Burning between 4-6,500 calories EVERY DAY will mean that I have an appetite once I start hiking for a week or two. Not carrying that much food every day, means that I will be bulking up on extra food in towns, and in packages I've mailed to supply points.
My food will be split between mailing boxes of food from larger towns to smaller towns (buying food as I arrive at towns, and then mailing a few days worth up the trail to various post offices and hiker friendly stores), and simply buying food as I go.
For anyone looking to send me care packages here are some general guidelines:
- Use ONLY USPS Priority Mail Flat rate boxes (Medium for 2-3 days of food, large for about 4-5) and I will be eating like I'm in a competitive event, so more is usually better!
- Most PO will hold packages marked "For PCT Thru-Hiker" for at least 2 weeks, so mail early.
- Nothing that will melt in the 100* California heat, very dense in calories (cashews, almonds, jar of Skippy, sesame sticks from your local health food, macaroons, tuna in the bag, etc.)
- Something that is fruity and fun like gummy bears, gushers, sour patch kids, fruit/nut granola bars. - Powdered gatorade/sports drinks or powdered peach ice tea / lemonade to add to the thousands of gallons of plain stream water that I will be consuming.
- Any energy bars that you really like - maybe I'll really like them to.
- Some dried fruits - mango, pineapple, apples, etc.
REMEMBER - I will either eat, carry, or throw out/give away everything in the box, so no glass jars, or canned goods.
- Also some wet wipes, travel sized baby powder, a few q-tips, anything homemade (just put it in a ziplock if it may melt in the heat a little) are always good things to add to a care package!
Below is my tentative schedule of resupply points: (I start at mile 1 on 5/19/13 and will hope to be doing between 20-25 miles a day from the start; thus my first resupply point at 110 miles (Warner Springs,CA) means that I will carry 4-5 days of food with me at the beginning, and will then have 100 miles between my next resupply point. I won't be carrying the same amount of food between each section, but any food that is more than I need to carry - I'll simply sit down and eat it right out of the box!)