Day 1 – (22.3 km) – Saturday 27.04.2024
In the morning there is breakfast and I chat with some people. Then I put all the things in my backpack and take a last shower. In the meantime, I and the others really get excited. I can’t wait to finally start.
After a farewell group picture, we’re going with a van.
On the way we stop at Rey again and in a small shop. Some get a beer there and I join them to toast the trail start.
A little later, around 12 p.m., we are on the border with Mexico. The wall is huge and drags on for a long time. At the term we get a short introduction of volunteers and the permits are checked.
We drink our beer, toast to the start of the trail and take pictures.
Then it’s off to the wall. I stretch my hand to the other side and am actually in Mexico.
When we’re done with the pictures, I’m running. So finally I’m on the PCT and therefore on the way to Canada. It feels really good. The feeling of starting something so big is just bad to describe, but really nice 😊
It goes through the desert, which is much greener than I expected. After a few minutes I reach a sign with the first mile. So I only have 2649 more miles to go.
Then soon the first camp. Here I fill up again water and then set off again. Soon I’ll catch up with the two Americans who were also in the shuttle. I walk with them for a few minutes. After that I’m on the road with a Finn. We cross a railway track and it’s a long time on small paths through the desert. We take a break at a first water point. I’m not really broken, but I eat something and enjoy the shade. After that I’m on my way again. I really like the landscape, even if the sun is slowly getting stronger. It’s going uphill more and so I can look further into the distance. At the back you can see the border fence and Mexico behind it again and again.
I’ll take a break again at another water point and the people from before will come soon. As we notice in the Farout app, it’s the last water point for 8 miles. Since some, possibly me, want to camp beforehand, we fill up all our reserves. After that I’m on my way again. Overall, I cover another 13 km, where it goes first up and then downhill on the other side.
About 2.2 km before the next campspot, I stop. Here there is a larger rock with good views. I decide not to continue walking, but to stay here.
Instead of standing with some other tents, I would like to camp cowboy here today, sleeping on my sleeping pad outdoors without a tent. Since it’s already getting dark, I’ll cook for myself a quick meal.
While I’m eating my food, the Tyrolean Toubi, whom I met at Scout and Frodo, comes by. He wants to get off to the camp and spend the night there. We talk a few minutes before he sets off again.
Although we only started after 12 noon today, I still managed 22 km, which was more than planned. In the evening I get to see a beautiful sunset. After that I look at the stars above me for some time before I fall asleep in my sleeping bag.
Day 2 – (33.2 km) – Sunday 28.04.2024
The night was wetter than expected, so I wake up in the morning with a wet sleeping bag. After all, only the outer layer is damp and so I was still able to spend the night in the warm down sleeping bag.
I get up at 6 a.m. and have breakfast while watching the sunrise.
Just as the sun had risen, I’m meeting a hiker from the US I met at Scout and Frodo. He has been on the road since 4:30 and has already been a few kilometers behind him. I, on the other hand, just got up and still drink my coffee. After a short conversation, he goes on. I pack my things up and set off.
After two kilometers I pass Camp Greek, where some people who started with me had stayed overnight. I also meet a few other hikers who drove to the border a day before me and started running in the morning hours. I also exchange ideas with them for a moment and somehow it feels a little like on the Way of St. James. Again and again I meet familiar faces and thus easily get into conversation with the people. After filling up my water at the river of the camp, I set off on the upcoming climb. I quickly gain altitude and get a good view of the surroundings.
In the morning hours it is still pleasantly cool and so I make good progress. But the climb pulls you quite a bit and I quickly sweat. Further up, the mountain flattens out a bit, but it continues uphill.
After a while I get to see Lake Morena.
I get there and pass a commercial campsite. A few meters down the street I stop in a shop where I buy a cold soft drink. Some others are already eating large portions of hamburgers with fries, although it’s only shortly after 10 a.m. in the morning. I sat down with a group and we talk about the previous route. But since it’s pretty cold in the shade, I’ll be on my way again soon.
It goes through a slightly flatter landscape for a long time.
