Day one on the PCT!

DAY ONE (April 2)

• 15.4 PCT miles
• Camped at Hauser Creek (PCT mile 15.4)
• Elevation: 2319 ft

I’m laying in my tent on my first night on the PCT! I’m camping beside Hauser Creek, a seasonal (currently dry) creek in a canyon at 15.4 miles! (For those who are counting that means I’m at 24.8 km so far!) 

It’s currently 8pm, which means it’s dark and a little chilly and officially “hiker midnight” (aka, when it gets dark). My tent is on some uneven ground so it’s going to be an interesting sleep what with my slippery bag and pad! 

Today was pretty amazing, honestly. I made some friends at Scout and Frodo’s (the trail angels who host hikers) and having a crew to start hiking with and meet at the end of the day felt SOOO good. We’re a mostly international crew at the moment, me from Canada, a Polish couple, a German guy, a gal from Wales, and 2 others (from Switzerland and England) who we think went ahead to Lake Morena. There’s also a few others who’ve been around from various US States, though only one from New York is camping with us at the moment! 

The hike itself had some ups and downs. My feet already hurt, as do my hips and shoulders, and I had some serious points where I was questioning my ability to pull this off. After a rest at around mile 10 in which I had a free caffeine bar I got, I got a second wind that helped propel me forward to Hauser, and by the time I arrived I have been feeling a lot more positive (though still sore!). I hiked the whole day with my new Welsh friend and we had some great chats that helped the day go by and it was nice to have the company. 

I think most of me hasn’t really processed that I’m actually on the PCT right now... after years of wondering if I could do this and months of planning to do it, I’m actually here and no matter what happens from here, I made it at least 15 miles on the PCT!! 

Tomorrow the plan is to head the 5 miles to Lake Morena and check out the restaurant there for breakfast, and then keep walking! I’d like to keep my miles small for now and not rush myself but I also really like my crew and don’t want to lose them, so I’ll have to see how my body feels tomorrow and decide from there. 

For now, time for sleeps I think! (Or at least trying to... there’s a lot of weird animals sounds out there...). 

Bye for now!