The Journey to Julian

Getting to the trail and starting a thru-hike is always a costly and stressful experience. It often feels like everything is going to fall apart and you will have to cancel your trip for some odd reason. When I finally took my seat on Just Paul’s Southern Terminus Shuttle it felt like I could breathe for the first time in months. It hadn’t dawned on me until that moment that I was surrounded by other thru-hikers (my people) and on my way to the Southern Terminus that it was finally happening.

Since completing the AT, Lizzy and I have hiked some smaller trails, the Pinhoti, Benton-Mackaye and the Long Trail, but none of them attached the itch like the AT did, and after my first few days on the trail I think I can tell you why. The whole first week went by in a whirlwind, like when you woke up too early on Christmas Day and would have to wait to open presents; you just feel so much drive to move forward and be out there that it can be difficult to be present to what is actually happening. You blink and a week has gone by, you blink again and the trail is over. Hiking the PCT will allow us to settle into the lifestyle that is thru-hiking culture. 

Thankfully, Just Paul and the people running the campground at CLEEF help set veteran and newbie hikers off on the right foot. Every night they host a fireside talk where they break down everything you need to know about thru-hiking. They discuss pack weight, water carries, resupply, hitchhiking; all the basics. Listening to their wisdom got me in the mood for hiking and I was iching to get out there. 

We started the next morning with fresh fruit, coffee and bagels provided by our hosts before setting us off with some words of encouragement. Lizzy and I were on trail before six-thirty. It felt like a fever dream. We rushed our way through the first eight miles before dropping our packs and collapsing in the shade with the other thru-hikers. There is something so amusing about seeing all the hikers napping under the desert brush during the noontime heat. 

The heat is different out here. Maybe it’s because I spent the winter working in the cold but man is 80 degrees different here than it is in Georgia. Between sunrise and noontime it is quite cool, especially if you chase the shadows in the pockets of the desert mountains.

The first two days of the PCT are a bit of a shakedown. We started late in the season so it gets pretty hot around here from noon to around three o’clock. Hiking too long during that time will make you feel a bit woozy. We have been using our sunbrellas which help a good bit, though they obstruct your view of just about everything besides the trail immediately around your feet. It does make hiking during the heat of the day a bit more bearable. We had to adapt our style of hiking to the heat. We get up and start hiking early. We find shade and siesta during the noontime heat. And then we finish up the miles for the day and get to the next water source. Which haven’t been nearly as appetizing as the lush mountain creeks along the AT.

Thankfully, there are several general stores and gas stations that you come across the first few days on trail. These provide a great place to grab a cold drink in the shade. We have found that ice cream is the most effective supplement to the intense heat of Southern California. Our third day on trail we climbed up into Laguna State Park where we were treated with tall pine trees and shade. The views from this ridgeline were spectacular and the breeze was much needed. 

We descended into Julian the next day. Feasting on burgers and beers from the American Legion before finding our way to Mom’s Pie Shop with the other thru-hiker made the afternoon go by quick. Before we knew it we were back on trail watching the sunset as we sipped on warm tallboys we had packed out. It was probably then that I finally felt as though our thru-hike was really happening. It had all been a great mad rush before then.