April 2, 2018 – September 11, 2018
Here it is folks!
I’m super excited.
A lot of work went into the resupply strategies, camping spots I chose. I arranged my distances to coincide with elevations. It’s been a lot of work, but now I know how many meals need to be made. Tonight, I made HUGE progress!
My step sister-in-law came up last week for a visit, she’s an avid backpacker. So naturally she was excited about my pending hike and dished out tons of helpful advice including what to look for in a pack and possibilities for my re-supply. She’s a great source of information! We might even get together a few times over the coming years before my trek to practise. I of course invited her to hike a leg of the PCT with me!
I showed her my PCT binder, that I’ve affectionately nicknamed Ogre, it’s friggin huge. A 3 1/2 inch binder jammed full of maps, elevations, shopping lists, resupply plans, etc. I obviously cannot bring Ogre with me on my hike, but for now, it’s my PCT bible!
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!
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!
