Day 1 and 2
My trip started with saying goodbye to my parents at the airport. After they drove away I was on my own. The days leading up to my departure were filled with anxiety and excitement all mixed into one. My stomach was in knots while my brain was reassuring me that everything was going to be okay. When I walked through security and was suddenly alone, the anxiety disappeared and I could relax.
I sat in front of a baby on the plane which deterred and thoughts of sleep but I did get a free glass of wine out of it so I didn't mind.
I arrived at San Diego with all my gear and a phone number for a man named Girlscout (trail name). He said he was waiting for some other hikers to arrive but he'd be there in an hour. As I waited I spotted two obvious looking through hikers, Phil and Emylee, a married couple from suburban Chicago. From there if was off to Scout and Frodo's (notorious trail angels in San diego) for some dinner. I was not prepared for what we were walking into. 65 through hikers were spending the night there and being dropped off in the morning. Thank goodness the 3 of us were staying with Girlscout. There were people everywhere!
The next morning, at the trail head, was an event like none other on the PCT. Over 70 people started walking in the hopes of reaching Canada that day. I began hiking with Phil and Emylee and was pleasantly surprised by the ease of the trip and how much I enjoyed my companions... until mile 7 when the trail started creeping uphill and the sun was beating down on our packs. I slowed down to take a few breaks while they went ahead. I was struggling, but much to my surprise I wasn't the only one who could admit it. We were all struggling and instead of acting tough we all expressed it. It's a gratifying feeling that I've never experienced before. I wasn't the odd man out huffing and puffing in the back of the pack, we were all doing as well as we could at the time, and there was no shame in that. We made it over 20 miles the first day to make it into lake Morena the day beforere kick off. We went to sleep tired, bruised, blistered, and dirty (I may or may not have been voted dirtiest feet in our camp) but with extremely high spirits and hopes for this adventure.
Day two began with drying out the condensation that had formed on our sleeping bags and tents then heading to the vendors area of kick off. It was awesome. I got my pack shook down (gone through with and experienced through hiker) Which ended up getting rid of over 2 pounds. I also went to get my pack sized to fit my body and they ended up trading me for a new one that was a better size for me. I ended the evening talking to some great people; kelly, arctic, and softwalker (my favorite). I hope to hang with one of them for the next few days of this journey. Overall it's been nothing and everything I expected.
