Gratitude of the Day: I’m thankful for my family and friends that have been encouraging of a 10 year long dream, of their continuous support and their countless ways of help just to start the Pacific Crest Trail.
Day one started off with only about 2 hours of sleep and an early wake up call of 4am to fly in to San Diego from Portland, Oregon. I was fortunate that my amazing friend Sarah managed to be my host for the past week, run errands with me, beat me daily at board games to keep me humble and then in the end drop me off at the Portland airport and an amazing new friend, Megan who I met during my travel nursing adventure graciously volunteer to pick me up and take me to the southern terminus of the PCT. After a couple obligatory pictures at the terminus I signed into the trail log and started heading down the trail. Starting off is just exhilarating, for me it’s been 9-10 years of culmination and dreaming of this day. That adrenaline carried me for the first 6.6 miles of a dirt, primary shadeless trail.
The first water source was 4.4 miles in and it was a small trickle of a stream with a lot of algae. My first break, I made myself stop for 30 minutes and enjoy the shade and the pack off my back. That break rejuvenated me for another 2 miles and then I “bonked” as in running terms, but it was too early in the day and too hot to stop and set up camp, so onward I slogged. The reality of the trail kind of started to kick in. I knew this would be hard, all the glamorization of a thru hike I knew was not what it’s cracked up to be.... it’s hard, really hard... and I’m on Day 1!
I think those last 5 miles to my camp spot I thought 3-4 times, “What the hell are you doing? It’s hot, it’s dirty, there’s no water”. But, I also know that every day things will get easier, my body will get stronger and my legs will adapt. I’ll get into stretch’s of mountains in a week or so, I’ll be able to soak my feet in cool streams soon. So onward north I go!
🤙🤙💪💪
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