This post and all future posts will be dedicated to my best friend Cappy. In an absolutely heartbreaking turn of events, Cappy passed away sometime Sunday afternoon after I started my PCT hike. May his spirit, light, and love guide me and give me the strength I need to reach not only Canada, but also peace within myself.

DAY 1

On Sunday morning, I tagged the PCT Southern Terminus around 8am. I got all checked in with the crest runners (volunteers for the Pacific Crest Trail Association) and got my little tag to hang off the back of my pack, signaling that I have a permit and that I’m an “official” 2025 PCT thru hiker. After saying some prayers and setting some intentions, I set off.

It was a lovely morning, jam packed with beautiful plant and animal life. All the desert beauties were on display – yucca, cacti, lizards, snakes, etc. I hiked a bit with a woman who had previously hiked the Appalachian Trail. By early afternoon, we approached the dreaded 1st climb of the PCT – the climb up out of Hauser Canyon. Most hikers that day slept in the canyon and did the hike up the next morning, including the woman I had hiked down with. I decided to push on and do the climb, and it really wasn’t too bad – just a little sun exposed. Shout out to the Sandia Mountains for helping me get all trained and ready for this hike.

After about 20 miles of hiking, I got to Lake Morena. To my surprise, two “trail angels” traveling the country in their RV, were set up right near the trailhead with Easter “trail magic.” (Trail angels are folks who provide trail magic – free services like food, rides, or gifts to hikers along the trail) Even though I had only spent one day on trail, it was still really great to have a burger and some chips and candy! Thanks Stewart and Peggy! I chatted with the angels and some other hikers a bit and was eventually invited to just set up my tent right where they were parked. This saved me the $7 I would have had to pay to camp at the PCT site. (This isn’t typically how camping along the trail works, just at established campgrounds like Lake Morena.)

A little while later, I got a message on my Garmin Inreach (satellite phone) saying that there was there was an emergency at home. I eventually found another hiker who actually had cell service and borrowed their phone. Things spiraled quickly from here. Cappy had died that afternoon. The cause of his death was unknown and he was all alone when it happened. This was gut wrenching. I needed to process this, if that was even possible. The sun had set, but I needed to get away from everyone and cry in the woods. I did just that but found no comfort, only more pain the more I thought about the situation. Later that night, I crawled into my tent where I lay sleepless until the sun rose the next morning.

DAY 2

The next morning, my dearest friend came to visit me at the lake. She hadn’t quite left San Diego yet when the news about Cappy came, so she offered to stay the day with me at the lake while we decided what to do next.

I cried for hours. I sat in the car literally shaking uncontrollably. The realization that I’d never hold or pet my baby again broke me entirely. Feelings of guilt, shame, and regret devoured me. All the what-ifs and if-onlys flooded from my mouth like word vomit.

By the end of the day, things were feeling better, but not good. A plan was made as to what to do with Cappy’s remains and after much debate, I decided to continue my hike the next morning. As shaken as I was, I knew that going home would only make me lonelier. I’d rather be lonely on trail, where I had all the time and space in the world to process my feelings. I’d already committed myself to the hike. The alternative would be returning to a Cappy-less home and going back to work, constantly being reminded that I still had 2640 miles of trail left. I’d move forward with my hike. I’d hike for Cappy now.

Day 3

I set off again. It was a surprisingly calm and peaceful morning. Blue Jays greeted me around almost every corner. I made my way under the i8 overpass, and started to climb up into the Laguna Mountains.

After about 10 miles, I came across a delightful little swimming hole – Kitchen Creek. I climbed down to the creek and decided to go for a little soak. Shortly after I braved the cold water, a few more hikers joined me. We exchanged trail stories and I told them a bit about the Cappy situation. It was a sweet experience. I’m a bit introverted and a baby about cold water, so this was some much needed exposure therapy for me. One girl called me “Desert King” – possible trail name, perhaps?

I continued hiking another 10 miles up into the mountains, meeting hikers left and right throughout the day. I eventually set up camp in the pine forest about a mile from the village of Mt Laguna. So far, it wasn’t feeling so bad being back on trail. The pain was still there, but I was moving.

Day 4

On the fourth morning, I headed into the village to grab some fresh fruit and charge my phone a bit. I found the shopkeepers in Mt Laguna to be a bit rude, maybe they’re just overwhelmed by the ever-demanding PCT hiking community or maybe they never wanted to be a part of it in the first place.

I pushed through my 3rd 20 mile day that day, crossing the 50-mile marker along the way. By this point, I had caught up with a number of the hikers who had started on the same day and even the day before me. Hikers could be seen gathered at every spring and water faucet along the way, as the further we pushed into the desert section, the more scarce the water sources began to be. (10-15 mile water carries were the norm at this point)

I passed by some interesting cliffside memorials, before being absolutely hammered by wind. These were easily 60-70mph wind gusts. The trail meandered along the eastern slopes of the Lagunas the rest of the day and the wind never did let up. I set up camp near a few other hikers, and somehow managed to pitch my tent without snapping my pole. (Trekking pole tents can be a real bitch if you’re not careful)

Day 5

I got up early to try to hike to the next water source by 9am. Once I got there I caught up with a Dutch hiker who had camped near me the night before. We traded stories and talked about hiking philosophy. History, as he’s called, believes long distance hiking to be a sort of “returning to the roots” experience that all humans should participate in.

