Day 1 – Campo
Originally published on Mason Hikes the PCT 2017.
Mileage: 15 miles
It’s officially begun! I’m currently hiking from Mexico to Canada!
Before heading out to Campo, I needed to pick up stove fuel and we decided to have a proper breakfast, so things got started later than I would have liked. I got to the wall at 12:30, stuck my hand through to Mexico, took some pictures, and was on my way.
As it turns out, the desert is hot! Especially in the middle of the day. Especially when you’re hiking. Things were generally fine for me, though I saw 9 people along the way, all of which were sitting in the shade to get out of the heat. Two of these lovely hikers managed to convince me that taking it slow to begin was a good call, so I changed my goal from getting to Lake Morena to “hike until you feel like you should stop.” My feet were a bit swollen after making it to the 15 mile mark, so I decided to call it an night and get up early to beat the heat.
After getting to camp, I met another hiker that was also spending the night by the creek and she was telling me about an air evacuation she took part in earlier that day. I guess it really was hot, and she reinforced that 80lb military backpacks aren’t a great idea on the PCT! A hatchet and the second pair of army boots might need to stay at home.
Overall, enjoyable first day and I’m looking forward to what my first day on the trail will bring!