PCT Day 1 – Decompression Chamber

Have you seen those movies where astronauts leave their ships to enter outer space? They don’t just open the ship door and step outside. The air, all the science experiments and any other astronauts inside the ship would be sucked out into the vacuum of space. It would be a disaster. So every ship has a decompression chamber for the astronauts to gradually enter space without endangering the rest of the ship. Today I have entered the decompression chamber.

Getting there

I am starting my hike with my Orlando friend, Keith. We worked together but have stayed friends after retirement.

From our hotel in downtown San Diego it takes one train and one bus to get to the terminus of the Pacific Crest Trail. California impresses me with how widely they have implemented mass transit. You can get almost anywhere in the state on a public vehicle.

I like riding the train…any train. The trolley in San Diego is no exception. The boarding process is a little weird, but a helpful homeless lady with her dog shows us what to do.

The bus is even more fun. We met a couple hikers on the bus platform. That makes me the youngest of the four of us! There was Bob from Michigan, CRS (for Can’t Remember Shit), Keith and myself. If one more old guy shows up we are going to have to bring a medic, too.

There was this random Mexican guy walking among the four of us, directing us to the correct platform. We must really look helpless. The bus arrives and he gets in with us.

The bus driver asks where I am from. I am caught off guard so I answer the question I expected him to ask – where are you going? “Campo” I say. No, he wants to know where I’m from. “ Orlando,” I say. “Home of Disney World?” “Yes.” He waves me through. I have not paid. He doesn’t want me to pay. He waves Keith through, too. What just happened? Later, I take a picture of this driver outside the bus. I would show it here, but I don’t want him to lose his job.

I sit near the Mexican guy who was helping people at the station. He is a gambler. He has been on a winning streak. He won $1000 earlier in the week. He won $500 later in the week, but for some reason he had to pay taxes on the smaller amount. He said he hated winning less than $1000. I ask him his name. He says it’s Chay 45. I ask him about the 45. He points to his hat. It’s a basic camouflage hat with USA in the front. He takes it off and points to the back. It says TRUMP. Was he the 45th president? I guess so. Chay 45 gets off at the casino. I wish him good luck.

Campo

The PCT begins near a place called Campo. It might be a town, but I am doubtful. There is a store. I don’t see anything else.

There is a nice man giving hikers a ride from the bus stop to the border where the trail begins. He said that when he asked the nice folks at the Pacific Crest Trail Association how he could help, they agreed that giving rides would be good, but that he shouldn’t be to fanatical about it. So he does it once a day. We are the lucky ones today.

We four old hiker guys pile into the truck. It is one of those beat up desert vehicles like you see in the movies. It is like the car that Thelma and Louise drove over the cliff at the end of the movie. It takes a few minutes to get going because the driver has to unjam the driver door lock with a screwdriver.

The Border

There are a bunch of people at the monument that marks the beginning of the PCT. Two young ladies from the PCTA are here looking at permits. They have been here since 6:30.

Keith and I get our monument photo. It’s OK but I really want to get going. The “decompression chamber” is not working. I am feeling sick. I must admit, the new border fence is really impressive. It’s the one built by our last president. It looks like it cost a lot of money. I am glad Mexico paid for it.

It’s a Day 1 For Sure

I am hiking, so that is good, but everything seems weird. Soon it gets really weird. Keith and I are filling our water bottles at a small creek. There are rocks in the creek to step on to avoid getting your feet wet. CRS shows up and slowly starts to cross. His is unsteady. I worry about him. And then all my fears are realized when he looses his footing and falls backward into the creek. He is mostly in the rocks. I dash over to him and help him up. Keith and I steady him as we all cross together. He seems Ok, but SHEESH!

It’s unexpectedly cold on the trail. Mid 50’s cloudy and windy. I am sweating and cold at the same time – a strange combination. The trail is nice though – maybe a little overgrown.

We snack through the day until we reach our target campsite. A couple from Germany are there. They started today as well. Their names are Jannes and Mica. I expect we will see more of them.

I realize forgot to bring a spoon. Eating refried beans with my fingers is going to be interesting. By some miracle, Keith has an extra spoon! Boo Yah! We eat our dinners, forcing down the last bites of food. We are not all that hungry yet. Snacking all day will do that to you.

Just as I get into bed, a crowd of young people arrive in our camp. It sounds like it at least eight of them. I expect I will meet them tomorrow. This is going to be fun. Tomorrow will be more normal, whatever that means.

• May 5
• Starting marker: 0
• Ending marker: 11.2
• Miles hiked today: 11
• Total PCT miles: 11
• Does the mural at the top of the post look familiar? 10 pts if you can guess what airport it is from.