Hiking the PCT

Over a year ago I started hiking the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) with some colleagues from work. The PCT is a trail that goes from the Mexico border of California to the Canada border of Washington. It travels along all the mountain ranges along the way and is a total of 2,627 miles. Many people travel this trail starting in April and hike all the way from one end to the next. This, on average takes about 5-6 months. We are not that crazy, so we have decided that we are going to hike it one day hike at a time. It will take us years to complete if we stay at it, but I think it is a great life goal.

The Hike
The first leg of the hike is 20 miles and goes from the city of Campo to Lake Morena. We got a late start for the first 2.3 miles, which were pretty easy, and had to drive to the start of the next 18 miles, so time flew by. It was getting pretty late to start the 18 mile section so three of us (Linda, Therapi, and myself) decided we were not prepared to hike 18 miles into the darkness near the Mexico border. The rest of the die hards, Ken, Carolyn, Kevin, Jim, Crystal and JR, decided to trek on and ended up finishing the hike 2 hours into the darkness after 7p.m. I am bummed that I didn't do that hike, but I was really not in shape enough and had been sick leading up to it. I will have to go back and do those 18 miles as soon as the weather is right and the baby is old enough to leave for a day.

Where to Stay
For this part of the hike it is convenient to stay at the Lake Morena Camp Grounds. The hike goes right up to the gates of the site and has several options. There are wood cabins that you can stay in (FYI: They have really hard wooden beds), tent spaces, and RV sites. There are also restrooms and showers available. All of these options have great views of the lake.

Where to Park
If you follow the directions in the PCT Day Hike book, it will lead you to a dirt road not far from the Border Patrol. Continue down the dirt road and you can park anywhere on the dirt off of the road.

Helpful Websites

Lake Morena Camp Ground: http://www.lakemorena.com/

Purchase the PCT Day Hike book:
http://www.trails.com/catalog_product.aspx?productfamilyid=10056

Learn about the PCT: http://www.pcta.org/