Pre Hike 14 April 2018
/I’ve been in Ohio almost a week. And every day creates more distance and space from New York. I allow that time-based distance to settle and calm the rough-edged panicked thoughts from the past 5 days. And loading up my pack, putting it on and walking through the Ohio countryside brings me much needed physical accomplishment. I feel good after each hike - both physically and mentally. I love walking and feeling the breeze on my skin and hearing my breathing change as I push up and over the gentle hills. Each day, I increase my pack weight so that by the time I start hiking in Southern California, I will be ready to handle the 6-7 liters of water needed to get from Campo, CA to Lake Morena. Today I hiked with 3.5 liters of water and managed a 3 mile hike in 45 minutes. Of course I know that 3 miles is nothing compared to the 20 miles of trail that extends from the border to Lake Morena. I would like to make it to Lake Morena that first day but I could always stop at Hauser Creek around mile 15. I hear that there is a fairly steep climb out of Hauser Canyon to reach Lake Morena. Those final miles at the end of the long first day could be incredibly challenging.
Next weekend I am planning a longer training hike with my sister and brother-in-law. I have some new gear that I haven’t had time to take out on the trail. I want to use this hike to make sure all my gear is working for me and to refine and confirm the way I want to pack my Zpacks Arc Haul.
Part of my first days in Ohio have been spent adjusting my resupply so that when I travel to my sister’s house in Columbus tomorrow, I will be absolutely ready to prep my resupply boxes. Right now I have about ten. In working on my resupply strategy, I have used a number of online resources. There is actually an incredible amount of content online that provides helpful tips and detailed information on thru hiking the PCT. Some if it is contradictory but I try to work into my plans the things that make sense to me and seem to fit with my own hiking style. My resupply strategy is really only a blueprint of when I could possibly arrive and depart from the many resupply towns along the way. I factored in both Zero Days (a day with no hiking) and Nero Days (days where you may only hike half the day, spend the other half in town with a possible over-night and then begin hiking the next day). I chose towns to resupply and/or stay overnight based on many sources of research:
Yogi’s Pacific Crest Trail Handbook which contains resupply and town tear sheets for the major resupply towns along the entire trail. The handbook was written by Jackie McDonnell "Yogi" - a Triple Crown Hiker who successfully hiked the AT, PCT and CDT. Her handbook provides a wealth of information about thru-hiking the trail. I’ve read her book at least 3 times and written to her with specific questions. She is always quick to respond. She runs an outfitter at Kennedy Meadows called Triple Crown Outfitters. https://triplecrownoutfitters.com/ I really hope I get the opportunity to meet her and thank her for her generous dedication to thru-hiking.
https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/ which includes incredible resupply surveys by past season’s hikers. I highly recommend this website maintained by Mac!
https://thetrek.co/pacific-crest-trail/pacific-crest-trail-resupply-guide/ - a super informative guide for each section of the trail and provides one of the most helpful resources for resupply in the Sierra Nevada.
I also read other thru hikers blogs that detailed their own resupply strategies.
The one consistent between all of these incredible sources - there is no need to send boxes for every stop along the trail. A hybrid strategy of buying in towns and sending some boxes to a select listing of locations that do not have good sources of resupply would save money and time spent preparing boxes filled with food that you don’t know if you will want to eat 3 months into the hike.
In my resupply blueprint, I chose 10 stops that I would prepare resupply boxes. My older sister, Julie, agreed to be my Trail Manager responsible for mailing out the USPS Priority Mail boxes at the appropriate time as well as sending me any additional gear that I may need. For example, when I arrive at Kennedy Meadows, I will have to pick up my bear canister and possibly an ice ax and crampons to safely navigate the snow in the Sierra Nevada. A bear canister is required soon after Kennedy Meadows through to Sonora Pass.
I studied Brenda Braaten’s article Pack Light, Eat Right
https://thru-hiker.com/articles/pack_light_eat_right.php
I want to fuel my body with the resources needed to hike upwards of 20 miles a day.
The Pacific Crest Trail Association maintains a website with a wealth of information about the trail. https://www.pcta.org/. I had to apply with them for my PCT Hiking Permit to begin the hike on May 7th.
Other online sources that I will definitely be using are the PCT Water Report
The PCT Water Report details the current condition of water sources along the trail state by state with California broken into four separate reports. This will be crucial for planning my water resupply especially in Southern California. I plan to carry both paper copies of the reports for each section as I hike through as well as a pdf on my Google Drive.
On my iPhone I will have the following Apps to help with navigation:
Guthooks PCT Maps
Halfmile PCT Maps
Earthmate which will link with my Garmin Inreach
Gaia GPS
I am also carrying a compass and paper maps provided by Halfmile.
I took an Introduction to Maps and Compass Navigation class through REI. However, I definitely feel like this is an area that I need more time to understand. I’m going to watch a series on U-Tube provided by the Columbia River Orienting Club called Wilderness Navigation. I want to be a responsible hiker and know how to navigate in case my electronics should fail.
I also took a weekend class through NOLS and REI – Wilderness Medicine.
In the past few years, I also followed a number of thru hikers on their U-Tube channels as they documented and shared their PCT hikes:
Will Wood “Redbeard”
Homemade Wanderlust “Dixie”
Mitch Lenington
So do I feel ready after hours of research and some REI classes? No. Absolutely not. I don’t think I will ever feel ready. I will just start at the border between Mexico and the United States and begin walking. Hopefully the experience of hiking along with the limited knowledge I’ve gained from pre hike research will be enough to help me as I put one foot in front of the other.
Today the calm quiet of rural Ohio feels blissfully welcome. My thoughts feel expansive and carefree with space to linger and hover. There is a rainstorm on the horizon and the wind is picking up in anticipation of what could be hours and hours of rain. I imagine what it would be like to experience this turbulent weather out on the trail shrouded in rain gear with my face wet and possibly cold. I don’t know for sure, but I think I may harbor a small smile as I bask in the adventure and live in the moment.
