We were very happy to have our own private space in our treehouse last night. We woke up early and I (Sherpa) discovered her phone hadn’t charged overnight! Not good when your phone functions as your camera, music source, communication device, and trail gps. I plugged in my phone and hoped it would charge by the time we left. We enjoyed an amazing free breakfast and then all 25ish of us piled into a bunch of cars to head to the trailhead. The drivers are all volunteers and we are so grateful for such generosity. I grabbed my phone before hopping in the car only to discover my charging cord must have broke so I had to start the trail with only a half charged phone.
We rode to the trail with three generations of a family hiking together–a grandpa, mom, and 10 year old girl. We got to the monument at the southern terminus around 7AM and the big group of us took turns taking photos. Wolf Bird and I set off pretty quickly after while others were still milling about, in hopes of beating the heat and avoiding hiking in a huge herd of people.
Our first pile passed super quickly. The terrain was pretty flat and easy but it started heating up in no time. The desert was so different for us! So many unfamiliar plants and flowers and wildlife. We saw bunnies and hummingbirds and lizards. We could see pretty far into the distance, as there is only really small cacti and desert plants-no trees to block the view.
We took a few breaks, growing more frequent as it got hotter. We spent time figuring out how to hide from the sun–using hats and trying to rig up our umbrellas to our packs so we could walk without having to hold them with our hands. We took a couple hour break at mile 15 at Hauser Creek where there was shade and water and a bunch of other people resting.
We set out around 3PM to walk the final five miles of the day, which started with a big climb. We would soon discover this was not the smartest decision. The sun was so incredibly strong and there was no shade. The temperature was probably high 80s but I’m sure the heat index was far higher. Wolf Bird seemed to be doing okay, but I had to stop every 50 yards or so. My heart was racing and I was sweating so much and was so tired. Maybe we should have waited until it was cooler…
I was very grateful to have Wolf Bird to encourage and support me and we staggered (well I staggered and Wolf Bird strolled) into Lake Morena Campground a couple hours later. I felt like I literally couldn’t walk another step. I collapsed onto a picnic table and chugged some water while Wolf Bird wandered around the extremely poorly marked campground looking for the park office. He found us a campsite and set up our tent while I lay useless.
We then walked about a half mile down the road to a small store that sold hot food and got chicken finger baskets. Having food and Gatorade was a welcome treat after such a hot day, but I was so exhausted that I had very little appetite and had to take half of mine to go (shocking, I know!).
We camped with a bunch of other PCT Hikers around us and even got to shower as the campground had a bathhouse! What a luxury on day one. I finally felt a bit rejuvenated by the time we went to bed.