[pct-l] zero days (nights) on the trail instead of in town?

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

On Dec 11, 2008, at 7:13 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
>
> Yeah, I hear you in the town food gorging and definitely don't want to
> eliminate any of that. I think what I really meant to say was whether
> anybody had successfully all but eliminated overnight town stays. For
> example, rolling into town in the morning, gorging/picking up  
> supplies in
> the afternoon and being back on the trail before the sun set that  
> evening as
> an overall town strategy.
> Knowing my hiking style, I have a feeling that sitting around on  
> the trail
> during the day would be hard for me anyway -- more often than not  
> resulting
> in me hiking anyway because of curiosity about what lay over the  
> next pass,
> etc.
>
> -Julian

I started stopping in town just to eat and getting back on the trail  
before spending the night more as I progressed. The expense of a  
hotel vs. the value received was starting to make it more attractive  
to eat and go. I hardly ever got to just lay on the bed in front of  
the TV, which is what I really wanted to do. And the whole laundry  
thing started to seem pointless as I got my clothes dirty and stinky  
within hours after they were clean.

It helps to avoid a hotel if you don't need to take a shower. I had  
considered, yet never attempted, asking hotels if I could take a  
shower in a dirty room before they cleaned it. Somehow I think they  
would probably say no.

I wonder if maybe there were more places where a shower could be had  
with a hose. In Sierra City I jumped into the Yuba river fully  
clothed and got me and my clothes pretty clean and refreshed. More  
swimming holes on the PCT are needed.