Today was our first zero day! No miles to hike – our only real chores were to eat, rehydrate, and rest. We are back at Lake Morena for the extensively abbreviated ADZPCTKO. In only slightly longer terms, this is the annual day zero PCT kick-off. It’s an annual gathering of this year’s thruhikers like us (the class of 2013), PCT section hikers (people less crazy than us) and past hikers who come back as sort of a class reunion. Plus all the wonderful folks who help put on this event, which grows larger every year. This year is no exception as registration filled up in record time.
Last night we got a ride back to the Lake Morena campground from Kelly, who was offering rides on the well-coordinated ADZ website’s ride board. We met him at the Warner Springs post office. He was a little later than planned, mostly because he had to pull an accident victim from a roll-over wreck that was leaking fuel everywhere. Then he got a flat tire. You know, no big deal. We are unbelievably grateful that he still took time out of his crazy day to drive us back! He’s not only dedicated, but also super knowledgeable about the landscape we were driving through – way better than any trail guide. Thank you, Kelly, for helping us when the universe seemed to be putting every possible obstacle in your way!
We got in late but thankfully didn’t disturb anyone as there was a lot of celebrating going on. We headed to bed in preparation for a full day of calorie grazing. Today we woke up and checked into our spot, receiving our class of 2013 bandanas and official thruhiker wristbands. It was a surreal experience to walk through the campground. I must have seen nearly every piece of gear that I’ve ever heard about. After the extensive search we did for a new tent last winter, it was especially cool to see all the models I had to decide among. Te campground was a sea of puffy, lightweight down jackets.
We visited the vendor tents first with a specific goal in mind – finding pairs of sun gloves. These were the one thing I’d thought about getting but never did and really regretted it. No matter how many times I put sunscreen on my hands and wrists it always seems to wear off too quickly – either through the sweating or the rubbing from the straps of my hiking poles or the supercharged sun. I had seen a few pairs of gloves on the trail that I coveted and was hoping to find some here… and we weren’t disappointed! We were able to pick up a new spork for Keith, too, who broke his at Barrel Spring. I’m not sure if it was his mighty man strength or my huge hearty meals.
With that done, we sat in on a few presentations given by folks running the KO. One was an interesting talk on avoiding overuse injuries. We also heard one on general trail conditions and the state of some long-standing detours. Then there was the traditional SoCal water report discussion. Through crowdsourcing they maintain a record of the status of water sources all along the trail – whether this seasonal creek has dried up or is low-flow, if a particular water cache is stocked, and such. This is really important info for us, especially during this dry year! The man who currently coordinates this info and issues reports is Halfmile, who also happens to be the mastermind behind the incredibly detailed maps that escort us north. He got a lot of much-deserved applause. Before hiking the trail ever seemed like a real possibility for us, I would get by on reading hiker journals and following along on his free maps. The volunteers behind this trail are just amazing.
We broke up all the lectures with a trip to the nearby store for lunch and ice cream. We also met a lot of new people. As someone who is shy I can’t remember the last time I was around so many people where it felt natural to just walk up and introduce myself and start chatting. We’re sharing a site with Jordan and Brock, who welcomed us in last night and offered us food. Matt and Jamie from Washington are here too, thruhiking with their huskies – two of the calmest, most polite dogs I’ve ever met. It’s really great to meet people who take such great care of their pets. We hung around with everyone in the afternoon while we repacked the food we received in our mail drop yesterday.
Before dinner we went to a talk on general snow and mountain safety. With the record low snow we shouldn’t have to worry about this as much as in past years, but it was still good info to have. Many of the snow travel techniques he was taking about were familiar to us after so many years of MN snow but we have never used ice axes before. I’m interested to see if we have an easier time in the Sierra snowpack than folks from less arctic places. Maybe it won’t make a difference!
Dinner was burritos served en masse, with chips and delicious salsa. Feeding this horde of people is an enormous task and it still amazes me that we aren’t asked to pay a cent for it as the thruhiker guests of honor. After dinner we grabbed a hot drink from one of the many carafes lined up on the tables. Mom and Dad would certainly have approved of the immediate availability of coffee. With a hot cup to ward off the chilly dusk, we sat around in front of the big movie screen for the official welcome and short film festival. It made me laugh that the screen was a rigged up piece of Tyvek – the white wrap they put underneath the siding on houses, which many hikers use as a lightweight and durable groundsheet. The films were great and really whetted our appetite for the rest of the trail. Afterwards, it was hard to only think of our next 4 days to Idyllwild and not let ourselves get ahead to the Sierra and points north.
Tomorrow we’ll get up early and grab breakfast, then pursue a lead on getting a ride back to Warner Springs. The next section looks like it might be trick water-wise again, but then so will most of Southern California. We’ll be heading up into the San Jacinto mountains and are looking forward to some amazing scenery!
– Posted from the PCT