Today, we started walking to Canada.
我們今天邁出往加拿大的第一步。
This morning began with breakfast at 5:30 a.m.
一大早5:30大家起床後聚在廚房吃早餐。
As everyone sat around the breakfast table contemplating the huge undertaking that would begin today, the place was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Will I be able to finish? Will I get sick? What will the first day be like? Did I pack enough food? Do I have enough water? How hot is the desert really going to be? Questions like these were being turned over in everyone's minds until finally somebody broke the silence and we all laughed. Then excitement took over and conversations started up. Soon enough we were all loaded into cars and had started the drive out to the trailhead. If I heard correctly, my driver's name was Proton (trail name again). He had done the trail just a few years prior and answered many of our questions during the drive out.
一開始大家都很沉默，邊吃著早餐邊想著即將面對的艱鉅任務：走不走得完？途中會不會受傷或生病？自己帶的糧食夠不夠？水帶得夠不夠？沙漠究竟會多熱？過了好一陣子才終於有人出聲，讓我們都笑了起來。打破沉默後我們都話不停，期待著即將出發。吃完早餐後有志工司機來載我們到70英里遠的登山口。我們的司機好像叫做Proton（綽號），他幾年前走完PCT所以開車的時侯回答了我們很多的問題。
The weather on the first day was very....undesertlike. Low clouds and misty rain hung in the air and the temperature couldn't have been more than 15 degrees. On any other day I might be annoyed but this was Day 1 and nothing was going to spoil my mood!
那天沙漠的天氣好不像沙漠，雲層很厚，飄起毛毛雨，溫度應該沒有超過15度。平常爬山的時候遇到這種天氣我會心情不好，可是今天是旅程的第一天，就算天氣很差我還是很開心有機會挑戰這條著名的步道。
We parked near the border and put on our packs. All along the Mexican border here there is a corrugated steel wall and a wide dirt road running parallel to it that the Border Patrol vehicles drive up and down. Note: This is not Trump's wall, but one that has existed for a long time already.
車子停在邊境附近後，我們背起背包去仔細看墨西哥與美國的邊境長得怎麼樣。邊界上築著一道鐵製的高牆，沿著高牆有一條寬廣的土路，國境巡邏隊會在此路開車找潛進來的外國人。川普的高牆還沒開始蓋，我們看到的那道牆早就存在了。
國境牆可以摸...
...and even see through it into Mexico.
...也有幾個小洞讓我們看得到墨西哥的領土。
Running along the north side of the border patrol road is a fence and the monument marking the start of the PCT is just beside it.
邊境路的北邊沿途設了鐵絲網，而PCT起點里程碑就在鐵絲網旁邊。
After group pictures...
先合照
...and individual pictures...
再獨照
...it was time to hit the trail!
最後終於真正出發了！
My initial impression of the trail was that it was very well built, smooth, wide, and easy to walk on. There were several interesting new plants and I made a mental note to ask someone about these.
我的初步印象是步道蓋得又平又寬，走起來很舒服。我看到很多不認得的沙漠植物，改天要記得問當地人這些植物的名稱。
過了一英里的里程碑後...
...I arrived in the town of Campo. I called up my grandparents while I waited for the Post Office to open and then mailed my first package from the trail: a few things I wouldn't need at all and could send directly to my sister in Canada. Farther up the trail was a warning to Central/South Americans who had just snuck over the border of the dangers of the desert environment and telling them it's not worth risking your life to try sneaking in.
我到了第一個小鎮Campo。等郵局開門的這段時間我打電話給在加拿大的外婆外公，郵局開了之後我進去寄了旅途中的第一箱給我在加拿大的妹妹請她代收，裡面有一些我到了加拿大後才會須要的東西。離開郵局後繼續往前走，途中看到這個警告牌，主要是針對偷偷入境的中南美洲人所以牌子上沒有英文只有西班牙文，警告他們在沙漠行走的危險性，勸他們不要再往前。
Most people made it all the way to Mile 20 the first day, Lake Morena, where there is a full-service campground. This was a very social evening with around 20 hikers all camping together. I had a pizza in the restaurant there, and was still hungry so I went back and made my own trail meal: mashed potatoes with canned veggies, tuna and cheese.
大部分的人今天走到20英里處的露營區Lake Morena，約莫20個人都在同一個地方搭帳篷、吃晚餐、聊天，熱鬧非凡。我選擇跟另外幾位去附近的餐廳吃，在那裏吃完一個pizza後肚子還有點餓，所以回到營地後又煮了一餐：薯泥配罐裝蔬菜、鮪魚，還有起司。
TarpTent appears to be a very popular brand. Four of them, including mine, were set up beside each other. They should make promotional material with this!
TarpTent這個牌子今年很受歡迎，在我的TarpTent帳篷旁邊還有另外3頂，我覺得這張照片TarpTent公司應該拿來當廣告使用吧！
Some people opt for very lightweight gear and choose to use a tarp instead of a tent. Then there are people who feel a regular tarp is still too much. The ultralight king Thi has this ridiculous setup for sleeping:
有的人為了減輕重量不帶一般帳篷只帶天幕。我們今天看到一位叫做Thi的登山客，他帶了比普通天幕還輕的天幕，你們看看他怎麼睡：
And that little backpack you see in the picture is all he is carrying for the whole trail!
照片中的小背包不是登頂包喔，Thi在PCT須要的所有裝備都裝得進去，是不是很誇張！
The weather today wasn't great...
雖然今天的天氣不是很好...
...but the forecast is for clear skies starting tomorrow. I can't wait to wake up and see the blue sky for Day 2! Good night!
但是從明天開始天氣預報都是晴天，很期待明早的大藍天，晚安！
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