Hola,
Well mom and i had pretty much decided at the end of day one that we were screwed and had to turn around. Mom had drank more than half of her water and i hadn’t drank enough. We would have had to hike 11 miles forward to Lake Moreno, we knew that 7 miles back would be safer.
We were so exhausted we didn’t eat lunch or dinner the first day and today when we turned around we didnt stop for lunch.
We did rest a lot on the way back which allowed us to look at the scenery more.
We pushed to make it back to Campo by about 1:15.
At 2:54 the last bus leaving Campo came so we could get on it. The bus took us to El Cajon. We are now staying at the Rest Inn or something akin to that.
Tomorrow we will take the trolly to the Amtrak station and head back toward Long Beach.
To say the last two days were hard is an understatement. Last night once we laid down in the tent, fully clothes because it was so cold, i cried for a good 10 minutes, also not smart since i had lost enough salt.
What do i do now, how do i proceed, has all my planning gone down the drain?
I could sit and wollow and give up or i could take a step back an reevaluate.
For the near future i could go back home and teach more a month-ish, save up a little money and do some section hiking this summer.
This of course will be after i make some huge cuts from my pack.
After that i have to decide if i want to continue with the Appalachian trail next year and just section hike the PCT when i can or if i want to move Europe up a year.
This has been humbling and a great learning experience. And i am so happy to be in a bed tonight after these two difficult days. Ill let you know what i decide.
Trailing the blonde 
So sad for you. Pare down the packs, go slower the first few days, like 5 miles each until you condition. That’s how the “Wild” girl did it. Well, whatever you decide, I am proud of you and to say I know somebody who actually ventured out on the PCT.
Don’t give up just yet.
Take a Zero, lighten up your packs, resupply and try again tomorrow. Start doing low miles. I believe you can do it.
You don’t want to go home and then regret not giving it another try.
Go for it! This is your dream.
The harder it is, the more rewarding it becomes.
I agree, lighten your packs! Look at Carrot Quinn or Wired’s blogs and their gear lists and send home anything extra. Don’t give up!
What a rough start! I hope you guys give it another try and take it easier 😉 either way I am proud you tried, it’s more than I could do!
Don’t give up. I only knew to go lightweight because I had spent a week in glacier and I quickly noticed that my heavy bag was a huge burden. You can return anything to rei in a year. I took back my heavy osprey Ariel and downgraded as much as I could.
Go home and cut as much out of your pack as possible. My boyfriend did the whole trail without even carrying a puffy. We didn’t even cook for 1800 miles. We shared a water filter and tent, etc. My first aid kit weighs like 1 oz, etc. Honestly, you will be fine without a bunch of extra things. You would be surprised how little you need 🙂
It’s a hard trail– and it is further complicated by the heat and by the 20 mile waterless stretch. It pretty much forces you into doing a 20 miler or carrying a lot of water on day 1. 😦
But please come back. 🙂
And forgot to say- we started with less than 2 days of food. Dinner on night 1 was lake morena (burgers at the store) and on day 2, mt Laguna had a store for getting enough food to get till warner springs. Look for gas station resupplies when possible. Food is heavy.
You never know how it’s gonna go until you get out there and do it. Maybe if you do little by little you will learn all the tricks of really being out there. Don’t let any of this get you down, your journey has still just begun. Like I said I am so proud of you guys. Hit me up when you get a chance and rest up!!
So proud of you guys for beginning your dream. Dust your feet off and continue when you are ready!
I’m so proud of you for your effort. This may be a set back, but I know it will not stop you from following your dreams!! Adapt and overcome – whether it is tomorrow or in a month or in a year, I know you will be successful! Keep your spirits up. Love you!! 😘
Thank you so much everyone for the wonderful support. I am already eliminating things from my pack in our motel room. Tomorrow when we are home im going to see if i can trade in my tent at REI and get one that doesnt use my hiking poles and am thinking of hopefully heading back out in a few days. If i start again Ill start at MT. Laguna, so ill skip about 30 miles. But hike your own hike right? Lol.
Hike your own Hike is right. So declare ownership of the PCT. So happy you are headed out again. You’ve got some great experts following your blog giving great advice. How awesome for you.