[pct-l] Pocketmail

[The Mountain Goat]

(Pocket Mail)
In 2005, I saw just a few on the trail. The most memorable was Super Dave. The nice thing you can do is call from any pay phone (or regular phone) and update your email. It seemed to work quite sleek.

(using Internet at towns)
 I just wrote out a few notes what happened each day, and updated the journal on line when I got to towns. Although in my case, my friends wondered if I was still alive because my journal got 28 days out of day from Kennedy to Tahoe. Otherwise, it was mostly updated about every two weeks.

(Internet)
Use a Pocket Mail device is a good way to keep notes, and ongoing correspondence on the trail. I found it sufficient in my case to just get on line probably about a dozen times while on the trail, and catch up on email and post updates to the journal. Even post photos, as I was going along.

(PD A's)
You could just use a PDA with a cell phone.  It would probably weigh a little more than the pocket mail. But you could also browse the web if you needed to I suppose.

(Cell Phone)
 I did carry a cell phone (my Mom insisted) I could call home on the most random places on the trail. Just have to guess when your in view of major and minor highways, and towns. Northern WA, was kind of scarce for cell phone coverage. The last point was on high Pass in Glacier National park. I found a 20 foot by 20 foot square on the side of a mountain where I could get service. In the center I could get 1 bar of digital signal, enough to call home. My family was both pleased to get a call. Otherwise, the last point I found on the trail for cell service was Steven's Pass. 
 

I think I liked the cell phone (4 oz) because I could just call friends and family to give them updates and when I got on a computer I could update the journal. If you need more consistent journal updates, or email updates, then the pocket mail is wonderful because it is fairly likely you can find a payphone at many of the resupply points, but Internet access will be a little more limited. 

It seemed almost all trail towns had pay phones, except perhaps in Oregon where they seemed more scarce.

-Mountain Goat-
PCT 2005

Dan Fenn      danfenn at hotmail.com        
     Mon Jan 22 10:56:56 CST 2007          
---------------------------------
    
I'm curious as to how many folks will be taking a Pocketmail Composer with 
them on the trail this year and what their experience has been.  I'm getting 
close to that point where I need to decide if Pocketmail is the way to go.

Although I've heard some good things about Pocketmail, I've also heard some 
pretty negative things as well (composer craps out, lousy service, 
unreliable, etc.)...so what else is new, right?

Are there other options out there similar to pocketmail but better/more 
reliable?  The thing I like about pocketmail is the fact it runs on two AA 
batteries that apparently last a good long time and emails I create can be 
sent directly to my journal site.

Any comments, suggestions or other ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Dan

 
---------------------------------
Don't be flakey. Get Yahoo! Mail for Mobile and 
always stay connected to friends.