Day 1 (Southern Terminus to Boulder Oaks)

Start Location: Southern Trail Terminus.

Finish Location:  Boulder Oaks Campground.

Daily Mileage:  26.4 Miles

Total Miles: 26.4 Miles

Miles To Finish:  2633.6 Miles

Dave started the day by signing into the register book at the Southern Terminus.  Some pictures to commemorate the day and off he went.

Although he had some company for the first mile - after that Dave was off and walking on his own.  Along the way he had passed another through hiker who had started Saturday, but the other hiker was taking it a bit slower and had a heavier pack on than Dave was carrying that day.  We met up with Dave about 15.5 miles later, and he was all smiles:

 He was feeling good and enjoying the beautiful scenery:

 (Dave with Lake Morena in the background)

After Lake Morena, it was another 6 miles until Boulder Oaks: his stopping point for the day.  During that section he met another through-hiker named Guino, who had already hiked the PCT twice and was doing it a third time. 

When Dave arrived at Boulder Oaks, he was in good spirits.  He said he was pleasantly surprised at how green everything was and how great the scenery was compared to what others had written about.  His feet were a bit tired, but other than that he felt strong.  It was time for a burger and beer and then back to the camp ground.

(Campground with the lake in the background.)

The first night's stop was supposed to be Boulder Oaks, but the camp ground was closed.  So Lake Morena was the closest substitute and became the first night's camp ground.

As the sun went down, so did the temperature. 

(Dave and Jane bundled up looking at maps.) 

After spending some time studying the maps and planning for Day 2, it was off to sleep.  But not too much later the rain started.  Fortunately, the tents kept everyone warm and dry.  And Day 1 was in the books.

~Midget Trail Angel