Day 10 - Kick Off D1 4/26
By Hedgehog
Every year for the last 15 years a non-profit group of PCT enthusiasts has held an event called ADZPCTKO. That stands for Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick Off. Commonly referred to as Kick Off. the event is held at Lake Morena County Park 20 miles North of the border. Most hikers stay at Lake Morena the first or second night of their PCT hike. BooBoo and I stayed there our first night.
Kick Off serves several functions:
1) Provide information to the current year hikers; everything from trail conditions to water reports to trail etiquette to trail history.
2) Hikers from previous years have a reunion
3) Gear vendors offer their latest, lightist gear for hikers looking to lighten their load.
4) The experience of previous years hiker classes is passed on to current years
5) A social experience for hikers who won't necessarily have much social interaction
6) An opportunity for people to find out more about the PCT.
7) In normal snow years starting your thru-hike the weekend of Kick Off offers you the best chance of finding the passes of the Sierras cleared of enough snow to make it through them.
Amoung many other functions.
Kick Off is such a part of the PCT experience that numerous hikers (like BooBoo and myself) find ways to attend even if we have already started hiking.
Magic Man picked us up fron Idyllwild and took us to Kick Off.
When we arrived we immediately ran into Pinhead,who had put us up for the night before we started our hike. After that it was time to stroll through the vendors area where BooBoo knew quite a few people.
We also walked by the temporary US Post Office they setup I on site so hikers can mail home gear they don't need.
I attended the Water Report and a Journaling lecture before burrito dinner was served. You get quite a line when you offer free burritos to hikers. After that we ended the day watching the film festival, which was fantastic.
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