Week 1 Recap

It took a week in the wild and a retreat back to civilization to give me the time I needed to begin to figure out how to use this fancy phone technology to keep this Blog updated. So here it goes. Please pardon the spelling as this tiny keyboard and no spell check are my handicap.

Yesterday was our 7th day on the trail. We have covered 80 miles, with just over 5 miles being our shortest and 18 miles being our longest day. We started off strong on Day 1, clocking about 13.5 miles to just above Hauser Creek. We had considered pushing through to Lake Morena park, but decided not to get too brutal. As Pam says, "this isn't a death march!"

The first night we encountered a border patrol helicopter close enough to throw a rock at. The pilot recognized us as non-aliens I guess and waived. A bit later, 3 border patrol officers walking down the trail stopped to check us out and gave us some (not so helpful) advice on where the trail was for the next day. Throughout the night sounds of ATV's echoed through the canyon, but we were assured that "illegal" traffic had been slow and that we should be safe, especially because we chose to camp above the creek which was next to a road.

The next day, Day 2 got really interesting. Long story short: a series of criss crossing jeep trails, convoluted documentation of the road systems on our map, poorly marked trail, and less than clear advice the night before found us hoofing it off trail to Lake Morena County park. The distance and changes in elevation were about what we would have expected had we been on trail, but the frustration lead to less than ideal morale. It is amazing how ones mental challenges can be compounded in the body. When we finally made it to the campground we were delighted to find hot showers and soft grass to pitch our tent. We also indulged in a sweet, cold, ice cream treat at the local market where we had the priveledge of meeting "Hiker Bill". "Hiker Bill" had the distinct aroma of heavy drinking, but nonetheless had plenty of helpful info to share with us about the trail ahead. He is a seasoned PCT officionado and has logged over 7,000 miles.

Day 3 ended up being drastically more leisurely. We logged just under 6 miles and decided to stay put at our afternoon rest stop at Boulder Oaks Campground. The campground was technically closed, but we stayed anyway. Carrie and Lyle, a couple we had crossed paths with a few times before, were passing our camp and stopped to talk for awhile. They were doing a section hike from Campo to Mt. Laguna. We also encountered an unidentifiable motorcylcist and a group of kids running through the camp (apparently we were not far from the local highschool). I think the biker may have caused a little nightimeapprehension because Pam woke up thinking she heard people outside our tent. I crawled out of the tent with flashlight in one hand and pistol in pocket just to be sure and luckily it was just some ordinary nocturnal critters making a statement about their territory being borrowed.

Days 4 through 7 included an 18 mile day, an overnight and resupply pickup at Laguna Mountain Lodge, a peaceful camp at Pioneer Mail trailhead, a windy night in Upper Chariot Canyon, a mean eastward up and down skirting of the Anza Borego desert, and finally ending up at the bone dry San Felipe Creek.

It was enroute to our planned destination of San Felipe Creek or possibly even 5 or so miles beyond, that Pam came down with a bad case of painful blisters. This, coupled with no water sources for the next 23 miles of trail beyond San Felipe prompted us to make the call to take advantage of the nearby Hwy 78 and county road S2 to hitchhike to Warner Springs where our next resupply was awaiting us. We plan to finish the missed 30 miles later on.

Poor Pam was miserable. As we walked to the junction of S2, we devised our hitching strategy. We would not ride with 2 men (sorry guys to be sexist), I would sit in the back seat with my fanny pack on (if you know what I mean) just in case, etc. Etc. We ended up getting a ride from a very kind state employee that I promised not to rat out. She did make it an official pickup by calling dispatch to let them know she was "transporting 2 PCT hikers to Warner Springs to receive medical attention". Many thanks to her.

Needless to say, we ended up holing up at the Warner Springs Ranch Resort. A funky yet expansive hot spring resort with a foot-healing-hot-spring-fed sulfury pool. Therefore today, Day 8 was spent soaking, exploring the grounds and learning to use my phone.

The trail can indeed seem a little "mean spirited" as some of the books said it would, the poor feet have taken a real beating (blisters are popping up in places I have NEVER seen them before), and surprisingly our appetites have been nonexistant (we have had to force ourselves to choke down our meals to keep our energy up and I still lost 5 lbs already), but all in all each day has been full of adventure, introspection and achievement. Also on the plus side, the weather has been relatively mild, most of the water sources have been more than reliable, the desert blooms have been breathtaking, and the folks along the way have been eager and supportive of us.

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