The rest of the day was downhill, with amazing views all the way. The further north I pushed, the more I saw of the desert ahead. I dropped a little over 4000ft in elevation by 3pm and made my way to Scissors Crossing, the end of Section A of the PCT and a popular hitching spot for thru hikers.

Upon getting to Scissors, I discovered more trail magic – a man driving a beer wagon filled with not only beer, but Gatorade and ice cold water as well. I slammed a couple cups of Gatorade, devoured and orange and some chips and made my way to the bridge to hitch a ride.

I was able to hitch a ride to the nearby town of Julian within about 5 minutes. My driver, although very generous, was a bit odd. Regardless, he got me to town and I thanked him for his kindness. I headed towards the famous pie shop that offers PCT hikers a free slice of pie and a scoop of ice cream, but before I even got across the street I realized I left my sunglasses in the guy’s car – whoops. Lesson learned. Got my free slice of cherry pie, some vanilla ice cream and an orange soda – amazing. Thanks, Julian!

After my delightful town snack, I stepped into the local gear shop to grab some new sunglasses. Thankfully, I found a nearly identical pair. Right after stepping out of the shop, three lady hikers asked me if I was headed to Stagecoach RV park and if so, if I wanted to join them. I wasn’t planning on leaving Julian so soon, but they tempted me with ice cream, pizza, and a more affordable place to stay than anything I was likely to find in Julian. The four of us hopped into a trail angel’s car and set off for the RV park, exchanging trail stories along the way.

Things did not go quite as planned, big surprise! Apparently, we had missed not only pizza and ice cream, but we were also arriving during the middle of some great big wind storm! We managed to convince the manager to rent us a cabin, even though the office was closed. We split the cost of the “cabin” (a tiny shack with 3 tiny beds and a fold-out) and a round of laundry. I took my first shower (although I could have managed another week or two) and enjoyed a night indoors chatting with the girls. Worth it!

Day 6

The next morning, we all slept in and took our time gathering our things and making plans for the next leg of the trip. The shop at the RV park didn’t open till 9, and I needed sunscreen desperately, so I couldn’t hit the trail until after that anyway.

I bought some sunscreen and a few more essentials and said my goodbye to the ladies. They had decided to do a “nearo” (a near zero day – a day where one hikes very few miles in order to rest or do errands) and were going to head back to Julian for the morning. I got a ride back to Scissors and hit the trail around 10am.

Unfortunately for me, 10am is a bit late to start the climb up from Scissors. The next water source was 14 miles away, all uphill. The views looking back toward the desert floor were fun for a few hours, but once I realized they weren’t changing for the rest of the day, they got old very quickly. I ran into History and some other hikers around mile 10 – they were also taking a rest day. I pushed on to the water source – a cache in the middle of nowhere off a dirt road that was supplied by wonderful trail angels. Hundreds of gallons of water were cached under tarps. I filled my bottles and made plans to hike another 7 miles to get as close to mile 100 as I could.

Why mile 100? I forgot to mention. I was sort of racing against the clock to get to the next town, Warner Springs. I had previously mailed a resupply box to the post office there, and unfortunately the post office closes at 1:30pm on Saturdays. It was Friday afternoon now, and taking Monday off set me back a bit – hence the back to back 20 mile days.

I made it to camp around 7:30pm, clocking just over 21 miles that day – quite the task, considering I didn’t start until after 10am. While setting up camp, it started to rain. The rain continued the rest of the night.

Day 7

I got started hiking around 7am. My feet were killing me from the day before. I had already bandaged about 6 blisters up at this point, some came as early as day 3. I was hurting now. As I hiked down the mountain, the rain finally came to a stop. It was still windy and cold, maybe low 40s all morning.

The trail opened up into a beautiful meadow for about 5 miles. I crossed a creek and made my way up to the famed Eagle Rock, a sacred site for the Kupa people. I said a little prayer for Cappy and asked the eagle to make sure Cappy gets to where he needs to be.

The next 3 miles sucked. My feet were done. I got to town only to realize the post office was still another mile away. Worst mile ever. I got my package and scored a ride to the community center with a few other hikers.

The community center turned out to be hiker heaven. I’d heard stories and knew it would be cool, but the stories didn’t do it justice! Free dinner, free showers, laundry, charging stations, gear and snacks for sale, a delightful PCT lecture from hiker “Legend” and friends and just a whole lotta love! I was there with about 20 other hikers, but apparently the community center had already served about 2000 hikers this season!!

I spent the whole afternoon there, organizing my food and eating as much as I could possibly stomach. I also finally had the time to edit some photos and write this blog. Tomorrow, I’ll go back for breakfast and get back on trail. I may be taking it a little slower the next few days to give my feet a bit of a break. Now that I’ve got my package, there’s really no rush anyway.

Thanks for reading. I’m not sure if all future posts will be this long or detailed, but I really needed to get this first post up and out. Cappy’s passing has sort of killed my motivation to share stuff about my hike, so I’m hoping getting this post out can sort of break the ice.

WEEK 1 TOTALS

Miles Hiked: 109.5 miles

Elevation Gain: 17,329ft

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