Scout and Frodo ‘A Homely Beginning’ – PCT 2017: A Hiking Story [01]

Previous Post:

The Pacific Crest Trail Blog of ‘Tatters’ 2017

Day 0 (28/03) – Scout and Frodo’s

Scout and Frodo were the trail angels I had gotten in contact with before starting the trail. Their generosity in helping hikers out the day before they leave is something I will never forget.

In the evening prior, Frodo picked up myself, and another hiker, Marcus, from the centre of San Diego to their humble abode in the suburbs. Here, I met her husband Scout also, who showed us around their home. In the backyard, there were huge white tents to accommodate many hikers, where we set up beds. Scout and Frodo had cooked us dinner, serving a meal of epic proportions!

On the 28th, we had a day to do some last-minute planning. Scout and Frodo drove Marcus and me into the REI (the outdoor store) to buy an ice axe each for the high mountains. Later in the day, back at the house, a further six hikers arrived. All hikers were starting out with me tomorrow – seven of us in total with one starting the following day (Marcus, the German who arrived the evening before with me). We did our final preparations, and had to be sure we were ready to leave at 6am the next morning from Scout and Frodo’s.

Day 1 (29/03) – Southern Terminus

Today was the day! The sound of 5am alarms went off, and we all packed up our gear. Scout and Frodo, again being generous, served copious amounts of breakfast, before we began loading the car for the hour’s drive to the trailhead south of Campo. The early start was so that we could make it to Lake Morena (mile 20) on the trail. I didn’t know what I could or couldn’t do in mileage at this point, but it was the only large area to camp in the early section.

We arrived at the Southern Terminus of the PCT around 7:30am. Photos a blazing and fired up – we were all ready! Here, we were sure to touch the huge metal wall dividing the two countries.

The first milestone of the PCT was reaching mile 1 of 2650! Hooray!

I was walking for most of the morning with Claire and Kade, a couple from Ohio. But, eventually, I left them behind and caught up to another Matt – a quieter guy from Minnesota. Eventually, I was by myself again. I had wondered if I was going to walk alone, a lot or in a group. It was too early to tell when you don’t know any people, their hiking speeds, or who you’d get along with!

It was amazing, just how far you can walk. By the time I hit mile 15, I was ready to tackle the final 5 miles (8.05 km) to Lake Morena. This was where about half of the hikers end up on the first night. It was an extremely hard task to make it that far on the first day, and I was definitely feeling it. The afternoon walk up the raging hot and dry mountain was certainly a slog!

When I reached the campsite, I met several other hikers. Most of these hikers were solo travellers like myself, but some were couples. I was talking to many people, but mostly to a guy named Eyran from Venezuela. He looked very lightweight and experienced, but it turned out this was not the case! We made a fire, and bought beers from the store down the road. To be honest, it was a painful half-mile walk for beers, having just done 20 miles (32 km)!

‘Day one complete – what a glorious feeling of freedom’, I thought to myself in my tent as I drifted off.

Distance hiked: 20 miles (32.19 km)

Total PCT hiked: 20 miles (32.19 km)

Next Post:

Part 2 ‘Am I Really in a Desert?’

In order to support the travelling and hiking community, I spend many hours per week or month to adequately document all information and advice for prospective visitors, accompanied by a (hopefully) entertaining insight into my personal experiences. This service is, and will remain free. However, if you voluntarily want to make a contribution and support my travels and thus the creation of new stories and hiking information, here is the button you’re looking for:

Thank you for reading 🙂