip, although that wasn’t a problem in the end.

Luckily, the trail angel who took me from San Diego was very kind and gave me his umbrella. I was very grateful to be able to use the umbrella when it was very hot and there was no shade on the path. However, it would have been nice to be able to attach it to my backpack instead of holding it. For my next section, I plan to purchase a cover or clamp so I can use the umbrella hands-free.

Using an umbrella for the first time

5. Pay attention to your body.

This is actually more of a lesson I learned from my first hiking section in Oregon, but was reinforced on my desert hike. Growing up walking and running in the humidity of the East Coast, I became accustomed to sweating profusely during physical activity. On the AT I felt like I was always soaked, whether from sweat or rain.

During my hiking section in Oregon last August, there was a heat advisory one day with temperatures up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. That day there were also many areas burned by forest fires, which meant more exposure to the sun. I remember thinking that it wasn’t that hot, since I wasn’t sweating much. As I walked uphill, I started to feel funny and realized I hadn’t hydrated enough.

Hiking through a burned area in Oregon last August near Mount Jefferson Click3here.

I learned from that day that I need to pay attention to other signals from my body besides sweating when it comes to my hydration status, since the air on the West Coast is very dry. This was something I was very intentional about on my recent section hike in California.

6. Pack more Leukotape (or other similar products) and use it as a preventative measure.

This can apply to any hike, but is particularly helpful for hikers starting out on the PCT. Even though I had already walked about 70 miles in my trail shoes and thought I had broken them, I ended up developing blisters on my feet. I attribute this to not being able to do overnight trips or hikes longer than 13 miles to prepare for this trip, so my feet were not used to higher mileage and consecutive days.

I discovered Leukotape while hiking the AT in Virginia and liked how well it stuck to my skin, despite mud, stream crossings, rain, rocks, and sweat. I knew from my training walks that my trail runners rubbed my heels a bit, so I used Leukotape on my left heel and never had any problems there. When hot spots started appearing on my feet, I should have also put Leukotape on those spots to prevent them from turning into blisters.

Despite having blisters on my feet that day, I enjoyed the views from Foster Point.

7. Path angels are invaluable for this section.

I truly cannot express how grateful I am for all the angels on the trail, even those I didn’t get to meet, who helped me on this section. These include the trail angel who took me to the Southern Terminus from San Diego for free and offered me food and his umbrella, the former PCT hiker who was at the Southern Terminus and gave me mineral water and ice cream, the trail angels who stocked water tanks, the couple I ran into who gave me a bag of dates right when I realized I needed more calories, and the folks at the Warner Springs Community Center who let me resupply, charge my electronics, and shower even sooner. that they were fully operational.

It never ceases to amaze me that people are so generous and willing to go above and beyond for hikers. This section made it very clear how essential the path angels are and that we couldn’t do it without them! I made sure to leave tips and donations whenever they were accepted.

I received the ice cream and snacks from two trail angels right at Southern Terminus!

Concluding my first desert section

I’m very grateful that overall my first section in the desert went well. I appreciate the lessons the desert taught me on this first 150-mile “test run” before returning later this year and in future years to complete the 700-mile PCT through the desert. I know I will carry these lessons with me as I continue to grow and learn even more. I hope these lessons I have learned can be useful to other hikers, especially those who will soon begin their Campo hikes. I hope to see some of you in my next section!