PCT, Day 1

I'm still in jet lag mode. I went to bed at 6:30 last night and have been awake since 2:30. I'm enjoying the cozy and comfortable bed, uncertain when I'll have a bed again. At 6 am, I ate a baguette with cheese that I had prepared yesterday. I'm starting to feel nervous. I pack up and, when ready to leave, I order an Uber to take me to the trailhead at the Mexican border. Within 10 minutes, I'm sitting in the car. It's cloudy and cold, with some rain on the way. Everything feels unreal. The car stops at the Southern Terminus of the PCT. Directly behind it is the wall between Mexico and the US. It reminds me of when West and East Germany were divided by a wall. I mention this to the driver, who also stares at the wall like a tourist. He even gets out to take pictures. My comment about the two Germanies surprised him. He asks, 'Were you there in Germany when the wall came down?' as if he's met a celebrity.

He takes a picture of me at the starting point and leaves.

It's 5 degrees, and everything still feels unreal. The past four weeks have been strange, starting from the moment I left New Zealand. There was the long journey back home with a two-day stopover in Thailand. Since then, being home and preparing for this adventure, trying to feel settled, everything has felt unreal. Including the unexpected accident three days before my departure to the US, when a woman damaged my car while leaving a parking lot.

Now I'm at the start of the Pacific Crest Trail, which stretches some 4,200 kilometers to the Canadian border, and it still feels surreal. I didn't have this feeling in New Zealand. It's as if my system isn't yet 'sorted' or 'there.'

Nevertheless, I start walking. This is the desert. I'm carrying only 3 liters of water since there's supposed to be water along the way. During the hiking season, there's usually none, and people carry between 5-8 liters.
I see a lot of blossoms and think of the Kalahari. I once watched a documentary about that desert and remember that during a short time in spring, there is greenery and blossoming plants.

The trail goes up and down but gradually ascends. After 9 kilometers, I meet a young couple, Lilly and Tristan, and a girl named Alby at a water source. They look barely twenty and soon head off. I sit down to drink as much as I can, 'camel up.' I enjoy the walk; there are plenty of views, and for a long time, I can see the Mexican wall in the distance. It feels really strange.

I meet another couple at the next water hole. They are from Nevada and are walking with their dog, Honey. While walking, I remembered that I should watch out for rattlesnakes but realized I don't remember what to do if they bite or if I see one. I ask the couple. The woman says, 'Activate your SOS if you get bitten. Make noise by clacking your trekking poles together if you're walking through scrubs. If you see one, make a wide detour around it. Wear a buff around your neck; it might help prevent a bite.' I didn't ask, but it sounded like they could strike at your neck.

I was grateful for the information and start clacking my poles together a lot since there's a lot of scrubland. I also look for open spaces to pee. My feet are okay until around 18-20 kilometers. There's no space to set up a tent for a while, but I hope to find a spot at Hauser Creek around kilometer 23.

It's still early in the afternoon when I reach Hauser Creek, and there's only 10 kilometers to a small settlement. But I set up my tent. My feet can't take any more, and there's another big climb to get to the settlement called Lake Morena.

It's still warm. Although I started at 8:15 with around 5 degrees, around midday it was 23 degrees, with a blue sky and intense sun. The sun goes down soon, and the night will be cold. First night on the PCT. I wonder when I'll start feeling 'arrived'.

Below some pictures from the first day and the route. 
In one picture I zoomed in to show the wall again between Mexico and the US.