[pct-l] Resupply strategies

Wed Dec 23 18:04:36 CST 2009

If you are considering sending re-supplies in advance of the hike, you can minimize the impact that Ron has identified with small-town postal hours by using alternative destinations.  There are very few towns in California that require you to send to a post office.  In 2006, I pre-staged all my resupply boxes and I recall that I only sent a resupply to 4 post office stops.  All other stops were sent to businesses.  It takes a bit more planning, but hey, planning and preparation were part of the trip for me.  I dreaded the thought of spending my town time in shopping markets and it was much nicer for me to send food in advance.  

For instance: 

Mt. Laguna - send it to the General Store rather than the PO 

Warner Springs - send to PO 

Idyllwild - send to the motel you are planning to stay at - there are two that I know accept/hold  packages 

Big Bear - send to the motel - Nature's Inn accepted/held my package in 2006 as I was planning to stay there 

Wrightwood - send to Mountain Hardware store 

Auga Dulce - send to Donna's 

Tehachappi - two motels accept packages that I am aware of 

Kennedy Meadows South - send to General Store 

VVR - obvious 

Tuolummne Meadows - send to PO (missed this because PO was not open due to high snow when we passed through) 

Kennedy Meadows North - send to General Store 

Lake Tahoe - send to PO 

Sierra City - send to General Store 

Beldon - send to Braatens (trail angels) 

Old Station - send to Heitmans (trail angels) 

Burney Falls State Park - send to General Store 

Castella - send to general store - store is next to PO 

Etna - send to B&B 

Seiad Valley - send to PO 

In Oregon and Washington I did not use a single PO with the exception of Stehekin and unfortunately I arrived during the Labor Day holiday and the PO was closed for 3 days so I left it there and had them forward it home after the hike. 

Some folks claim that you risk not enjoying what you are sending yourself in advance.  That is a possibility, but again with a bit of preparation and variance, you can minimize this.  For instance I found 12 different types of dyhdrated / freeze-dried meals from Mountain House and Mary Jane Farms that I enjoyed (I taste-tested about 20 different types in advance of my hike).  I bought them in bulk packaging and re-packaged into 1000 calorie meals and organized it so I did not eat the same meal more than once every 12 days.  Breakfast was also bought in bulk (granola, dried fruit bits, protein powder and milk) and pre-packaged.  This was supplemented by pop-tarts and breakfast bars. 

Typically, the only re-supply I would do in town was lunch items (I preferred fresh bread and fresh lunch meats and cheese) and a 1 and 2 liter bottle of gatorade (I always tried to leave town with new bottles that became my water bottles for the next leg. 

I had a different experience than many folks that have commented on-line.  I established a 5000 calorie a day menu from Day 1 and I had no problems eating all my food from Day 1.  Was it enough; apparently not.  I was 6' and 190lbs at the start and when I reached KM South, I had lost 12 lbs and in the next 20 days lost another 23 lbs through the heavy snow in the Sierra.  I stayed 35 lbs down all the way to Canada. 

If you are willing to do some prep work in advance, you can minimize a number of the issues that folks have identified with this type of resupply strategy and enjoy your town stops a lot more.  This type of strategy will also allow you to take more nearos rather than zeros.  Personally, in Oregon and Washington, I had no desire to take a full zero day.  Some folks look forward to the zeros but I wasn't in that group.  I preferred the time on the trail. 

You will hear a lot of advice, but only you will know what works best for you.   Best of luck, 

elevator 

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ron" <chiefcowboy at verizon.net> 
To: "Paul Mitchell" <bluebrain at bluebrain.ca>, "James Call" <freneticmarmot at gmail.com>, pct-l at backcountry.net 
Sent: Wednesday, December 23, 2009 3:04:33 PM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific 
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Resupply strategies 

On my 2009 thru-hike of the PCT I mailed very few packages.  I studiously 
avoided using the post office because of questionable schedules (some of the 
smaller ones are only open an hour or two a day which can cause you to be 
delayed).  I found at almost every stop there were more than enough choices 
for resupply even though they may not have exactly what you were originally 
looking for.  As far as the increased cost of buying in resort areas, it is 
more than offset by not paying postage.  Plus, by buying in these smaller 
towns, we are stimulating their economy and that makes them more 
appreciative of hikers. 

Just my two cents. 

Burning Daylight 2009 

-----Original Message----- 
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net 
[mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]On Behalf Of Paul Mitchell 
Sent: Wednesday, December 23, 2009 2:42 PM 
To: 'James Call'; pct-l at backcountry.net 
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Resupply strategies 

> I really like the suggestion of buying food in large resupply towns and 
then 
mailing a series of resupplies forward to the smaller stops. 
> Does anyone see a problem with this? If so, what was your strategy? 

Hi James 

It's great in theory, but my experience was that in reality it's a chore 
that can gobble up a whole lot of what would otherwise be a relaxing zero 
day.  The larger resupply towns may have a big grocery store, but there's no 
guarantee it's anywhere close to the post office.  Doing a resupply for the 
stretch ahead can take enough time, checking out what's available at the 
store, buying, repackaging, etc.  Double that for two stretches and then add 
more time for getting to the PO, packaging, line-ups, etc, all in a town 
where you don't have a car and there may not be frequent or any transit, I 
just found these things took a lot of time and sometimes left me feeling 
like I'd taken a zero without actually getting a zero, if you know what I 
mean. 

Of course, I tend to take a long time to make decisions in general - other 
people who care less about what's in their food bag might breeze through the 
grocery store, throw a bunch of food in their cart and for better or worse 
that's what they're going to eat. 

Having a large bounce box that you intend to take some food out of and then 
forward is also a hassle, or was for me anyway. After my last hike I 
resolved to visit the post office as little as possible and just eat 
whatever I can find along the way, even if it means resupplying at a gas 
station, just to have as much freedom and as few chores as possible.  Of 
course, there are places where that's not even an option, so hassle or not, 
forwarding a box may be the only choice other than having a package sent 
from home. 

I've pulled a full 180 for this next hike though and am starting to plan for 
resupply packages ahead of the hike.  I've found a whole lot of high quality 
foods that I know I can't get in pretty much any of the resupply towns, and 
my GF is gluten intolerant, so packages is starting to make more sense. 
Plus, I kind of like the idea of hitting a PO to make one pick up, 
transferring to food bags and moving out - seemed like it would be limiting 
before, but now that I know more or less what I do and don't like to eat on 
the trail, feels like a good idea. 

So, anyway, sending food from town A to town B works, my experience has just 
been that it's quite time consuming. 

Cheers! 
P178 

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