03/27/2024
The day’s goal is simple: to reach the city of Campo and the Camp Lockett Event & Equestrian Facility (CLEEF) from Los Angeles via San Diego.
First we take the Amtrak train. Instead of the coastal path, it runs for 200 miles along the Pacific Ocean. The views of the Pacific and the beaches are magnificent. Surfers are omnipresent during the 3 h00 ride. The SurfLiner lives up to its name. Arrival in San Diego is at a train station, Old Station Center, next to the historic downtown area. To be historic, it’s even old-fashioned, a small village of Mexican haciendas in the purest 19th-century style, with a tourist market full of Mexican souvenirs. We love it.
After, we then take the “official” Trail Angel shuttle bus from San Diego to Campo. We were frankly disappointed by the service. It’s overpriced, at $75, and between a falsely interested welcome, “Who’s from where?”, and uninteresting advice for internationals. We can only advise against it! Almost no help. We pass far too quickly by the REI store, the post office and a litltle grocery with little, too little choice to get us started.
But we managed to get by, and after sending our parcels to Kennedy Meadows South, buying a few bags of freeze-dried food and various bars and tortillas, we finally arrived in CLEEF around 4:30 pm. It’s a bit of a rush to get started like this. It’s probabbly much better to go to the PCT Southern Terminus Trail Angel Facebook page, and apply a few days in advance. Much more in the spirit of the PCT.
As far as we’re concerned, “Here WE are”, as the locals say, with an accent that’ll take your tonsils out.
At CLEEF, The atmosphere is special, a mixture of stress, different experiences and a mix of American people, European and Asian nationalities. The few loudmouths, with their gleaming equipment, try to impose their presence, while the already solid old hikers remain more discreet and humble. “Hike your own hike” is not yet began, and some of the looks on their faces speak volumes about their opinions. We’ll see where we are in next 6 months.
We set up our sleeping arrangements among the dozen or so tents already present, then go off to listen to the locals’ advice about setting off. A PCTA volunteer is present and hands us the PCT Tag, symbolizing our new status, “french PCTiste 2024”. We take the opportunity to sign the PCT Wall. In just one month, there are already a good number of hikers.
Let’s hike and keep going.
