109.6 miles. Thats the distance from the border terminus to Warner Springs, CA along the Pacific Crest Trail. Driving this might take you about an hour and a half, flying even less. Walking this took us about seven days. Thats right, Section A is officially in the bag!
After driving to San Diego the night prior and staying with friends Aaron and Jimil, we arrived around 6:30am on Sunday, April 1st at the southern terminus which sits only 50 feet from the border fence. After a photo-op with the terminus monument, we bid farewell to my brother Ryan (our ride...thank you Ryan!) and started northward.
The first 20 mile stretch from the border had us cruising through plenty of oak forest, chaparral-covered hills, and in and out of Hauser Canyon (a rather switchback-intensive endeavour), arriving finally to the welcome sight of my brother Ryan at Lake Morena Campground. We "slackpacked" these miles (slackpacked = day hiked) with small daypacks. The purpose was to lower our pack weight in order to complete the entire 20 mile stretch and avoid any encounters with groups of illegal immigrants fresh over the border. In past years, some hikers camped in the area have awoken to the sound of someone rifling through their packs looking for food. But as we sauntered with tired legs in to Lake Morena campground sans any undesirable encounters, my brother's car parked at the trailhead near the campground was a welcome sight. He greeted us with an expression of relief as we described in detail the first leg of hiking along the PCT. Several hours later we bid one final farewell and organized our packs for the journey ahead.
That first morning after cowboy camping at Lake Morena campground greeted us with frost on our sleeping bags and partially frozen water containers. So apparently Spring is getting a late start in Southern California this year! It was only after we had breakfast going did we really notice the large amount of other hikers camped nearby. We introduced ourselves and met a few fellow thru-hikers along with some section hikers headed to Warner Springs. After packing up, it was northbound once again. Over the next few days, we walked through more manzanita covered hillsides, down canyons and up to Laguna Mountain where our first resupply packages awaited. Prior to picking up packages however, we stopped by Mt Laguna Sports and Supply. After taking a minute to chat with the owner and browse among the vast collection of hiking and camping gear, I found a few things I had neglected to procure the previous week. Hiking out of that small town with a full five days worth of food was a big wake up call to how heavy a full pack can be. Packs bulging, we camped near a known water source adjacent to Noble Canyon trailhead about 6.5 miles outside of Mt Laguna. It was at this point I realized my pocket knife had somehow escaped my possession. I suppose if there were the need for a gear sacrifice during this hike, the knife was mine.
Continuing on, we walked along a stretch of trail that provided a prominent view of the Anza Borrego desert. During one of our breaks, Oddball (John) sat on a nice flat rock, only to disturb a rather large ant nest hidden underneath, and shortly thereafter a surprised scorpion came ambling out as well. We managed to snap a few photos after we stopped laughing.
The next couple of days brought more descent and ascent from around 5000 feet down to 2200 feet and back up to 3500 feet. It was around the 3rd gate water cache that Oddball suddenly realized we were an entire day ahead of schedule! This normally would not have been an issue, but since we rely on post offices being open on the days we arrive into resupply towns, and this meant we would arrive in Warner Springs on a Sunday, we could not retrieve our packages. Oddball decided then to call his friends Vince and Michelle for a possible ride and night's stay in the nearby town of Ramona. Lucky for us, Vince and Michelle were available and drove up and picked up the two lowly, smelly hikers that were a day early into Warner Springs. That night we ate at a great local diner in Ramona (after showering and a little laundry) and had a good nights sleep on things other than sleeping pads and hard ground. What a treat!
The next morning we were picked up and driven to Mataguay Scout Ranch by Vince's dad Chuck, all the while sharing stories of time served in the military. Three of the five branches were represented the car that morning, so there were many stories and jokes to be shared.
Both Oddball and I are now enjoying our second day at Mataguay Scout Ranch in a great cabin, eating, reading, and most importantly, resting our feet. Tomorrow starts Section B and the climb up into the Santa Rosa mountains, with San Jacinto to be tackled a few days following.
There are so many other details to write about, but writing from a phone can be cumbersome, so we'll try and keep these entries succinct. Thanks again to those who support and follow us, as well as those donating to the Wounded Warrior Project. Any amount helps as we continue our adventure and raise money towards supporting our brothers and sisters in arms. Again, thanks to Jimil and Aaron Linton, Ryan Blauvelt, David at Laguna Mountain Sports and Supply, Vince and Michelle, Chuck, and Ranger Mike. All of these fine folks have been extremely generous in the past week and we would just like to extend our gratitude. A special shout out to the United States Postal Service for helping keeping us nourished and amply supplied with round-dates stamped in our journals (more on that later).
Be sure to visit our Facebook page and follow us on twitter for more frequent updates.
- Tyler "Copernicus" Blauvelt
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