Today was the push to the trail. I spent a leisurely morning at the hostel charging my devices, buying snacks at CVS, and organizing my pack. People in the hostel were interested in my hike, and the regulars seemed to see a lot of PCT hikers.

I caught a bus to Old Town where I was to meet the shuttle. In the heat of the day, I walked very hot and smoggy stroads to get to Big 5 Sporting Goods and Big Lots for the last couple of items. I didn’t find a small stove canister, so I will try cold soaking my food (later I found one at REI but the decision had already been made).

The PCT Southern Terminus Shuttle picked up me and five other hikers at Okd Town Transit Center at two PM. The driver acted as a guide, giving us advice as he drove us to the San Diego REI, Campo Post Office, Campo Green Store, and ultimately the terminus. Everyone has advice on this trail. They all want us to succeed.

All of our destinations that night was CLEEF (Camp Locket Equestrian & Event Center) where the Trail Angels named Legend & Patrick had set up a campground and hostel for PCT hikers. CLEEF is a 1/2 mile down the PCT from the terminus statue, so we elected to take our photos at the terminus and log our first half mile tonight.

The terminus is right on the border. 30 yards to the left of the monument is the border wall fence. We took the opportunity to touch Mexico. Throughout the evening and morning Border Patrol vehicles were coming and going along the road alongside the wall.

CLEEF was perfect. Legend and Patrick cooked us spaghetti dinner under the gazebo as they regaled us with stories of the PCT, lessons on LNT, and endless encouragement. Legend led us in an exercise to literally put the love and magic of the PCT into our hearts.

The eight other hikers with me last night had a lot of questions for Legend and our shuttle driver. I asked a couple of questions but not too many. It was useful to listen to the answers they gave everyone, but honestly I just felt ready to start.

They asked us to choose three words to describe our current mood. In one word I feel reverent.

After dinner was a campfire and then early to bed. First day tomorrow!

I’m underway! Yesterday I left home and flew to San Diego via San Francisco. I hopped on a city bus to the Gaslamp Hostel, right in the middle of white linen restaurants and trendy bars. I felt like such a country bumpkin, gawking at the tall buildings and fancy diners while I walked around in running shorts and a baseball cap. It’s been so long since I was in a big city and even longer since I enjoyed its metropolitan luxuries. I take my unease as a good sign: the slower rural life and the quiet of the trail beckon to me even as the upbeat pop music blares from the hostel’s speakers.

(This is a cool hostel though. Highly recommend it. Close to the action. Close to many amenities and mass transit lines.)

It took a lot of prep and anxiety to get here. My interest in the PCT started about 10 years ago when my friend Molly hiked it. Still in college, I had only been on one short overnight backpack and considered myself a day hiker. In those ten years, I’ve hiked a lot of miles and ticked off some classic backpacks: the Timberline Trail, the Teton Crest Trail, the Beaten Path, the Cirque of the Towers, the Wonderland Trail, and lots of miles all over the West, mostly solo too.

I first committed to the PCT in 2020, but called off the hike before stepping on trail because of Covid. Two years later, I’ve pushed through burn out at work, and I’m ready again. I’ve spent the last six months dehydrating meals and planning. The last month has been an utter whirlwind. My seasonal job as a professional ski patroller ended on April 19. I moved out of my apartment into my boyfriend’s house on the 22nd. I put a lot of my things in storage to sort through when I get off trail. In the remaining 11 days, I unpacked, packed, dehydrated more, assembled dehydrated meals, and did so many administrative tasks to square my life away for six months.

There’s things people don’t think of: the three hours I spent going back and forth with my car insurance agency and different state DMVs to get a lower storage rate for my truck, cancelling health insurance and buying travel insurance, backing up phones, updating firmware on GPS units, mailing trekking poles & tent stakes etc to the border a week ahead of time, losing some gear in the move and ordering replacements, etc.

Everytime someone asked if I was excited for the trail, I had to be truthful and answer that I was a giant stressball of preparing. Casey, my boyfriend, was a champ through it all. I have to say, I wasn’t a very enjoyable person to be around, in my own little world of prep.

But all the prep—or what I could get done—has fallen into place. 100+ meals and lots of coordination.

Today is gathering those last minute items (like Benadryl, a gas canister for my stove), taking a shuttle to the border, and camping for the night with a bunch of other hikers.

Tomorrow my hike officially begins!