Julian – Campo – Day 166 Thurs Dec 7th

Day 166 Thurs Dec 7th
Tent site 1 Morena Butte – The Mexican border – San Diego.
2638.5 – 2655.2
Approx. 2251 ft ascent 2490 ft descent
16.7 Miles

Today is a huge day for us….

The alarm went off at 04:00 and in 10 mins we were packing away our home for the final time on trail. Getting in this early start should help take the pressure off and help us smash the miles for an early afternoon arrival at the southern terminus.
We packed up in the dark and as we were finishing our breakfast it just started to get light and the conditions were perfect for hiking. Even if it was a little cold with frost forming around the periphery of the tent site.
Getting up early has always made me feel great and as we broke camp we were both buzzing!
Interestingly there was more condensation on the tent and sleeping bags than we expected. Maybe because of our proximity to the creek below or our exposed position on the side of the mountain. Either way we weren’t fussed as it was our last day and everything was good in the world.

As we hiked down towards Hauser creek it felt noticeably colder and looking east we could see a spectacular lava lamp sunrise display. Possibly one of the nicest we’ve seen on trial. The clouds were lit up in orange waves as the early morning sun illuminated them from behind the mountains.

The hike down to Hauser Greek was steep followed by an aggressive steep climb uphill, similar in elevation gain to the descent. This short sharp shock was just what we needed to warm up for the day and it wasn’t long before we were stripping back the layers.

At the bottom of Houser Creek we passed “Tinkerbell and Wind”. The Dutch couple had just been in front of us for the last couple of days and they were planning on tagging the border l today as well.

Sarah commented she felt like we were in the show “Race Across the World”
It’s different when you spend a lot of time walking with the same crowd of people. Although with newbies sometimes it can feel a little claustrophobic when they are snapping at your heels and /or when you keep leapfrogging one another. Especially at this stage of the trail, when we’ve had this place to ourselves for so long.
Maybe the old competitive spirit also started kicking in today. As once we were passed these guys we were keen on keeping them in the rear view mirrors and we wanted the place to ourselves today.

As we climbed through the shaded oak lined tunnels either side of the trail, I noticed a couple of hummingbirds buzzing around in a Manzanita bush. Bright emerald green in colour, these hardy little birds seem resilient to the cold nights out here.

By 09:00 we’d already covered 7 miles and we were flying. Our trail runners on fire leaving scorch marks down the trail. Although our progress was bittersweet. Part of us wanted to savour this last day, yet there seemed to be a force driving our legs forward.

By 10:00 we were just shy of 10 miles. We could have hit the magical 10 by 10, but with views of Campo and the Mexican border we decided to stop for a break.
With just 7 miles to the border we sat on a rock smelling those roses for 1 last time, whilst enjoying a sugar coated Honey bun and some other tasty treats.

The landscape stretching out in front of us was not flat like we had expected, but we were still in the mountains.

Looking down over a meadow we were still walking through similar terrain to what we’ve been doing for the last couple of days.
The next section was mainly downhill and the descent was surprisingly rugged, pushing past sharp brushy sage and desert plants.

We were passed by a day hiker as Sarah took yet another picture of me standing on a rock.
He reminded us of a friend back home and told us that we were the second group of hikers he had passed today. Saying that he was honoured to have met us and envious of what we had achieved.

As we descended the last 5 miles to the border we started to see the border wall separating the US and Mexico, running over the silhouette of the mountains.
Maybe once we get closer it will look different, although we had always imagined the wall would run across flat desert. From this distance and perspective you could see that a considerable amount of work must have been put in to build this structure following the shape of the mountains.

We cross over a train line and there’s a sign saying Mexico is only 3 miles away and Canada is a mighty 2647 miles north.
This s***’ is getting real we have less than an hour now before we finish the entire length of the Pacific Crest Trail.

The usual thoughts and feelings when arriving at a town seem very different today. Normally in the closing miles we would discuss logistics: what food we want to eat, where we are going to stay and our plan of attack on priorities. But this isn’t just another town, it’s the finish line and end of our epic adventure. Neither of us really knows what to expect + have really processed what this all means yet.

All I know is that after we reach the terminus, celebrate and savour the moment we need to start thinking about how we get to San Diego to fly home.
Then how we wrap up the blog and draw a line underneath this adventure. Before returning to our friends, family and loved ones before Christmas.

During the last miles the trail temporarily joins and crosses a paved road. Both sides of the street were lined with empty derelict military accommodation. All in dire need of repair the place looked like a ghost town!
Fortunately this doesn’t last long and we are soon back hiking along some form of trail.
There is a heavy military presence here with border patrol vehicles driving up and down the sandy dirt roads.
As we get closer to the border the ground becomes flatter. It’s true contours and shape are less obvious now we are closer. The wall gets bigger and bigger and shadows the terminus. Sending a clear statement of intent + stopping people from Mexico illegally entering the US.

