Trail Update #1: A Week of Firsts

Only a week on the road and it has already been quite an adventure. I’ve learned a lot, starting at Camp Lockett, where most hikers choose to stay before starting at Southern Terminus. The camp used to be a base for Buffalo soldiers during World War II, so it’s an interesting historical fact. The hosts had a campfire chat where they shared safety tips and advice, here are a few I wrote down:

• View all waypoints on Far Out (the app all PCT users use for navigation and information) even if you don’t plan to use that stop. There is useful information in the comments.
• Sleep one thousand feet below your highest elevation to avoid altitude sickness.
• Make sure you are with someone to cross the water. Take your SOS device out of your backpack and put it in your pocket. Unzip your backpack before crossing. Cross downstream of fallen logs so that if you slip you will not become trapped under the log.
• If you can’t find electrolyte packets, eat a bag of chips for sodium and potassium.
• Put on your nightshirt before trying to hitchhike to look and smell less dirty. Smile. Don’t turn around for passing cars because they might turn or you might see them in the city. If for any reason you feel uncomfortable in the car, pretend like you have to throw up and they will stop to let you out.

desert strategy

My strategy has been to take things slow and give my knee and the rest of my body time to adjust to the load and elevation (coming from sea level I am at a disadvantage). My goal for the first week was to walk no more than 10 to 12 miles a day, and I largely stuck to that.

The high desert is quite mountainous, with some strenuous climbs and rocky terrain. It is also quite green, with low bushes, trees and wildflowers covering the landscape. It’s very beautiful.

That being said, the sun is brutal and the large numbers of fire ants, flies and mosquitoes are a challenge. Everyone on the trail, including me, very quickly adopted the strategy of getting up early and doing most of the miles before noon, then hiding from the sun until 4 to call it a day.

My new favorite piece of equipment.

A week of firsts!

As expected, my first week on the road was full of firsts:

• First trail dive
• First encounter with wildlife
• Magic of the first path
• First side quest
• First injury
• First hitch

Dive on the trail

On my third day, as I headed towards Mount Laguna, the sun seemed particularly hot and I found myself in a miles-long stretch where there was no shade at all. Even though it had a lot of water, I decided to stop at Kitchen Creek because one of the Far Out commenters said there was a pool big enough to submerge your body in… and they were right! Although the descent down the trail was a bit tricky, it was worth it to soak in the semi-cold water and lower my body temperature, marking my first dive (of many, I hope!).

Wildlife Encounters

I’ve had quite a few, although not the ones you’d expect. At Lake Morena I managed to piss off a ranger on my second day on the trail by losing my camping permit. I quickly gained their favor when we teamed up to save a squirrel trapped in a dumpster.

By teaming up I mean briefing him and then giving him unsolicited advice while I struggled to free him with a stick; In the end the three of us left triumphant. Shortly after I was resting in my tent when two skunks walked by. I had no idea what to do in that situation, but luckily they continued their walk enjoying the sunny afternoon.

The next day I was again resting under a tree to escape the relentless sun, when a red ant climbed onto my shorts and bit me not once but twice on the buttock. It was quite unpleasant. As I was packing my sleeping bag the next morning, a spider that looked like a desert recluse crawled out of the hole it spent the night in. Luckily he didn’t bite me, so it was nice of him.

Where the inmate and I spent the night.

The most recent wildlife encounter occurred last night when I was awakened by scratching sounds. My immediate thought was that the rattlesnake someone warned me about had come for me. I shone my light on the creature and discovered a small horned lizard vigorously using its short forearms in what appeared to be an effort to enter my tent. I had daydreamed about keeping one of these little guys as a pet because they are adorable and would clear my rest stops of ants, so it might have been fate that he came knocking on the door. However, logic prevailed, I pulled him out of the hall and he ran away.

Trail magic

It has been surprising how many people are willing to support strangers walking across the country. Several people encouraged me when they saw me on the road or crossing a street. One guy offered me a cup of peaches and a red bull because that was all he had in his car. As I passed a campground, another lady gave me a large bar of chocolate and warned me about the weather ahead. At Mount Laguna, one couple went all out, cooking dinner, paying for camping, and providing shower supplies for a large group of hikers. It is comforting to see so many selfless good works; humans helping humans achieve their goals.

side quest

Although brief, on day 4 I decided to do a quick side quest and reach the top of Garnet Peak. I left my backpack at the bottom and went up with the pleasant-smelling hikers. The climb was a little steeper and longer than expected but for me it was worth it. I’m a fan of views, and it was a beautiful panoramic view. It also gave me the opportunity to try out the Peak Finder app that I downloaded before starting and which uses your camera to identify the peaks for you. It was fun.

Me at Garnet Peak.

First injury

While descending Gartner Peak I felt a little pain in the back of my heel. It was directly behind where my shoe was creating friction, so I slapped some Leukotape on it, thinking it was a blister starting to form. However, the next morning, I couldn’t put the shoe on without feeling intense pain. It was 20 miles from the nearest town, Julian, so I put on my camping sandals and headed out for the day.

Walking in my minimal sandals was slow and after 10 miles my feet were pretty beat up. The trail was rocky and I stubbed my toe about 17 times. That’s when I performed hiker surgery on my shoe by cutting off the hard part that was pressing on my tendon. That completely eliminated the pain and I was able to walk the rest of the way to Julian in my trail shoes.

Performing hiker surgery.

First hitch

I had never hitchhiked before and felt intimidated, so I took all the advice to heart. When I arrived at Scissors Crossing, the hitchhiking spot to get to Julian, I put on my somewhat clean fleece, took off my hat, and smiled. Several vehicles passed by. Even though I could see they had room in the back, I didn’t put them out as instructed. After about ten minutes, a couple stopped. I threw my bag in the back and off we went! Easy.

Although my cautious, slow and steady approach didn’t work the way I wanted, that’s okay. I’ll be taking a zero (a day with zero miles) in Julian to rest and recover before heading to Warner Springs. Onward and upward!

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