Scout and Frodo.

At the end of a San Diego cul-de-sac sits a house brimming, nine weeks each spring, with nervous energy. This is Scout and Frodo's. This house is the staging point for many of the thru-hikers who hit the PCT each year. Since 2005, the couple have offered up their home to hikers, picking them up from the airport, feeding them and driving them to the trailhead in Campo the next morning. That first year, not one hiker took them up on the offer. The next year, only 17. Tonight, there are 44 hikers filling the rooms and backyard of Scout and Frodo's—part of the 3,000-plus hikers who have started their adventure here since the couple became "trail angels." The hikers hail from the West Coast and East, from Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Israel, Poland, New Zealand and Australia. Everywhere, people are making introductions, comparing gear and telling each other their stories. For most of us, it's the last night before the biggest adventure of our lives. A couple in lawn chairs talks about selling their house in order to set out on the trail. A Swiss man describes his chance learning about the PCT—and the obsession that's grown in him ever since. Most of us have the same "are we really here?" mentality. The PCT is something we've talked about and dreamed about for (in many cases) more than a year, and now it's starting to become tangible. Following the thousands of others who have passed through this waypoint makes it real. We're officially PCTers now. We're meeting people we've talked to in online hiker forums. We're planning out water sources a few days up the trail. Through all this, Scout and Frodo dart in and out, seemingly everywhere at once. If they're the least bit phased by having nearly 50 strangers in their home, they don't show it. The two run their operation with a charm somehow not diminished by its machine-like efficiency. Scout gives new arrivals a tour with a well-rehearsed speech—but can't help throwing in a few anecdotes. Three large tents fill the backyard, as well as a treehouse also populated by hikers. As late arrivals, Matt and I will be sleeping outside on the ground (a putting green by the back fence)—our first experience with the "cowboy camping" that is popular along the PCT.*

In the living room, Scout and Frodo provide "trail maps" to the nearest grocery store. The garage hosts a well-appointed shipping system for hikers to send food ahead to resupply points. And their only demand for the meals they provide is that their guests finish off all the food. Scout and Frodo aren't just homeowners with an extreme "all are welcome" philosophy. In 2007, they finished a PCT thru-hike of their own, and they offer us newbies plenty of hard-earned wisdom and encouragement. Barney "Scout" Mann, a retired lawyer, served a term as Chairman of the Board of the Pacific Crest Trail Association and is considered the unofficial historian of the PCT. He's a gifted storyteller, a skill no doubt honed by many nights in the backcountry. Dr. Sandy "Frodo" Mann is a retired molecular biologist with an impressive hiking resume of her own and a seemingly limitless ability to make sure hikers are at home in her house. After Scout summons us to dinner by blowing into a conch shell, the couple launches into a speech they'll give 60 or more times during hiking season. Frodo gives Scout a hard time when he forgets a portion, then interrupts him later to note that he has a hole in the seat of his pants. "We feel like we're sending our children off on this grand adventure," Frodo says. "Even our gray haired children," adds Scout, noting the smattering of 50-somethings among the group. After dessert, the hikers scatter, chatting in small groups or making last preparations. Some of us may be too nervous to sleep tonight, but regardless, we'll be heading out for the trail at 5:30 tomorrow morning. Tomorrow, Scout and Frodo will welcome a new batch of hikers, and we'll be taking our first steps north, hoping the rest of the trail can live up to its welcoming committee.

*Full disclosure: After the publication of this post, a late-arriving rainstorm forced us to "cowboy camp" in Scout and Frodo's living room.