So today was my first day on the trail and what a rollercoaster it was! Let me start by telling you that Campo is nothing like I had imagined. I was expecting a dusty little town on the border but it is far from it. After a filling meal last night and a good breakfast this morning I was ready to hit the trail. Before I start let me make a note about spelling and grammar. I'm using the speech to text function on my phone and sometimes it does not capitalize properly or use proper punctuation. I don't have the time energy or battery reserves to correct it all the time so please forgive any mistakes.
The trail literally starts right next to the wall separating Mexico from the US. The monument marking the trailhead is a series of posts standing upright in the ground with inscriptions on them. They describe the establishment of the pacific crest trail as well as the elevation at the trailhead and the distance from mexico to canada. On the back of one post is a box with a register - I sign it. "James Shimp - Mexico to Canada - Going the full monty."
From the trailhead the trail returns back along the dirt road brought you there. Just before Campo it jogs to the west. There it crosses highway 94 and continues north. This early in the spring that is a section of trail that consists of greenery and low shrubs. It is also dotted with granite boulders and speckled with wildflowers. From there is the elevation gently rises and follows a valley that brought you here. Eventually you reach a old burn area and you start to see burned out manzanita trees poking up through the shrubs. Their blackened branches stand out against the lush green grass and the dazzling wildflowers. Along the section colors are everywhere. There are flowers of red, purple, bright pink, yellow, white, and dazzling orange. My favorite was a light orange flower that looks like a vanilla orange creamsicle in color. Stunning.
From there is the ascent grows steeper, and you reach a section of manzanita and scrub brush. Soon you find yourself on top of the mountain. Here is another section of burned out manzanita trees. But with the top of the mountains being fairly bare, these sraggly black trees make it kind of looks like your hiking across an Italian plumbers hairy... nevermind. This section is... somewhat less appealing. However the views from this elevation are spectacular.
The trailhead west again along the tops of the ridge. Eventually you come to the top of a narrow canyon. The trail starts to the descend, but you don't enjoy it. Across the canyon you see another trail zig zagging straight up. You pray that you won't have to go up that trail but you know you will. By this point I think that I've been doing a fairly good pace, and I start to get cocky. I started at 8 it is now noon. I must be getting close to the lake that is my destination. I stop for a snack and to look at my maps on my phone. I realize I've only gone 14 miles and still have 5 miles to go. And that is just to the lake, I want to go further. My cockiness backfires as I am climbing the ridge across the canyon. It was cold morning - about 29 degrees when I got up. I started hiking with pants. Now in the heat climbing the ridge there's a problem. Imagine 2 sticks rubbing together over a ball of tinder in order to start a fire. Well now my legs are those 2 sticks and you can guess what the ball of tinder is...
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yeah
I start to get heat rash on my inner thighs. This could be a huge problem, especially since my next to stopping point is still 5 miles away. I come up with a brilliant plan. I break out the duct tape and put a small piece on each side. Haha! Solved... until a few yards down the trail when the duct tape starts pulling up my leg hairs. Okay so the duct tape has to go. I rip it off, scream like a girl, cry a little bit, and admire my newly hairless thighs. I continue hiking gingerly and mercifully the discomfort eases.
Further up the trail I look to the west. Way off in the distance I see a lake. "No way is that it," I say, "it's too far away." But then I just deforested my nether regions with duct tape so what the hell do I know? I now know what morbidly obese people must think about fried chicken. Even if kfc is right down the street - unless that bucket of fried chicken parts is sitting in front of you it is excruciatingly far away.
Fortunately that was the far end of the lake and the near end of the lake was just over the mountain I was climbing. Lake Morena is quite pretty, and the campsites are well maintained. Even so, I have arrived at 2:30 and I still have plenty of daylight. I wash off in the campsite, change my socks, and decide to go on at a leisurely pace. After all, this is only 19 miles in and I need to make 77 miles in 3 days.
I continue through a beautiful meadow with tall grass and stately oak trees amongst small granite boulders. I fill up my water at a stream, and continue past Boulder Oaks campsite at 24.7 miles in. After crossing under I-8 I continue up the ridge and am eventually stopped by the setting sun. What a day. Hopefully tomorrow I won't be too sore and I can make another go of it. Until then I wish everyone the best!!!
