The journey begins
Leaving behind the comforts of Scout&Frodo’s, where hikers where provided with everything they could need, I continued to the USA-Mexico border to start my long-awaited hiking adventure. While I tried not to have many expectations of the trail, I anticipated that the moment standing in front of the monument would be very moving, signifying the start of an epic journey. However, when the moment arrived, it felt strangely ordinary. Perhaps all my emotions were used up during the farewell with family and friends, or maybe the gravity of the journey had not sunk in. Yet, as I ventured along the trail, encountering moments like spotting a snake after only 4.4 miles and seeing beautiful desert views after mount laguna, the reality of my adventure did really start to sink in. Each experience, from the breathtaking sunsets and the first laughs with fellow hikers, affirmed my decision and filled me with a growing feeling of happiness.
At the starting monument
Trail Magic
In the middle of the inspiring landscapes and diverse ecosystems, I couldn’t overlook the generosity of the hiking community. While I had read about the phenomenon of trail magic, experiencing them firsthand was truly remarkable. Even within my first week on trail, I encountered trailmagic. At mile 101, a group of friends were getting their stand ready to bake us some pancakes and eggs. Not long after, at Paradise Valley Café, when wanting to pay for our lunch, the waitress told us: ‘you two have been paid for already, it’s trail magic.’ We were confused and grateful. To the stranger that paid our meal: it made our day! I will make sure to return the favor to another stranger one day. And lastly, the concept of trailmagic became even more apparent when MamaBear welcomed us hikers with a table full of food and cold drinks under a bridge. She even gave my a lucky charm and two extra meals and cookies to take with me. This last trailmagic came at a pivotal moment of my hike, because the sections right before and right after were the most demanding parts of the trail so far. But the most challenging are likely the most rewarding and memorable, so I will shortly elaborate on my experiences of them.
Trailmagic: pancakes breakfast!
Blow downs and San Jacinto
The trail tested me for the first time for real when the elevation gain started to become significant and there were I’m guessing around 100 fallen trees that you had to climb over, under or around. While I saw it first as a fun obstacle race, after 50 trees even I got tired of it. And then the patches of snow started to show up and eventually turned into endless snow. The stretch after that was the climb to the summit of San Jacinto. Teamed up with Lei Yue, we rose at 3 am, put on our headlamps and microspikes and climbed to the top. Despite the physical efforts, the breathtaking views made it all worthwhile. I continued alone after Lei Yue completed her section, embracing the solitude of the trail experience.
Tree number 79
Top of San Jacinto
Whitewater Reserve and Mission Creek
Venturing alone brought a new set of challenges, especially when strong winds swept across the landscapes. Sprinting to the Whitewater reserve to avoid camping alone, I was relieved to find fellow hikers and the ranger. Because of the wind I didn’t bother setting up my tent and slept with my mat on the grass, which is often referred to as cowboy camping. A few hours later it turned out that the wind would not be my biggest enemy that night. I was suddenly attacked by a stream of water from a sprinkler! This experience led to my trailname: Sprinkles! Hikers are happy to not have to attempt to pronounce my real name Sifre anymore. During this evening at the Whitewater Reserve, I also met Wanderer and Pepsi Boy, with whom I tackled the area ‘mission creek’ where the trail had been washed away due to flooding. This section was both difficult and enriching, and underscores the resilience that defines the trail community.
Conquered the mission creek area
Thoughts
During the days of hiking my mind wanders to a diversity of thoughts. From practical considerations like water carries and resupply planning to appreciating the trail’s rich biodiversity and the sounds of the wilderness. I find myself thinking about how much more I would like to know about the wildlife and geology. I also think about other things I want to learn about and skills I want to improve or develop. My mind reflects on the books I read or am currently reading and I reflect on my relationships with friends and family. Finally, some silly thoughts cross my mind as I count my steps or repeat the conversion factors from feet to meters or from pounds to kilograms. But as I reached Big Bear, I thought about the milestone of having covered 10% of the distance of the trail. I shared stories with loved ones over the phone and relived moments captured in photographs. Due to the excitement of reliving everything I had experienced already, it was my worst night of sleep on the trail. But how can I complain with 90% of the trail still awaiting my exploration?
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