In between there is a stream to cross. I quickly take off my shoes and walk through the cold water. With the now warm temperatures, this is a real blessing. Afterwards we continue to a free campsite that is especially for PCT hikers. When I filled up my water again, I start talking to one of the volunteers. The nice woman gives me some tips and find out about my previous experience etc. When I tell her about my tours, where she is very interested and then said that I hadn’t planned much for the PCT, she just said that I would then possibly contact others with the simple things I would have to inquire, but I would be very well prepared for the difficult things. After all, I have already found some experiences in the campsite, calculate food, crossing the river, hiking in snow and ice, …
After the long conversation, I pack everything up and start running again. It goes up the mountain again and now it’s really hot in the sun. The sweat just runs down on me and I notice that I’m out and about in the desert after all. Nevertheless, I don’t want to imagine how exhausting hiking here will probably be in two to three weeks when the temperatures rise significantly again.
Once at the top, continue along the slope. I descend to a water point to fill up my water one last time. After all, I’ve already 26 km behind me and would therefore like to look for a place to sleep soon. On the water I meet a young Polish woman. While I’m filtering my water, I’m still talking to her before I start my last section for today.
It continues slightly up the mountain. The view is really good and now it’s getting a little cooler in the shade, which makes running more pleasant. But it stays hot in the sun.
Soon I will pass a campspot. There are already a few tents here and I also see familiar faces. Partly white people I was traveling with today and some people who left a day or two before me. The campsite is right on the water, but unfortunately in the forest. Since I’m hoping for a spot with a good view, I’ll set off again and continue walking up the mountain. Unfortunately I can’t find any suitable places. When I pass a campspot after 33 km, I decide to stay here, even if I don’t have a good view here. Today I set up my tent and then cook something to eat. By the time I’m done it’s 8 p.m. again and it’s getting dark. Since I’m pretty broken from the many sun and the 33 km, I go straight to sleep.
Day 3 – (37.2 km) – Monday 29.04.2024
I get up at 6 a.m. sharp, take my tent off, have breakfast and set off around 6:45 a.m.
First it goes slightly uphill and I get a nice view of the surroundings.
In the early hours of the morning, running is quite pleasant. At a stream I meet the first hikers and fill up my water as they do. As we filter the water, we talk about how far we want to go today. I didn’t really plan for a really long time. Two Americans recommend a restaurant not far from here, where you can supposedly have a good breakfast. Surprisingly, it soon goes through a forest. The sun is hardly noticeable in the shade and I really enjoy running. As I walk through the landscape, I think about what I could have breakfast in the restaurant.
At a turnoff I turn off and make my way to the restaurant. When I get there, I have to realize that it is unfortunately closed. There is a small shop further back. But since I still have enough food, I love back again. On the way back I wash a few clothes at a water point and then hang them in the sun. Again and again hikers who were looking forward to breakfast and were not very enthusiastic about my message that the restaurant was closed.
After about 15 minutes in the sun, my clothes are dry again and I keep going. It goes through the forest again. Soon I get a first look at the landscape further down, which looks very dry.
Eventually meet a young woman from Wisconsin. She is taking a break in the shade of the trees and resting her feet, which are already plagued by blisters. On the other hand, I’ve been lucky so far and can walk through the beautiful nature without any problems. After talking to her for a few minutes, I move on.
After a few more kilometers through the forest, I finally arrive at the front part of the mountain. Without further ado, I turn off the path and continue through the bush. There I welcome a beautiful mountain or desert panorama, which I admire extensively.
Then continue in the warm sun through the landscape. Green sections alternate with rather dry rocks. On a street I sit in the shade under a viewing platform and rest a little. Then it’s a few more kilometers. At a water point, I fill up my water one last time and then start looking for a place to sleep. Again and again I see spectacular views.
Since I really want to have a place to sleep with a view, I continue to walk on the beautiful path for a long time. After 37 km I actually find a spot. Many places are already occupied, but further up the mountain I find a free space that is even the best of them all. Before I set up camp, I talk to Gandalf, a 57-year-old German who has his trail name to the big hiking stick to thank. He’s a little more comfortable than I am on the road and has already done his first zero-day, i.e. a day without hiking. After a few minutes, the sun starts to set and I’ll start preparing my sleeping place.
Since I want to camp cowboy again today, the night camp is set up quickly and I can cook for dinner. As I eat this, I watch the sunset. Then it goes into the sleeping bag and I fall asleep after a long day.
