After a few days in San Diego, Ben dropped me off at the CA/Mexico border bright and early for my permit start date on May 25. The Southern California “Desert” section of the PCT is notorious for the heat, and I have started very late in the season, but I got lucky with a couple mild days to start.

Even with “cooler” weather, the sun is extremely strong and it’s definitely been an adjustment. Most days are structured around getting water and finding shade to rest in. Days 2 and 3 were a bit rough and had me questioning my choices, but by day 4 I started to find a rhythm and get my trail legs back.

The last two days have been at higher elevation in the San Jacinto Mountains, and while the hiking has been on the harder side, the cooler weather and mountain environment has been a nice change of pace, with some really beautiful open ridge walks.

The trail has been pretty quiet – this late in the season, it seems like only 5 or so people start per day, so I only see a handful of people per day and very few of them are hiking similar miles per day. I’m sure I’ll catch up to the bubble eventually, but for now it’s a nice, quiet hike.

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