PCT Southern Terminus (Mile 0) to Lake Morena (Mile 20)
(20 miles, +2,800/-2,700 feet).

I originally was not sure if I wanted to do this part of the PCT before starting my thru-hike in a few years.  But my buddies BarnFinder and MixMaster were both interested in doing it, and we got some nice cool weather right after Thanksgiving to do the hike.

The day was cloudy and it rained off and on, giving me a chance to try out my hiking umbrella for the first time.  The rain made everything so much more green and beautiful than I expected.

I felt pretty good, but heading down into Hauser Canyon I started to get shin splints, possibly because of the 5k race I had done the day before.

We finished the hike in a quick 7.5 hours (including lunch) and then celebrated with some beers back at the terminus where we had left a shuttle car to take us back to San Diego.