Day 4 – (29.7 km) – Tuesday 30.04.2024
The night was less cold than expected and the bushes around me were pretty well protected from the wind. Nevertheless, I woke up once in the night and briefly looked at the starry sky, which was really beautiful.
At 5:45 am my alarm clock rings and I get up to watch the sunrise during breakfast. I packed my things quickly afterwards. I’ll stop by Gandalf for a moment to find out how his first night cowboy was camping. Then I say goodbye to him and start walking.
With the still low sun, the landscape looks beautiful again and with the still cool temperatures I make quick progress.
At a last water point, a small stream, I fill up my reserve again and then walk 20 km through the desert. When I filter my water, two Americans that I had met over the last few days come by. They are actually the only ones who are about as fast as I am. I haven’t found anyone else I’ve started with since yesterday, but I’m sure I’ll meet some of them again soon. After packing 4 liters and drinking 1.5, I make the long journey through the desert, where I will probably have little shade.
For a long time it goes through the beautiful landscape and in the background I can marvel at the mountains. Since there are only bushes everywhere, I have little shade and it’s already really hot by 10 a.m. Over time, the number of cactus in the area increases. And in between I always find flowers.
When I climb a mountain, I also meet my first rattlesnake. In the middle of the path lies the almost one meter long snake and does not move from the spot. Since I can’t find a suitable way outside, I throw a small branch near the animal. Then, albeit slowly, you make your way into the bushes. I wait until the animal has disappeared a few meters further into the undergrowth and then walks on relaxed.
In the meantime, the sun is getting hotter and I’m glad to find a shady spot under a bush. I sat there for a few minutes and recover from the heat. Soon the two Americans from this morning will be added. Visibly exhausted and happy about the shadow, sit down with me.
After the short break, we continue through the burning sun along the slope. After more strenuous minutes, I pass a water tank that luckily still has something left for me. There I fill up my reserves and sat in the shade again a few meters further to rest before I wander further in the heat.
Soon I get a good view of a beautiful, large tael, which looks really great from above. I walk along the slope for a long time and so it’s a bit zigzag through the valley. Whenever I arrive at the front of a hill, I look forward to the view that opens up to me.
In addition to the good view of the distance, I can also admire some cacti, whose colorful flowers stand out in the otherwise barren landscape.
In between I have a little shock. When I get around a bend at high speed again, I almost step on a snake that is in the middle of the path. Just like that I can brake and wait until the animal disappears from the path. After recovering from this shock for a second, I walk relaxed through the beautiful landscape again. Later I ask one of the few hikers I’m meeting today if the snake is poisonous or not. He said that next to the rattlesnake, which at least draws attention to itself when you come, there really aren’t any dangerous snakes here, which corresponds to what I had read before and calmed me down.
Over time, I’m getting closer and closer to Julian, a small town where I want to refresh my supplies. Since it’s already afternoon and I still have to walk a few kilometers to the turnoff from which I have to hitchhike to the village, I’d rather stay here somewhere. Until the shops close at 5 p.m. I probably won’t be able to make it into town and sleeping there in an expensive hotel doesn’t occur to me either. I’d rather fall asleep under the starry sky again. So I sat down in the shade and wait until the sun wears off a bit. Then I cover another 5 kilometers before I settle down in a suitable place.
Just like last night, Cowboy Camping is on the agenda again today. Today my place is not optimally sheltered from the wind and a few meters away there are holes in the ground that close to rodents. Let’s see how the night turns out. I’m speculating that the wind will set a little at night and that it’s still too cold for the animals at night. Since I arrived at the camp a little earlier today, I ate until 6:30 p.m. and executed everything. So for the first time I have a little more time to read on the PCT before I fall asleep under the starry sky again. Tomorrow we’ll go the last few kilometers to the road from where I want to hitchhike to Julian. That’s where Resupplyen, i.e. restocking stocks, is on.
Fun Fact: I’ve met four people and three snakes since I left this morning. So here is the relationship in the wilderness 😉
Survey
Here is a small overview of the path. Everything I’ve already covered is marked in blue (sorry for the bad mark, but it’s not that easy on the cell phone 😅)
I’m currently on mile 77.
Leave a Reply