Today is the day. The whole campsite began to wake up just before 6am. I slept so well last night, very warm and comfortable, my sleeping pad, tent, and sleeping bag were working perfectly. When I opened my door, I saw a thick mist covering the camp. The verandah was lit up, with a fire going, and heaters spread around the area.

The camp host, Papa Bear, cooked everyone pancakes, and there was a breakfast bar set up with coffee, oatmeal, and bagels available alongside all the toppings. I managed to get through 3 pancakes, but that was all I could do after eating a huge deli sub last night.

I took my time packing up my gear, knowing that the mist would soon clear. I wanted to see the Southern Terminus while the sun was out. Around 9am, blue sky started to show through the clouds and I began the short walk from the campground to the border. Moments after I got there, the sun came out in full. A friendly PCT volunteer was present and chatting with hikers at the monument while we all took a few moments to snap photos with the border monument.

I started my hike and the monument slowly disappeared behind me as more hikers walked south along the trail to begin theirs. Before I knew it, I cross the first mile marker, a spot to make sure my pack is comfortable, drink some extra water, and reflect on what I’ve just embarked upon.

Shortly afterwards, I reached the 3 mile point. Here, a railroad crosses the trail, and I had another pack off break. I’d heard about other hikers getting to see the historic train which uses this line, but there was no train here today.

What seemed like only a few minutes later, I reached the 5 mile point. A small patch on a hill, about 10m off trail, a perfect sitting rock marked my lunch area. I rested here for about an hour, taking my shoes off and letting my feet breathe. I also checked my phone here and responded to messages from friends and family back home.

After a long lunch, I felt fresh and energized, ready to take on the afternoon. As I walked up the trail, I saw people stopped in the shade and I chatted with others from all over the world, Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, it seemed like every 5 minutes I bumped into someone new, this part of the trail must be a very popular lunch spot.

The afternoon flys by, I gained about 300m of elevation and the view started to show. I could see glimpses of the border fence behind me, slowly getting further away. Beyond that, the mountains of Mexico were visible through the light haze.

By mid-late afternoon, my legs were starting to feel the distance, I remembered the can of beer in my pack bringing strong motivation to make it to camp. It didn’t take long before I saw tents poking through the bushes. I expected this to be a busy spot, but there was still heaps of space. Half a dozen people were already at camp when I got there, most of them I had met the night before at Camp Lockett in Campo. By the time I’d set up camp and got ready to cook dinner, there were at least 10 people here.

I had planned to keep it a bit quiet until my legs strengthened (just in case), but yesterday in Campo the store was selling some incredible looking steaks. I couldn’t help buying one, not only that but the awesome lady in the store was happy to mix up a small container of seasoning for me, a blend of salt, pepper, and paprika. Of course, with this many people around there was no way I could cook it without causing a scene. I’ve brought my cast iron pan with me, and I’ve been looking forward to using it again for so long.

The steak is just mind bending, as always out in these places. I sliced it up and shared it around, people were blown away. I was so glad to have people to share it with, the steak was over 1 kg and I would never be able to eat it all, I don’t want to keep carrying it either. After a wicked dinner, and a can of local San Diego beer, the sun went down. Sundown is hiker midnight, and I was keen to get some shuteye. Tomorrow’s pack is going to be so much lighter, and we’ve got burgers waiting at Lake Morena Malt Store.