Wed, May 2/12

Hey everybody.

It's only been a week and a day since we left home and this is our first opportunity to use the internet and get an update here for you folks.  Already so much has happened I hardly know where to begin.  Condensing a week on the PCT into a blog post that wont take you too long to read seems like a daunting task at this point but I'm going to give it a shot anyway.

Let's take it back to San Diego.  Turns out a couple other guys in our hostel were PCT hikers as well.  Tyler from North Dakota and Wanna from Bruges, Belgium.  Naturally Mike and I hooked up with them as soon as we found out that they were in the same boat as us.  Our last night at the hostel was also a hostel pub-crawl night, and although the weather was rainy and we only "crawled" to one pub, it was a good night anyway. 

The next morning Tyler, Wannes, Mike and I headed out together and caught a trolley across San Diego to a transit station from which we hopped a bus to Campo, CA and the Mexican border.  They're pretty serious down here and I can't even count how many border patrol jeeps, cars, ATVs and officers we saw in that first evening alone.  From the border we hiked a few hours, and roughly 5 miles into the dessert before camping.  The last few hours before setting up camp we hiked in the dark, headlamps lighting the way and we had already learned one effective strategy for making progress while avoiding the daytime heat of the dessert.  Leaving our first nights camp on Friday morning we covered a cool 16 miles to Lake Morena and the kickoff party by 2 o clock in the afternoon.  While there attended a couple talks on PCT flora and fauna, and watched bunch of documentaries made by previous hikers.  Mostly though, we focussed on partying with the other hikers and getting to know them.  As we headed North to Lake Morena from the border we crossed paths with a southbound hiker finishing up the 20 miles between Lake Morena and the border that he hadnt walked last year.  His name is Bobby and we met up with him again at the kickoff.  The kickoff was a good time to iron out any last minute gear kinks, and it's a good thing we took the opportunity to do so.  I realized that I was missing a key component to my stove, and Mike realized that he had purchased the wrong fuel for his.  We had pretty well come to terms with the fact that we wouldn't be eating any hot meals until our next opportunity to purchase what we needed and right our wrongs.  Soon after this realization we said goodbye to Bobby and made plans to meet up in Kennedy Meadows later in the summer to hike the Sierras together.  After getting home to San Deigo and showering Bobby was restless and decided to return to the kickoff party, and wouldn't you know it, brought with him an extra stove for Mike and I to share.  I know I speak for Mike as well when I say that I was blown away by this unprompted act of kindness.  Gratitude was coupled with relief that we wouldn't have to go four days without a hot meal.  At our next resupply stop in Mt. Laguna I buy my missing fuel bottle, and Mike his missing fuel, and then we mail Bobby back his stove.

I could go on all day describing everything that's happened to us, but that would get redundant.  Not to mention the fact that there's probably a serious amount of overlap between mine and Mike's posts.  So I'll leave you with some final perspective on our journey thus far.

The scenery down here, the dessert, the mountains are like nothing I have ever seen before.  It seems every corner you come around there is something new and amazing to see.  Dessert wildlife abounds, and I've lost count of how many snakes, lizards, horn toads, birds, ground squirrels, and rabbits that we've crossed paths with.  I can confidently say that the most memorable was nearly stepping on a rattle snake that was sunbathing in the middle of the trail two days ago.  I was leading our little hiking party and literally got within two strides before his well camoflaged body caught my eye, at which point I stopped dead, he gave a little rattle, and slithered his way off the trail. Close one to say the least haha.

What is striking me more at this point than the inexplicable beauty of the landscape through which we walk, is where my mind has gone during the long hours of walking.  I've been surprised at how few things my mind continuously goes back to, and it makes me think that those must be the most important.  Apart from some choice food items, there aren't many material things about life back home that I find myself missing very much if at all.  My family and friends are constantly on my mind.  What they're doing, how they're doing etc. etc.

It's one hell of a long way back to Canada, but knowing that every step that I take is one that brings me closer to seeing all the important people in my life again is a notion that keeps me motivated.  Love you all, and thanks.

Our next opportunity to access the internet is a mystery at this point, so stay tuned for new posts whenever they may be coming.