Day 1 PCT mile 0 to 0.5 (lol) 5/1/21
Start point: El Cajon hotel and US-Mexico border
Stop: C.L.E.E.F. equestrian campsite
Weather: Hot and dry
Day one on the PCT was definitely fewer miles than we planned but we enjoyed a fun day of low budget carpentry lessons, learning about the SoCal beach bum lifestyles, how to wrangle snakes with a rake, border patrol 101 and that the Pacific Crest Trail Association is supposedly a land acquisition business instead of a hiking business. Lots of opinions on our first day and it was so interesting to meet people from all walks of life – some who lived in communities some may consider to be cults, others were handymen, teachers, beach bums, travelers and scientists.
We took an Uber to the post office in El Cajon from our hotel that we stayed at after the long drive from Minnesota to Southern California. At the post office we had to mail some extra gear home and “bounce” some gear forward to post offices further up the trail.
Since it was the weekend, the $5 bus from El Cajon to the tiny border town of Campo, CA wasn’t running and we heard shuttles to the PCT were $100-150 so we tried our luck with ridesharing services. Omar, our Uber driver from Iraq, told us all sorts of stories on our hour drive and we told him about how we were hiking the PCT from Mexico to Canada. He couldn’t believe that there was a trail that long and that we were going to hike it. We drove out into the twisting mountain roads east of San Diego and around 2 PM we arrived at the equestrian campsite near the beginning of the PCT. Omar asked if we were sure we wanted to be dropped off here in the middle of nowhere and we put on our brave faces and told him yes.
As our Uber driver Omar drove off back to the city in a cloud of dust and we were left in the hot sun, border patrol trucks zooming by on the dirt roads and buzzards circling over us. I swear I thought we were going to see tumbleweeds roll by and cowboys on horses (later on in the day we actually did see rodeo cowboys on horses!). It was a little overwhelming but first thing’s first we had to get out of the hot sun and we moved out of the stifling heat into the shade of a random information board, sitting on splintery old telephone poles as we decided where the trail was and what to do next.
As we were hanging out in the shade trying to orient ourselves to having been dropped off literally in the middle of nowhere, a dusty tan guy showed up on a mountain bike and introduced himself to us as Legend, a trail angel who has been helping PCT hikers for 10+ years. This year was special in kind of a sad way since famous Trail Angels Scout and Frodo (two famous trail angels out of San Diego who help thru hikers at the beginning of the PCT) who normally greeted and hosted hikers were retiring up to Washington state. Legend assured us he was going to help us along with his band of misfit hiking friends and invited us to come over to the PCT hiker campsite where there were non-splintery picnic tables, water and lots of shade.
Trail Angel Legend taught us if Knowledge = Power and Power = Money, then Knowledge = Money. But isn’t Knowledge = Money the basis of getting a job? We didn’t think that some of these people would take too kindly to that revelation but whatever. Also in terms of shattering perceptions, we kept thinking we were going to hike a few miles in but ended up staying at PCT thru-hiker base camp. We were so thankful we didn’t hike further because we ended up having lots of bonding moments over dinner with about a dozen hikers and Trail Angels.
So intent on hiking to the border, we grabbed our packs during the hot part of the afternoon and trekked out to touch the border sign and the beginning of the PCT mile marker zero. We met thru-hiker Jordan from Illinois and her friend’s dad Bill from San Diego. We signed the trail register, celebrating the moment where we could start the adventure that we’d had our eyes on for seven years. Legend had told us that we could climb through the barbed wire hole in the fence to touch the high steel wall separating Mexico from the US. I guess the border patrols are okay with thru-hikers touching the border wall but as soon as we touched the fence, all of a sudden border patrol came rushing down the backcountry road towards us in their souped up SUVs. We jumped back into the US side of the fence and they just drove by as we waved like nothing ever happened. I had wanted to fly my drone on the border but it was too windy to do so and I thought it would be a good chance that I would get in a lot of trouble.
Back at the equestrian camp, new friend Jordan, Shannon and I helped Legend box up hiker food from the hiker box which was getting really full. A hiker box is extra food and gear that hikers get rid of as a means to pay it forward and to lighten up their packs. We sorted through the hiker box, placing food in USPS flat rate boxes to be mailed to hikers needing food in the future. Later we helped Legend build out a bed frame in his truck and in the late afternoon heat between sawing lumber and drilling, Legend saw a snake tail coming out of his truck tire because it was really hot out. We ended up dropping all the carpentry gear and Legend chased the garter snake out, grabbing it with a rake and tossing it away from camp and his truck. The snake was probably 4 or 5 feet long and none of us wanted the snake to come back and snuggle with us that night!
Robin who was a Trail Angel helping hikers had a small service dog named Chupie who enjoyed the tiny piece of beef jerky that I gave him that he went crazy and zoomed all over on his little mixed chihuahua legs. It was hilarious to see this 14 year old dog act like a puppy again, all because of some beef jerky!
As the sky got darker, a few Trail Angels arrived at camp, one who has a restaurant out of San Diego, and they cooked for us while we helped set the table and do chores and other jobs assigned by Legend. We served dinner family style, chowing down on deliciously cooked grilled food. My job was Legend’s assistant to the regional manager and I made sure that all 12+ of us were able to relax, enjoy each other’s company, laugh, enjoy some beverages and eat delicious veggies and chicken. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous and Mark (a trail angel who ran the first 20 miles every day southbound to check on the new hikers) asked us to be quiet for a moment and be grateful for everything in front of us, especially the specific moment with the sun blazing across the sky and the mountains shimmering in the distance.
Later at dinner we chowed down on grilled chicken, sweet potatoes, rice, zucchini, portobello mushrooms, and someone bought a 30 rack of Coors. We stayed up later than hiker midnight (which Hiker Midnight is about 8 o’clock when hikers seem to fall asleep) and watched the stars while listening to border patrol go back-and-forth all night on their ATVs and jeeps. Before dinner, we caught some pocket gophers digging and eating and tried to catch them with our hands but they were pretty quick. Later in the night we heard screech owls and barn owls out in the field. Even though we didn’t hike many miles today it was a good day and a good start to the Pacific crest Trail.