The beginning (Posted 30 April 2012, 10:09pm)
32.8585, -116.4166


I woke up yesterday feeling like I had been beaten with a stick. It was much the same this morning. The start of this walk has been hard!

We were dropped off at the start of the the trail by Marcus' uncle Johnny and his girlfriend on Saturday 28 April. There is a huge solid metal fence along the border so there was no chance of a hanging a token toe into Mexico. We walked the first mile of the trail into Campo where our priority was posting our 'bounce box' with resupply items ahead of us to Warner Springs. Free of the cardboard box we brought more water at the trading post and then headed out.

The has been very little shade and almost no clouds in the sky. I have been stuggling with the heat but I will no doubt adjust in time. It seems to get into the high 30s (celcius) between 11am and 3pm. It is a very inhositible environment and thoughts of families trying to cross the border on foot have been in my mind. We saw various signs of immigrants - a tarp, rope, a editable plants book, discarded clothing - and helecopers flying overhead near the border.

The views have been stunning and we have been taking lots of photos. We saw our first rattle snake yesterday - close to the trail. Thankfully another hiker stopped to warn us about it. We skirted around it. It was apparently medium sized but it looked plenty big enough to me! We left a note for hikers after us. The other main hazard is Poison Oak which is prominent but so far avoided and at least not deadily!

The camping has been great. We wild camped by a river last night where we were able to swim and cook by the river. The frogs have been loud and night. There are frequent noises in the bushes but these are mostly caused by various types of lizzards rather than snakes.

Three blisters and sore shoulders are the current complaints but they are far outweighed by the regular delights and the overwheming feeling of being alive in the fullest sense.

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October
21 I made it.
15 About to catch the last bus for the season out of Stehekin and planning to walk out of America in four days time on the last day of my visa...
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November
30 True to the thru (Part 4 of 4)
30 The waiting game (Part 3 of 4)
30 Something was wrong (Part 2 of 4)
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21 "I knew Typo would make it" (Part 6 of 6)
19 Throwing the Hail Mary (Part 5 of 6)
10 Up and down, but not out (Part 4 of 6)
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October
30 We're sleeping in a toilet (Part 1 of 6)
25 Another radio interview (Audio)
21 I made it
04 Nearly there

September
29 Trail Magic
19 Walking with Mum

August
28 Cold food
28 Hello Oregon!
20 40 miles in one day
08 Official trail name: Typo
06 (Humbolt) Summit Fever
06 Road walking around a wildfire

July
30 Two trail birthdays
18 A picture is worth...
10 Pain and gain in the Sierra

June
28 Hiker hunger
27 The inquisitive marmot
19 Stage one survived
05 Live from the Mojave (Updated)
04 I just walked 500 miles...

May
31 Current nemesis: Poodle dog bush
23 Mexico to McDonald's
23 Gear review: Sleeping pad
18 Hot and getting even hotter
12 Videos
12 Wildlife
10 People on the trail: Sunset
05 Eagle Rock
03 Hiker discount: 100%

April
30 The beginning
25 Final preparation
17 Blogging along the way
16 No publicity is bad publicity
08 Walking before the walk
08 Maps for the trail