Day 20: A Series of Firsts

Ahh, the glorious Pacific Crest Trail. It welcomed me with open arms with a stunning sunrise. 

And then proceeded to whoop my butt. My first day on the PCT would an uphill battle, literally. I climbed 8,400 feet over 29 miles. 

But it was also a serious of firsts: 

• I actually hiked with someone to start the morning for an hour or so

• I saw my first rattle snake

• Witnessed a forest fire in its infancy (burning only a few hours)

• I camped with people for the first time

It’s been wonderful to see other hikers and everyone has been friendly. True to form though, the first question I was asked was “you doin 20-25 mile days?”. Daily mileage is a big convo topic / source of pride among thru hikers. 

Two hikers set up camp with me tonight, and they shared with a story of how they rescued another hiker. The abridged version:

They ran into a hiker they’d met earlier on the trail. Excited, they said hi but quickly realized he was disoriented and were concerned he was suffering from dehydration. They immediately began to help and ultimately decided to call a ranger to arrange for an airlift. Hours later, the hiker was whisked away on a helicopter. 

They finished telling me the story when one of them checked their phone. “Oh no” was uttered; he’d just received a text from the rescued hiker’s dad. The rescued hiker passed away due to a stroke a day after being rescued. Wow. 

At this point, it’s unsure if it was related to the dehydration or separate but it was instant perspective change. Be grateful for every day, and as the hiker’s who camped with me said, “the PCT is a journey of self care”. 

A sobering end to my first day on the PCT. 

miles: 29