Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Those Tough Choices

Something had to go. Both backpacks were full and the beer had not been packed. "I can live on two Clif bars and a bag of trail mix so lose the crackers and sardines," one said. "I'll take out two shirts but I'm keeping my food," the other answered. That was the discussion this morning in front of Jack's Grocery as two young hikers prepared to continue their journey on the Pacific Crest Trail.

It had come down to food or beer for these two 20somethings as they moved forward on their adventure. "We left before the kick-off so we could stay ahead of the crowd," one informed me. They had arrived in Julian, the 80-mile point of the trail, and were about to get a ride to Scissors Crossing to pick up the trail this morning. Their next stop was 20 miles ahead at Warner Springs.

The official kick-off for the 2013 season of the PCT was today at Lake Morena. Crowds gathered at the county park to prepare to start the 2650-mile journey that spans from Mexico to Canada. A group called Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick-Off ( ADZPCTKO.com) organized this years' hike and have placed employees or volunteers along the way to assist the travelers. The group also created a website with updates on the trail including weather and trail conditions such as closures.

For one hiker named Barry (who asked that I not use his last name) it was important to start at the very beginning which is miles beyond Lake Morena. He went all the way to the statue that marks the beginning of the trail which is literally feet from the Mexican border at the edge of Campo. He needed to walk past the juvenile detention facility called Rancho del Campo where he was once incarcerated. During his hike he planned to let go of the past and purge himself of the guilt and remorse over the decisions that placed him in a boys' prison. For him, the trail was a path to a new tomorrow.

According to my Kindle, a number of hikers have written books and blogs about experiences on the PCT. One woman, named Cheryl Strayed wrote "Wild:From Lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail," and is enjoying all kinds of success from her story.

In the days to come, I'm sure we will meet many hikers and hear many stories as they pass through the town of Julian. I look forward to it.

For now: SherryD

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

A poem for March by Joseph O’Brien

“March’s Lovely Asymptotes”
Next Article

Hip-hop artist Don Elway makes movies for his music

Not Ordinary EP tells a story of life on the streets

Something had to go. Both backpacks were full and the beer had not been packed. "I can live on two Clif bars and a bag of trail mix so lose the crackers and sardines," one said. "I'll take out two shirts but I'm keeping my food," the other answered. That was the discussion this morning in front of Jack's Grocery as two young hikers prepared to continue their journey on the Pacific Crest Trail.

It had come down to food or beer for these two 20somethings as they moved forward on their adventure. "We left before the kick-off so we could stay ahead of the crowd," one informed me. They had arrived in Julian, the 80-mile point of the trail, and were about to get a ride to Scissors Crossing to pick up the trail this morning. Their next stop was 20 miles ahead at Warner Springs.

The official kick-off for the 2013 season of the PCT was today at Lake Morena. Crowds gathered at the county park to prepare to start the 2650-mile journey that spans from Mexico to Canada. A group called Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick-Off ( ADZPCTKO.com) organized this years' hike and have placed employees or volunteers along the way to assist the travelers. The group also created a website with updates on the trail including weather and trail conditions such as closures.

For one hiker named Barry (who asked that I not use his last name) it was important to start at the very beginning which is miles beyond Lake Morena. He went all the way to the statue that marks the beginning of the trail which is literally feet from the Mexican border at the edge of Campo. He needed to walk past the juvenile detention facility called Rancho del Campo where he was once incarcerated. During his hike he planned to let go of the past and purge himself of the guilt and remorse over the decisions that placed him in a boys' prison. For him, the trail was a path to a new tomorrow.

According to my Kindle, a number of hikers have written books and blogs about experiences on the PCT. One woman, named Cheryl Strayed wrote "Wild:From Lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail," and is enjoying all kinds of success from her story.

In the days to come, I'm sure we will meet many hikers and hear many stories as they pass through the town of Julian. I look forward to it.

For now: SherryD

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.