Gnarly River: Day 1 : ADZPCTKO

Friday April 24, 2015
0 Miles Today
0 Total Miles

Well here I am. Sitting in a cloud at Lake Morena. The breeze is sighing through the trees outside in the darkness and fog that envelops my tent. The PCT movies playing in the pavilion send bursts of music and muffled dialog through the cold mist to my tent. While the the mist gently soaks the outside of my tent I lie comfortably on my Neo-air sleeping pad nestled in nine ounces of premium goose down. I would really enjoy watching the movies but six am comes awfully early.

Today was a mixed bag of fun, and boredom. The overcast gray skies and intermittent falling mist put a damper on the day's activities. The temperature today stayed in the fifties and whenever the wind picked up the wind chill cut right through the thin layers of nylon and 'smart' wool between the rest universe and my skin. I really enjoyed the presentations I attended. The 'Poop' talk was definitely the best presentation I have ever heard on the topic.

I learned that the middleman position is the optimum position.

The presentation on food and bears was also informative and well done. Definitely is a must see for someone considering a hike through the High Sierra. The vendor exhibits were really cool with some of the lightest weight gear on the planet on display for you to peruse and test.

They served and awesome burrito and brownie dinner that I ate while talking to a couple that traveled here from Ohio. They came to hike the PCT and didn't even know about the ADZPCTKO. Gray and Sarah have no experience through hiking and spent the last two days hiking from the border to here. They were surprised to find all these people and this event which was a perfect place for them to get a ton of advice that is going to greatly increase the likelihood of their success.

There are hundreds of thru hikers here and they are definitely an interesting bunch. Some I actually recognize from last year on the JMT. I suspect they didn't make it to Canada last year so they are back for another shot. The organizers of this event are truly remarkable people who are giving back to the community out of a sense of generosity after their own hiking adventures. I met and talked to Yogi and Billy Goat who are just two of the many people that make this event such a special thing for an aspiring hiker.