We arrived at the terminus around 13:00 covering nearly 17 miles in less than 7 hours.
Here we were greeted to an applause by the other group of hikers, who just made it in front of us.
It was an applause similar to when we reached Kennedy Meadows South, after passing through the high Sierras. It just seemed to have more significance as now we had finally touched the terminus!
The group included the 4 we had met in Julian as well as “Story” There was also another familiar face in the form of “2 Braids”’. Who we had last seen way back in Washington.
Everyone was having a great time celebrating, taking photos and trying to document the moment in 1 way or another.
It looked like Stomp and his crew may have popped to the store in Campo before hitting the terminus. The group were all in very high spirits fuelled by a number of beers.
It was nice to see them playing music and dancing around to celebrate.

Some southbound hikers arrive at the terminus alone which must be sad. Today was made even more special for us being surrounded by fellow hikers. All on the same page understanding the meaning of walking all those miles.
We felt very lucky to be in such good company and to be cheered on like this.

It must be quite the contrast to the 50 hikers per day that start hiking north between April to June. We wondered how crowded and different this place would be then!

We took what seemed like a million terminus photos all made difficult by the midday sun. Before the Dutch couple arrived to a similar applause. And then it was over….

A trail angel called “Ghost” was waiting at the terminus to offer help in getting us back to the real world.
Ghost had been following some of the posts on Facebook and had worked out that most of us were going to finish today.
He kindly offered to drive us the 50 miles to San Diego or wherever we needed to go. Before you knew it Sarah, Story and I were catapulted away from the terminus and mountains, in the back of a pick up on a freeway leading to San Diego.

I wasn’t quite ready for this sudden transition from trail to “BIG” town. We had initially talked about staying in Campo at least 1 night, as our flight back to the UK wasn’t for another 4 days.
One thing you learn on the trail is that you need to be flexible and plans naturally change and evolve. There is little point stressing over the small stuff as destinations and anxieties never quite turn out how you may have perceived. Maybe there is a deeper lesson here for us all to take on board here!

Campo had little going on and few places to stay or restaurants and attractions. So it made sense not to look this gift horse in the mouth. No pun intended Ghost, you absolute LEGEND!

The ride to San Diego was very entertaining and Ghost was a real character with a great knowledge and understanding of the trail.
He told us that he would rather just turn up and help hikers as and when he wanted. Rather than advertising his services on Facebook and Far Out.
We all felt very privileged to be in his company and he certainly helped us out of a tight spot with one of the longest rides from trail to town.

Once in San Diego he kindly dropped us off at REI where we were able to switch out our broken tent for a brand spanking new one.

Ghost then dropped us in Old Town into the arms of a safe and comfortable hotel where we stayed for a couple of days. Before concluding our time in San Diego with Jodie and Joel. Our final trail angels and friends from back home, who now live over in the US.

The west coast is known for its homeless problems and San Diego was no exception. In the car park opposite the hotel was a homeless settlement with a number of sceptical looking characters, with tents set up all over the place.
In part I guess you could say we felt at home amongst all the tents, but it was a reality check of the state of the world we now live in.
Everything was safe enough, although we were told to be careful at night + I made sure I carried my trekking poles whenever we went out after dark.

With holes in our ragged hiking clothes there were times on trail where people had looked on at us in a similar way. It seems strange that we are now back on the other side of the fence. Maybe there is a lesson here, that we shouldn’t always simply judge a book by its cover and everyone has a story to tell.

For the next couple of days we were like rabbits in the headlights. I am sure it’s going to take a good while to re-adjust back into our “old” lives.
We are super proud of what we have achieved. How we have both grown, the lessons we have learnt and the experiences we have had along the way.
We’re also looking forward to getting home and looking forward to the next chapter of our lives.

We have met some amazing people on our travels. Including the ones at home looking after our beloved dog Rooi. All of this would not have been possible without the kindness and generosity of these little angels.

There are so many people that have helped us along the way to simply put into a list.
You all know who you are! We are eternity grateful and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

In the next and final blog post we will wrap up this little adventure. I will try to summarise some trail highlights and fun statistics. Along with some of the reasons we and others embark on this trail. With examples of random acts of kindness we encountered along the way.

Please stay tuned…. Until tomorrow (24th December 2023)

P.s. Listen out to BBC Radio Oxford on 28th December 2023 around 12:15 noon.