Month: December 2015

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The Itinerary

It took a few days longer than I’d hoped to post this, but I definitely have a solid first draft itinerary.  It feels real now, like this is actually going to fucking happen!

My hike will start Mid-April which means I’ll be reaching the finish line roughly the second week in September in Manning Park BC.  I’m telling you I want a finish line party!  Best friends- TAKE NOTE!

I’m shooting for 20 miles at least per day…there are some days where I’ll have extra, especially if I have to hike or hitch into towns off the PCT.  I kept 20 miles even towards the end, although there’s a very good chance I’ll be capable of doubling that by Oregon as California is the toughest trek of the PCT.  I just need to be super careful about straying too far off this itinerary, especially when resupply and bounce boxes come into play.  I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, then I could run into trouble with post offices, food amounts, etc.

I also built in about 18 resupply locations (I’m breaking those down into necessary portions) so I can ensure food meets me regularly on my trip without the extra unnecessary weight.  Man this hike planning takes a lot of thought. Looks like I resupply anywhere from 4-10 days, when you think at most there will be 40 meals on my back in dehydrated pouches, it doesn’t seem so overwhelming.  Thank goodness REI and Mountain house have good variety!  The menu should be online within a few days as I fully plan to work on my meal and resupply schedule over the New Years weekend.

I’m hoping to meet up with friends along the trail and have some company for part of the trip, especially my hubby. I spoke with my best friend Tyson and if he’s nearby we’ll definitely meet, if not have him come along for a bit.  That’ll be tres cool! Some cities I’ll stopover for a couple nights stay, those are usually the locations where there’s motels, laundry and grocery facilities.  Some locations, I’m simply stopping by to pick up a resupply box and I’ll carry on to the next campsite.

Any suggestions or changes you think I should make?  Any places I’ve missed that I definitely need to add?  I wanted to add MSH to my hike, but it’s at least 50 miles one way out of my way!  There won’t be resupply locations and very little traffic.  Not the smartest trek even though it’ll kill me to see her and not be closer!

PCT_1stdraftITINERARY

 

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They can freeze-dry what now?!?!

All my maps have been printed. By the way if you’re ever considering this hike, PCT Halfmile’s maps are incredible. I’m at mile 2,100 planned, well over halfway. In terms of geography, I’m near Washington state….from Mexico!!!! The maps I printed appear to be very accurate and it seems that I’ll be resupplying anywhere from every 5-9 days. Looking ahead I can see the really technical part of my planning will be re-supply management and trying to figure out how many meals and supplies to put in each box. In order to do that I need to make an expected menu. 

The more I plot nightly campsites, plan resupply locations, and start my menu of the most nutritious dehydrated bags of food money can buy, the more pumped I get. But the more convinced I get that I’m also frigging crazy!  I mean really, all it will take is one missed/late post office visit and I could be facing food shortage. The good news is most of my resupply locations are near stores and motels so if I need to hunker down for the night and wait I can. It just means trip delays, which can suck if you’re 6 months away already!

I’m hoping my hubby will come down for part of my trip and hang around Crater Lake for a few days and hike with me part of the PCT. I’m sure he’s not ecstatic about it but I think he’s accepting i’m doing this one day somehow!  The older I get, the more I realize that doing things like this, while mildly unpopular is also necessary. If I didn’t have dreams that are bigger than myself, I’m not a happy person. I need something bigger than myself to hitch my wagon to. This is a huge goal, so huge it actually seems impossible right now, so I’m glad I’m starting now. 

I’ve been tracing my expected itinerary over a Harry Potter marathon this weekend. My hubby got me the first 2 movies on DVD for Xmas (I used to have VHS copies but obviously those are obsolete) so we’ve been re-watching the series since yesterday afternoon. Means I got a shit done on planning and lists. 

I figure for the next while I’ll be asking friends and family for gifts surrounding this trip. I mean if I can get a 70l backpack and not have to pay for it…score!!!  The same goes for my necessary water treatment system and the hundreds if not thousands of bucks I’m going to spend on food, supplies and postage. 

Speaking of supplies, check this out:  

This is a $50 soup and chili kit with 72 portions…$0.70 a portion!  It appears I’ll be living off soup and chili a lot. I plan to buy several boxes of this alongside a few $50 boxes of freeze dried veggies to add and voila….great meals on a budget. I’ll be supplementing these with pouched food of a variety like beef stew, pasta primavera even pad Thai. Did you know they have freeze-dried ice cream bars????  WTF?!?!  Not sure how good they’ll taste but at $2.50 a pouch and 6 months in the wilderness solo you can bet your ass I fully plan to experiment!!! And hiking at least 20 miles a day I won’t feel guilt splurging on “ice cream” several days a week! Haha. 

