Day 1-6: Mexican Border to Mountain Valley Retreat
Mile 0-101.2
On March 30, the day had finally arrived to start hiking. Accompanied by my Mom, Aunt Ilene, and Uncle Donald, I arrived at the trailhead anxious to get walking in order to get into the swing of things, and after some goodbye photos, I was off!
For the most part, day 1 went pretty smoothly. I made it about 15 miles before making camp in Hauser Canyon. While it was stagnant and semi-gross, I was surprised to find water at camp. As expected, water is a real luxury in the desert. More on that later.
Day 2 started with a pretty mellow climb out of Hauser Canyon, followed by a quick descent into the small town of Lake Morena. I made a stop at the Lake Morena Malt Shop for a breakfast sandwich, as did most other hikers on trail. With a full stomach, I continued onwards as I still had another 12 miles to cover before my intended camp. Along the way, I met a couple with the trail names Gadget and Pop-Up. Trail names are a part of the culture on trail where hikers are given a name, usually by another hiker, and go by said name for the entirety of their thru hike. My trail name is Pinot, which was given to me by an AT hiker when I took a bottle of wine up to a shelter in New Hampshire. I hiked a little ways with Gadget and Pop-up, then continued on my own to camp. The climb was hot but had beautiful views, and overall day 2 was a quite satisfying one.
Day 3 started with a long, slow climb to Mount Laguna, a tiny town with a restaurant and general store perched at an elevation of 6000 feet. The climb was pretty straightforward, and I walked into “town” to grab a hot meal at the Pine House Cafe. When I arrived, I found Gadget and Pop-up sitting outside, getting ready to order. I joined them for a fantastic lunch and then they graciously paid for my meal. After a quick resupply at the general store, I hiked the final 5 miles to camp, which were hot but incredibly beautiful, as I walked along the ridge and peered into the desert floor below.
Day 4 was the highlight of the first section. First of all, it was my biggest day in terms of mileage at 19.7. The first stretch was along the same ridge from the day before, but with even more exposed views.
The day continued with a steep downhill, followed by a short uphill and another descent to camp. It was an extremely satisfying day given that I covered a lot of ground and felt pretty good at the end.
Day 5 was another story. I woke up early and was on trail at 6:45, and made it 9 miles to a road called Scissors Crossing at 10:00. I stocked up on water, as I knew there would be none at my intended camp that night. Getting out of Scissors Crossing was a brutal slog up about 1000 feet which was completely exposed to the searing desert heat. Add to that the extra water weight I was carrying, and this was by far the most taxing section of trail in these first six days. The trail contoured around the slope of the mountain, still completely exposed to the desert sun, until finally dropping to camp. I was in camp pretty early (3:00), but was still completely exhausted from the second half of the day.
Day 6 was thankfully much easier. I got up early and hiked a shorter day at 14 miles. It was pretty uneventful but quite scenic, though the highlight of the day was passing the 100 mile mark on the journey. It was pretty cool to think that I had just walked 100 miles. Only 2550 to go! No problem.
100 miles!
Right now I am taking a day off at Mountain Valley Retreat, a B&B catering to hikers located just off trail. It is hosted by Chery Owens, who has been an absolutely wonderful host. I highly recommend this place to anyone hiking the PCT, as you get a bed, shower, and home cooked meals, not to mention hospitality. I’m back on trail tomorrow, so I’ll give another update when I have a chance.
