Arthur on the PCT

Eagle Rock, near Warner Springs  Cool desert plants  location of snake sighting

Yesterday (Sunday) Arthur got a ride into the town of Julian where he was able to eat a pulled pork sandwich! Such luxury after days of trail food. He said he met fellow hikers from Japan, France, and Italy. He may hit the 100-mile mark today. The area he's hiking in is very exposed so he did some evening/night hiking. Here's a screenshot of the area where he camped last night. (The blue dots are locations where the GPS pinged, which it does at 30-min intervals.) Looks like very little shade or water nearby. 

Arthur has had two more successful days on the PCT. He finished Day Two at Mile 42: "Got to my campsite, another campground. Plenty of climbing today, very tired now, not too hot again fortunately. Tons of flies but no mosquitoes" Saturday evening he messaged me at approximately Mile 62: "Today's been not so bad so far but pretty exposed still. Really amazing views down into the desert, can see jacinto and Bernardino. Had a close encounter with a rattlesnake today  I was with a guy I've been hiking with this afternoon and was going to open my pack when I hear this sound like air escaping a balloon, look down and instantly jump back Fortunately it slithered away quickly  But that has taught me to look down more thoroughly before sitting or messing with my bag or really anything lol"

 Q: Is Arthur hiking the PCT alone? A: Yes, he is starting the hike alone and will go at his own pace. This is quite common. Most people start alone and connect with other hikers along the trail. A hiker might hike and do town days for varying amounts of time (a couple days? a week? a month?) with people who have a similar speed and hiking style.  Q: How far is he hiking? A: His goal is to complete the entire Pacific Crest Trail: 2,650 miles starting at the Mexican border in Campo, CA, and ending at the Canadian border east of Seattle. He may decide to skip sections based on trail conditions. He also may be forced to change plans because of flood, fire, washed out bridges, etc. We met a hiker at the Southern Terminus who was returning to finish some sections he missed due to fire-related trail closures in 2021. Q: How long will this take? A: Most hikers take about five months to complete the trail. Since he will be hiking through October, he is taking a gap year and plans to s...

Years of dreaming, training, planning, and packing have brought Arthur here. The weather was perfect and the forecast was to stay in the 70s for days.  Arthur had a goal of 20 miles the first day which he finished around 4:30. He saw nonvenomous snakes, rodents, and lots of cool bugs. 

 Camping at Campo We arrived in San Diego early this morning and shopped for supplies before driving to Campo, CA. We have inspected the monument and the border fence. A shelter at the campsite provides a graffiti wall for hikers starting out.

When I talk to people about the PCT, they often ask me about the book "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed, or the Reese Witherspoon movie based on the book. I haven't seen the movie and I'm on the record as not loving the book. I know a lot of people found the book inspirational and wonderful but I just didn't love it. So I'm going to talk about some of the PCT memoirs I do love: Through Hiking Will Break Your Heart  author Carrot Quinn has become one of my favorite writers since I read this memoir. Carrot describes feeling burnt out and wanting to log off and she does this by hiking from Mexico to Canada. Thirst by Heather Anderson is one of the best hiking books I've read. She describes her childhood and how it brought her to trying to set the unsupported fastest known time (fkt) on the trail.  I Promise Not to Suffer by Gail Storey is a love story by a woman who does not want to hike the PCT but doesn't want to be away from her husband for the many months it...

  One week until we leave for SoCal and prepping has begun in earnest. Arthur has most of his gear already after doing week-plus-long solo trips the last two summers. We needed a couple things so we went to REI to spend graduation money.  We were helped by Brentwood REI employee Peter, who thru-hiked the PCT two years ago! Photo by Arthur's aunt, Patty.  Many meals are being prepared. Freeze dried food purchased online are the main ingredients.   Arthur hopes to have the first month or so of meals prepped before leaving. All are from a blog I discovered years ago with great backpacking recipes. They take some time to prep but are healthier and much much much cheaper than premade.