Expectations - Tuesday, April 8

For some reason this entry at the end of our first day of hiking did not post. Sorry about that. It goes with the photos entry "Expectations". 

We have never been to Southern California other than Disneyland. Never done any desert hiking. So when we committed to doing this PCT trip we had all kinds of visions about what the SoCal part of the trail would be like. Desert hiking. Like Saudi Arabia sands and dunes?  Scorching sun and mirages?  Temps in the 90's?  Little water?
Scratch the sand from the list. And the mirages. But scorching sun, little water and temps in the 90's made the list today as we completed the first 11.2 miles of the PCT.
We awoke at 4:30 this morning, showered and sat down to a delicious breakfast of French toast, strawberries and scrambled eggs prepared by Frodo, then loaded into their van at 5:45 and made the 75 minute drive to the southern terminus of the PCT and the wooden monument that marks the beginning of the trail. Scout took and posed for pictures of Sally and I and Phillip and Angie from Great Britain who we shared Frodo and Scouts hospitality with last night. We donned our packs as Scout drove away in the van and just like that we were standing on the Mexican Border with no way to leave except on our feet.
Our first destination is Morena Lake, 20 miles north via the trail. We plan to make that distance in two days, hoping to cover 11.2 of it today and the remainder tomorrow. There is no water along the way, so I have 10 liters in my pack and Sally has two for our 12 liter total. 10 liters weighs 22 pounds. Combined with six days of food for two, tent, sleeping gear and assorted clothes and equipment I leave the border with 72 pounds on my back. This is a ridiculous load for a hike. Most hikers we meet are carrying about 30-35. But our needs are different. Sally needs to be able to hike with minimal loads as she gains strength and endurance, so I have all our gear except the stove and fuel. But I am used to heavy packs from my earlier days leading hikes and climbs for the Boy Scouts, so although it is heavy it is quite manageable.
The first 4.3 miles is gentle downhill and we enjoy the surprisingly green hillsides and flowers adjacent to the trail. When we exited the van the temperature was 39°, and the first 2 1/2 hours were pleasant temperatures for hiking. But the predicted high is 89° and by 10:30 we were climbing a south facing slope in full shadeless sun with my sun drenched pack thermometer registering 95°. Too hot for hiking, so we found a good patch of shade and holed up from 10:30 to 1:45. Cooler and refreshed with water and lunch we again started uphill. After many breaks for rest, water and food we made our campsite at 11.2 miles, very tired but quite satisfied with our efforts and accomplishment. A quick dinner of rice and chicken garnished with cashews, dried cranberries and pineapple and the darkness motivated us to call it a day so we retired happily to the tent.
During the extremely hot day and ensuing dinner we consumed 8 liters of water. So tomorrow we have 4 to get us the 8.8 miles to the oasis of Lake Morena where a campground, burger bar and general store await. We have a thousand foot drop first thing in the morning, followed by a 1500' climb, so we will be on the trail well before light, traveling by headlamp so we can hike during the cool dawn hours and conserve our water. We hope to be at Lake Morena before the predicted high of 88 assaults the countryside.
Sally and I figure we will meet nearly everyone of the 1000+ PCT hikers this year. Thru hikers, those attempting to do the entire 2600 miles must average about 20 miles a day to finish before the Cascades of northern Washington become impassable with Autumn snows. We are only planning to cover 10-12 miles each day. So everyday a dozen or more thru hikers will pass us. Today we had 9 go scooting by as we exchanged names and backgrounds. It would be fun to meet them on the trail again but they have an agenda far different than ours and will be a hundred miles further up the trail than us in just a matter of days.
T Plus one day and counting.