Day 0

How do I get started?

I fly into San Diego on March 29th.

Currently, DHS is undergoing a shutdown. TSA is a part of DHS. The TSA workers are working without pay. This is causing hours-long lines at most airports. Obviously this concerns me as I do not want to miss my initial flight. As I understand it, because of the way DFW is laid out, TSA issues are very minimal. DFW has decentralized their security check points, which allows a much smoother entry into a very busy airport.

I very much wanted to carry-on my backpack as to avoid any confusion or possible lost luggage. But, it is just barely over the size limit and I don’t want to deal with “but it’s sports equipment,” and have them reject it outright. What I’ll be doing is packing most of my stuff in my backpack (including my dry food), putting that into a duffel bag and checking it. The most important (or expensive) items are being put into a string bag as a carry-on. That list is short and includes: My hoodie, tent, ditty bag, drink bottle, waste management bag, CPAP, wallet, passport.

From the airport, I take a shuttle to a campground (CLEEF) where I’ll be spending the night. After I’m picked up (with other Day 0 backpackers), the shuttle takes us to several stores as a convenience: USPS, REI, grocery Store, and there is rumor we can get In-and-Out (yes, please!).

The campground is 1 mile from the southern terminus of the PCT. On March 30th, I wake up, pack up, eat a cold soaked oatmeal, and start walking.

Permits

This is a good spot to talk about how 3,000 people start hiking the PCT. All 3,000 do not start on the same day. If they did, the trail would be insane and the decimation of the ecosystems would be very bad.

First off, to hike any of the PCT, you must have a permit (and yes, rangers are out there and DO ask for paperwork). If you are caught without a permit, you are immediately taken off the trail. And the big kicker here is they only allow 50 start-date-permits per day. Additionally, you are only allowed to start hiking northbound in March, April, or May. So, how do we get one of these coveted permits?

Permits are issued through a lottery system. 6 months ago (Oct), I had to put my name into the pot. Once in the pot, I am given a very specific time and date (2 months later) to pick my start date. When I show up to my very specific time and date, I get to log into a system where I am presented a calendar. On the calendar I can see how many “slots” are left to choose from, and I get to pick my start date based on that. As an example: If I wanted a start date of April 15th, and I show up to that calendar and see that all “slots” are taken in April, my only choice is to take the “best” time for me…which in my case, is March 30th. My choice does not guarantee my start date. About a month after I pick my date, I get an email confirming my picked choice. This allows the PCT volunteers to triple check everyone got what they needed and are satisfied with their choices. There is a whole other process if you want to start the trail with another person on the same date. All of those things have to line up perfectly.

3 weeks before my actual start date, I am given an email that allows me to log back into my account to print my permit. Yes, I have my permit printed, and yes, it is inside a plastic bag, and yes it is tucked away in my bag in a secret location. It is a long, 6 month process, from getting into the lottery to having a printed permit.

Tramily

Since we’ve established there are 50 people starting this trail, everyday. I will obviously be meeting 50 people (and probably lots more) on my first day of hiking. These are the folks that got March 30th as their start date.

Traditionally, I hike alone.* It is rare for me to hike with others. It turns out, I really enjoy doing so. This experience will allow me to do either. I’m curious to see where I land.

100% of the hikers on the trail will either choose or fall into a “tramily.” A tramily is a trail family. Think of it as the group of people you hike and/or camp with. These are the people you’ve friended. Everyone is supportive and are going the pace you are. These people will help you through the pain, physicality, and mental load of the trail. Some people pick up a tramily on day 1 and stick with them all the way through. Lots of ebb and flow to tramilies as people hike their own hike, leave the trail, do side quests, take extra zero days and the like. A lot of tramilies will meet up later on, or sometimes get abandoned for new/other tramilies.

*I had originally planned to hike the PCT southbound. That means I would start at Canada and walk to Mexico. That is a VERY different way of tackling the PCT. Only 4% of folks doing the PCT are SOBO. It is a very isolated way of hiking the PCT, amongst other things. I learned my lesson over this past summer when I went backpacking for almost 2 weeks. I purposefully put myself into an isolated trail and noticed that when I would talk to any kind of human for any reason, my spirits were lifted. Ding! A lightbulb went off. The PCT is already hard enough, it would be foolish for me to make it harder by hiking it truly alone. Thus, I decided to hike northbound, like 96% of the rest of the folks.