[pct-l] Resupply strategies

[Sean Nordeen]

I've heard all the arguements about resupplying on the trail as you go and found some of them false when I hiked this year.

My original strategy this year was a hybrid one.  I was able to send out a couple of packages from home, since I live in LA anyway, but I would quickly transition over to the supply as you go strategy.  I supplemented what I bought with hard to find things like rehyrdated veggies and ground beef in monthly boxes from home as I figured they'd make my meals more nutritious and tastey.  This stuff got mailed or bounced north over the next few weeks as I had need of it.  These monthy boxes also contained gear and other things I wanted along the way or had ordered online and had delivered home such as shoes, so I was getting them anyway.

However, when I got off at Idyllwild for 3 weeks for injury, having all that free time, I ended up making several more supply boxes and used them all the way to Mammoth Lakes where I finally started buying my food on trail.  Latter on, when looking back at those supply boxes, I missed them.  I found doing major shopping on the trail to be a royal PITA.  It was fine for just doing a 4-5day supply, but there are many places where I had to make boxes up to mail forward as many places have little to no food.  Sure you can live off of candy and cookies, but it isn't healthy for long term as you body needs more then just calories.  So I had to spend significant time making boxes in such places as S.Lake Tahoe (mailed to Belden & Old Station), Ashland (for all of Oregon except Sisters) and my least favorite, Cascade Locks for all of Washington.  While I spent hours making up these boxes, I watched O'Dark resting and watching TV since all his food came mailed from home.  If he was going to get into town when the PO was closed, he had his box sent to a hotel/business instead.  I grew envious of how relaxed he was in town compared to all the running around I had to do.  I also missed the variety of meals that I had made at home verses what I was willing to make while on the trail.  I had less variety in my dinners that I bought on the trail verses what I had sent myself from home early on.  I didn't have access to my spice rack and other incredients and had no ability to make more complex meals out of a hotel room.  The whole variety arguement really only applies to snacks and maybe your lunch not the dinners which are the only meal I cook.  Everyone I knew on the trail pretty much ate Mash Potatoes, Lipton Sides or CousCous for dinner.  The only so-called variety was how many of each you carried out of town and what flavor you found.

If I was to hike the PCT again, if at all possible, I'd make more boxes made at home and just buy snacks and stuff on the trail to supplement them.  This assumes I have someone to mail it out though.  Because if you don't, then resupplying on the trail is the only option.

-Sean "Miner' Nordeen