The time for departure has finally come. On Saturday I'll be flying into San Diego and then starting the trail on Sunday the 19th of May. After a stay with San Diego trail angel and former thru-hiker Girlscout, I'll be on my way on this amazing journey.
Last minute things that I'm doing include: 1) Packaging up some Chia Seeds to help with hydration in SoCal 2) NOT bringing a stove till I have it sent to me at Kennedy Meadows for going through the Sierra's. 3) Getting some last minute socks and shoes finalized for back-ups on the trail 4) Shipping the first 500 miles of resupply boxes to myself (10 boxes will get my to about Bend, Oregon , where I look forward to seeing my girlfriend and seeing some of the local sites around Portland and Bend for a few days R&R) 5) Just got in my new prescription sunglasses - and will be wearing them everyday to help my eyes adjust to the new Rx before I hit the trail Thanks again to all who have helped me with encouragement, support, and especially to all the companies and individuals who have helped to A question that people frequently have in regards to a 2,600 mile walk, is "How and where do you get food?". The answer to that question is simple: You get it anywhere you can!
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!) Big shout out to YAMA Mountain Gear for the beautiful loaner Cirriform Single Wall Cuben tent! Slept comfortably last night at 34* and enjoyed the perfect inside space / outside footprint size combo! Looking forward to getting out into the beautiful west and spending many a night in this tent. Another big thank you to Rod at StickPic for getting me my 3rd and latest addition for my trekking pole collection. Certainly one of those "I wish I'd thought of that" ideas, you will not want to leave home without it! Finally, to all those who have made gear contributions and have asked to remain anonymous, I sent you all a heartfelt thank you! You are enabling me to have an experience of a lifetime, and your generosity is deeply appreciated. My ticket is booked, and May 18th is the day I'll arrive in San Diego. A kindly trail angel (someone who helps hikers) will pick me up from the airport, let me stay overnight with him, and then drop me off at the trailhead by the Mexican border. My sleeping bag should arrive next week, and my YAMA Mountain Gear Cirriform Single Wall Cuben shelter should arrive by this weekend. Gen at YAMA is a real adventurer (check out his mountain unicycle ride of the Continental Divide here) and I'm looking forward to providing some extended use feedback on his well crafted and lightweight 17 oz. tent. My project on Kickstarter is almost ready to launch, so check back if the link isn't active yet. Look forward to getting my feet dirty, and my camera busy! The happy looking dude in the photo is yours truly. This is me with four months of beard growth, while hiking in Connecticut during my lengthy Appalachian jaunt. But enough about me, let's talk more about me. Resupply, footwear, flights, finalizing gear, getting bills paid through my anticipated travel time, whew ! Who knew that coordinating a few months of your life all at once could be so demanding? Work work work...well, almost real work, more like "the devil is in the details" kind of thing more than anything else. Thankfully I seem to be almost set in all of my gear that will be used for the trip. I have the needed multiple pairs of shoes, hiking clothes, pre-set food drops, gear for the Sierra's. I've also come into the final tidying up all my belongings that remain, to help springboard me into the next phase of life after this journey comes to an end. After a particularly hectic week, I reminded myself of an important saying, "fear succumbs to effort". With this thought in mind, I dive into the melee of life once more. As spring starts to peak around winter's corner, a few determined souls set off to face new adventure, and all of the challenges that come along with exploring our scenic and unpredictable outdoors. As for myself, I begin to ready both my mind, and my body to handle the difficulty of a multiple month endeavor. I have once before been afforded the opportunity to win against natures odds, and beat the east coasts challenging and historic Appalachian Trail. This year my determination and artistic eye turn to the west. This year I seek to win a rare chance to complete the west coasts scenic and wild Pacific Crest Trail. I hope that you will join me as I head into this epic trip. A journey that relatively few people have been fortunate enough to complete, and that will be sure to test the limits of all who attempt it. Please check back frequently, as I will be adding in gear lists, prep articles, and musings while I finalize all that a 2,600+ mile journey entails. |
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