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Topographical maps and their effect on my sanity

Why didn’t I pay better attention in Geosciences when we studied topographical maps? I found a really cool site that has downloadable maps that lay out EVERYTHING on the PCT including safe drinking water stops, post offices, stores, elevations, abandoned forest roads, camp sights, etc. After staring at it for hours, I am just starting to figure out my journey and how to fucking plot it. These maps are intense!!!! Not only is the writing horrendously small but for only the first 200 miles of the “hike from hell” I’ve printed off over 50 sheets of maps, resources and elevation logs. Perhaps turning my nose at a $30.00 map purchase online was rather ridiculous. Although I have to admit planning this over the past couple of days has been exhilarating.  Going through page by page of my printouts makes me feel as if I’m building my journey and customizing it.   I have the first week rough planned including potential camping areas, re-supply locations and have mapped out approximate hiking distances. I’m shooting for a minimum of 20 miles per day. I don’t think this is unreasonable and I’m bound to cover more ground daily the more I hike. Not only will my body be conditioned to the conditions and elevation changes, I’ll be in rocking shape!

I also downloaded a PCT planner where I inputted potential dates and with my goal of 20 miles per day, I’m looking at 6 months to do the whole thing. Yikes!  I’d rather not be on my own for that length of time, so I may have to consider lightening the load by using the “bounce box” strategy. This is where hikers ship a package to post offices along the trail for themselves and it contains things you definitely need in between re-supply boxes but not necessarily right this minute.  If you need something, the box will greet you at the next stop, which is usually no more than 50 miles away and you can restock the next time you resupply in town.  If you don’t need anything you simply re-seal it and forward to yourself at the next pick up location on the trail. For thru-hiking this idea is pure fucking genious.  Not only are you not carrying extra weight, you can simplify the whole experience.  I am NOTORIOUS for over-packing, just ask my husband.

These are my bounce box ideas, if you can think of any other ideas let me know:

  • Laundry detergent pads
  • feminine products <—–(sorry, guys!)
  • Ziploc Slider 1 gal bags
  • Cell charger
  • Mophie charger
  • Fitbit charger
  • Batteries
  • Camp fuel x2
  • Toothbrush, toothpaste, razor
  • Sewing kit
  • Waterproof matches
  • Mailing labels, stamps, envelopes, pens, paper
  • Packing and duct tape
  • Water treatment drops
  • Toilet paper
  • Butane
  • Soap
  • Deodorant
  • Individually sealed medications
  • Floss
  • Shampoo/conditioner
  • Dish soap
  • Moleskin
  • Journals
  • Clean underwear and socks
  • Garbage bags

I’ll scan my first week into my blog over the next day or so. It’s rough draft, but a good start. Especially for a hike that is at least a few years away.

Have I mentioned I’m jazzed?

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A Fleeting Thought,Turns into Action

When I lived in the States, especially in the Wilderness, I always wanted to hike the Pacific Crest Trail; a grueling, unforgiving, wild hike of over 2,600 miles.  I met one guy who was on the trail and detoured to see Mount St. Helens and he said the PCT quest was the most exhilarating yet stupid thing he’s ever done.  He and I had a lot in common because at that time I too was on the path of stupidity and exhileration while working on a J1-visa at an active volcano. Don’t ask me why I wanted to do the same hike he was battling, I just did.  Something about it sounded so regal, so adventurous, so…….insane. The idea was/is flat out looney tunes, knowing that really out of 5 billion people on this planet, only 4,000 have actually completed the full hike…all bitching 2,600 miles of it.  Half of that in the last year since the movie Wild came out.  The though of being on your own for months, mile after mile becoming your best friend but also your worst enemy.  No companionship, unless you can con some poor sucker into doing it with you.  Nothing but your thoughts and a really fucking heavy backpack  Yep, not sure why I wanted to, but I did.

I still do.

So I am.

WTF????

I’ve decided to hike the full PCT before I turn 40 years old.  It’s going to take years of training, of preparation, of psyching myself up to take the challenge.  I’ll probably quit a hundred times before I even step foot in Campo, on the California/Mexico border.  But here I am, planning for it.  Writing about it makes it official, right?

I mean really? Why the hell would I subject myself to a hike where I literally have to mail myself shit to ensure my survival at random outposts along the trail.  Relying on pure instinct, great maps and open stores to make my journey less grueling?  Hoping like hell my Solomon’s are as good a hiker as they are up Terrace Mountain?  What the hell am I thinking?

I am so fucking jazzed!

This blog will follow my beginning through to the end.  From tonight when I printed off a few trail maps to many years down the road when I step foot back into British Columbia after months in the rugged wilderness.  Follow the fun here.  Please comment, give me tips, well wishes, etc.  I want you to be there with me.  Through it all!

Let’s fucking do this!

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