ADZPTC-What?

Lake Morena

ADZPCTKO.  The Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kickoff.  Often just called "Kickoff".  It's a hiker Woodstock and a conference all wrapped into one.  750 hikers, current, present, and wannabe, all get together to meet, greet, eat, and talk trail.  It happens the last weekend of April near the Mexico border and is the "kickoff" to the PCT season.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I figured if they were cramming 750 people in a campground AND staying in the rangers' good graces, it must be a well organized, worthwhile event.  And so it was.

Here's what I'm walking away with:

A little last minute PCT 201.  I attended classes on topics ranging from trail yoga, injury prevention, and snow skills to bear safety and rules, trail flora and flauna, and the latest trail and water reports.  Most of it wasn't anything new, but that puts me more at ease, knowing I've already done my homework.  The most exciting (in more than one sense) came with the water report.  This year the snow level in the Sierras is about 34% of normal.  Last year was record snow and over 130% of normal.  So, hooray!  We landed a good snow year!  The flip side is that days of winds over 100 mph hit near Reds Meadow this past November and devastated segments of the trail.  No one knows how much or how long it'll take to clear.  Or if it will be cleared at all this season.  We might be facing detours or long slogs up and over and under the grand Sierra trees.  Each year has its own trials, and this may be ours.  One day at a time.

Campground host at Lake Morena who was also a host as Silver Falls! Small world!

 

A few friends.  I am not the best at making new friends or approaching groups of strangers, but I certainly tried while I was here.  And I made four friends!  This has got to be a record for me!  Oooh, maybe it's even five.  Josh, Clarence, Moira (sp?), Mello Yellow, and Maddog Murphy.  (Why do I feel like one of my little nieces or nephews telling me about all of their little preschool friends?  Counting every person whose name s/he remembers as a "friend"?  Sigh.  We are all still kids in some ways, and it seems that new experiences put us right back there.)  We are starting a day more behind all of these people, but I find comfort in both knowing they are ahead of us and in knowing I am bound to meet more like them.  Mellow and Maddog in particular remind me of my two EMT friends who got me through that grueling course. ... Our instructor had told us on day one that we would need to make a few good friends to make it through the class.  I remember looking around the room and thinking, "Not with anyone here."  Three weeks in I considered dropping ... and the same night I thought that, I met Eddy and Jake.  We were fast friends and quickly a regular trio.  (Jake made us matching bracelets for Christmas -- THOSE kinds of friends.)  I would not have made it through with so much support and laughter without them.  I know I'll need the same on the PCT; none of us does this alone.

California Poppy

Excitement and confidence.  This is what comes from hanging out with other trail hardened and hardening hikers.  The enthusiasm in shared stories is contagious.  We watched the Class of 2011's film -- it brought me to near tears watching their hardships and celebrations.  I don't know how anyone could watch it and not feel the pull of the trail.  Just hanging out with other current thru hikers builds confidence.  You can hear our anxieties in our voices, see our mixed fear and eagerness in our faces ... We all have it.  And it's comforting to see how human everyone is.  Even the guys with the best and lightest gear and other trans-country trails behind them have it.  Phew!  We really are all just people, afterall.  And the experience with this was that we know this and are out to help and comfort each other. 

In all, ADZPCTKO has been just the thing.  It's been the review I needed, the comradery I was looking for, and the real, from the gut excitement all of you had been waiting to take over.  I cannot even tell you how thrilled I am to be FINALLY STARTING.  I'm grinning ear to ear.  And Melissa's flight has just arrived.  I cannot believe this is actually happening.  PCT, here we come!