After our first exciting day we start to adapt to our new lifestyle. As everything is relatively new (we did some backpacking trips at home for training, but that’s not the same as continuosly walking on), we still have to figure out many things. What should be packed where in our backpacks so it’s both protected as well as easy to reach if needed? How do we break camp efficiently? Should we eat breakfast right after getting up or first walk a little? We try different things and learn a little every day.

Every time we think that we finally got it right, it seems that something happens to show us that there is still a lot to learn, though. Sleeping system perfected? Yes, until there is a super-snorer in the tent next to ours and we realise that we won’t sleep much that night, as we have not brought earplugs with us. Finding an awesome tentspot with view? Great, until we are reminded that exposed sites can be really windy, which doesn’t help you sleep, either… It never gets boring out here😉Our windy tentspot with excellent view…

The trail leads to landscapes that change quite fast. We started in the “green desert” and go on to a flat and hot plain (day two), then follow the path up (a very long time up) into the mountains untill we reach a sweet smelling pine forest (which must be the reward for all the climbing😊 (day three)). From there we continue over windswept hills (day four). It never gets boring!😄Lakes in the desert? Maybe we are already hallucinating…So this is the real desert!Our first trailmagic!😄 Thanks very much!Lovely pineforest – it smells sooo good!Mmmh, we get an amazing salad and scrambled eggs here. Best salad ever😊Walking in the windy hills…Andy pointing to Canada!

The trail is relatively easy to walk, it’s very well maintained and never too steep. The drawback of this is of course that we have to do many more miles to climb or descend, as it’s almost never straight up or down, but gradually and winding around every little hill…

We started walking and camping with Vincent from Alsace who was with us at Scout and Frodo’s and whom we have been leapfrogging since the first day. He gets bad blisters on day two, but still keeps up with us. We all have aches and pains – but so far, Andy and I have been lucky: Andy has a sore knee and I two blisters on my little toes (on the evening of day three, they look like little balloons) and pains in my left foot, but it’s nothing too bad. We try to be proactive and stretch and massage quite a lot – so far it seems to help.

Andy, Caro and Vincent

So we continue on – like two little hobbits. We feel a little like Sam and Frodo at the very beginning of their journey, as Andy has clanging pots hanging outside of his pack and we both have sticks in our hands… I’m very relieved, though, that there are no black riders chasing us…😉Two happy little hobbits

At five o’clock the alarm rings. A little desorientated and cold, we pack our gear in a hurry and get a quick coffee and a piece of cinnamon-bread (so my day is already made😉). We are then driven to the border, which is a lot of fun, as our driver, an Australian girl whose trailname is “Mockmock” is as excited as we are (or maybe even more so).

The border itself is underwhelming – an ugly steel fence with wires at the top. We can’t approach it directely, but the monument that marks the Southern Terminus of the pct is as close to the border as possible. We take fotos and sign the register. Looking north, I try to imagine Canada in the distance, but fail miserably – all I can see are desert mountains that seem to go on forever. Walking to an imaginary Canada seems both unreal and impossible. I push the thought aside and we shoulder our packs. Off we go, direction north!

The sun shines and the sky is blue, but it is not too hot: there is a very agreable breeze that makes walking enjoyable. For the moment, my fears of not being able to handle the heat of the desert are calmed. Our surroundings are amazingly green and there are many, many flowers. This surprises us, but then we recall hearing that this winter has been one of the wettest in California since the beginning of the records. There is water everywhere – we almost can’t believe we’re in the desert. The four liters of water we carry each are a little overkill…

Mile 1! Only 2659 miles to go😉

Can you believe that we’re in the desert?

Flowers everywhere…

We walk and chat with many different hikers. Everybody is excited and enjoyes the experience so far. It’s so nice to meet so many friendly people from all over the world!

Six hikers taking a break…

When we reach Hauser’s creek at mile 15 where we originally planed to stop, it’s still early. We decide to hike on. The climb in the hot afternoon sun that followes makes us feel that we truly are in the desert…

We stop after almost 18 miles (29 km), as I get very tiered. Andy still has a lot of energy, but I’m afraid that we might do too much too soon and get injured. So we find a private little wild campspot on a ridge, where we build up our tent, cook some dinner and quickly fall asleep under the stars.

It has been an absolutely amazing start of our adventure! We both really connected with the whole experience and feel very alive and enjoy every little part. At this point I’d like to thank all of our friends and family who sent us off on our path with many good wishes – you made us smile and start with energy! So now let’s see what tomorrow will bring…

After a long, long flight we finally arrive in LA. At the border control, Andy gets the stamp in his passport in less than a minute (after answering how many mosquito bites he expects), while the officer checking my papers seems more sceptical about my plans. Only after calling back and questioning Andy, he allowes me in… I’m very very relieved😅

We find our hostel next to the Amtrak train station and after a quick taco truck dinner fall asleep. The next day, we want to take the train to San Diego. As we have a little time, we explore the Mexican area just next to the station and take a drink in one of the bars. The atmosphere is great, and so we sit there longer than we should and almost miss our train. A little last minute training – running with a heavy backpack – saves us (but leaves me determined to walk to Canada and not to run).

In San Diego we find the home of Scout and Frodo, the trail angels who will host us for two nights and bring us to the border. They are absolutely amazing! They open their house for up to 40 people per night during two month, feed them and help organising last minute things for their hikes, all for free without accepting donations! The atmospere is great, everybody is excited and we laugh a lot. We meet many hikers and there are people who have thru-hiked already and are full of stories and helpful advice. During the two really great days we spend at Scout & Frodo’s we manage to organise last items of gear, American sim-cards and our food. Thank you so much to Scout and Frodo as well as to all the other people who helped us! Your kindness and your help is nothing short of legendary!

Tomorrow, we’re going to rise very early to reach the boarder not too late. We’re super excited😄

At Scout and Frodo’s…

This is an experiment. By “this” I don’t mean trying to hike from the Mexican border through hot desert, snowy mountains and evergreen forests all the way to Canada (though that’s an experiment, too😄). I’m talking about trying to blog along the way. It’s something I’ve never done before, and although I like writing, I’m a bit uncertain if I can keep it up during all of our adventure, mainly because it will be exhausting and I’ll need to type everything on my phone (I’m not very fast at texting).

On the other hand, it will not only be an awesome memory for the two of us, but it will also be a way to keep our family and friends up to date with our progress and our experiences while we are away. To that end, I’ll write (or at least try it) in English, as this is the only common language our Swiss as well as our Spanish friends and family will understand.

So here we go! If everything goes as planed, we’ll start on the 30th of March near Campo at the Mexican border. Until then, we still have a lot to do organising our six-month leave, getting our gear together, testing it and traning (at least a little😉).

But already, we’re super excited and can’t wait to leave!! Let’s see what happens once this little experiment starts…

Caroline