Long View

PCT 2018 Day 3, April 25, Wednesday.

Start Burnt Ranch Campground, mile 41.5

End mile 72, a few miles to a water cache

Miles walked: 30.5

After an early start, a mountain vista appears while walking on Mount Laguna. The trail will end up going over many of these peaks by end of day. The pathway uses a old roadbed for a while, level or slight grade descending, with views every step. A trail angel left oranges and grapefruit as a refreshing treat. I keep moving while others take a break from the sun. Water sources are becoming infrequent, so it seems better to press on and get closes to the next source. The mountains ahead suddenly look dry. Spoiler alert: they are.

In a few hours I am among them, shrubs thinning out, with grasses in between, some bare ground, and also cacti.

My cell phone is confused, and cannot connect to any tower. A similar thing happened on the CDT. Perhaps I can fix it with a wifi connection. I am hiking a long couple of days to get to the next resupply, that might have internet.

Momentum Mori

PCT 2018 Day 2, April 24, Tuesday.

Start mile 20 Lake Morena Campground

End Burnt Ranch Campground, mile 41.5

Miles walked: 21.5

Challenging long climbs today, now at 6000 feet. Boulders thinning out, shrubs thick and thriving, and now in forest at the campground. In this area within the Laguna Mountain Recreation Area, camping must be in a campground. No sites are reserved for PCT, but groups of up to 8 people rent sites together. I ended walking just past 4PM because the next campground was a few miles away. I did try taking a break today around 1PM to escape the sun. Starting back again, my body had stiffened up.

Finished audiobook Fatal Flight– The True Story of Britain’s Las Great Airship by Bill Hammack.

Hero’s Journey

PCT 2018 Day 1, April 23, Monday.

Start Mexican Border near Campo, California, mile 0

End mile 20 Lake Morena Campground Miles walked: 20

[Note: My daily miles for this thru-hike are higher than average, and should not be used for planning purposes.]

My brilliant number one best daughter drove me to the airport last week, and I fly to San Diego and visit brilliant number one best son for a few days, playing tourist. Leaving the apartment in early morning, I make my way via two buses and one trolley to the small community of Campo and the start of the Pacific Crest Trail. On the last bus I meet 4 other hikers of varied backgrounds, Uncle David, Bryan, RJ, Pippin, Bryan. We walk a short distance to the border and start of the trail. Fools gold specks sparkle in the dirt of the pathway. The terrain is rounded granite boulders with a thick planting of shrubs and a few scattered trees. The temperature is a challenge, and I pass many scattered clumps of hikers taking a break from the heat of the afternoon, taking refuge in shady nooks along the side of a mountain. Water sources are infrequent, so I press on to Morena Lake campground, with faucets and even a shower. I overhear several hikers who ran short of water and had trouble with the heat.

Joseph Campbell talks about the standard story template we know from myths and movies in The Hero with a Thousand Faces. He describes 17 steps to the story cycle where a person begins a quest, undergoes challenge, struggles, and returns home changed. So how will I be changed by journey’s end? Not that I am a hero, merely a protagonist in my own tale.