[pct-l] Resupply strategies

[Ernie Castillo]

You all have heard of the phrase "It takes a village."

That is what helped me on my 1980 through hike.

I come from a large family (7 boys, 3 girls). I used to brag that not only could we field a basketball team and take on an "all-neighbor all-star team, we had a bench and cheerleaders to boot.

So naturally, when I hit the PCT, my family was my lifeline. In particular, my sister Mona kept me supplied with a wide variety of food. The purchase of a dehydrator and a seal-a-meal applicance meant that when I hit the PCT re-supply spots, I had jerky (beef, turkey, ham), and home-made trail mix.

We also came up with a nice way to package Tang. We bought a box of the "inner tubes" that went into baby formula bottles, poured a water bottle's worth of Tang into the tube, and sealed it.

Likewise, the Cup-of-Noodle containers that we bought at bargain stores (what are known today as dollar stores) came out of the styrofoam cups and into the seal-a-meal envelopes.

Peanut butter and honey went into squeezable tubes.

I helped prepare the first few care packages. After that, my sister, her kids, and her mom would have "Ernie Food Pack" parties and ship the care packages to the destinations that I had documented.

I never had to worry about food. Quite the contrary. If I had excess, I offered it to fellow hikers or left it in a convenient location at a drop-off spot.

In fact, I had to diplomatically tell my mom to stick to the pre-defined rations. She had one of those motherly ideas: "Well, it says 1 pound of beef jerky, but I'll go ahead and send 3 pounds just so my mijo won't go hungry."

One of my most unique pictures is me walking along a highway in Northern California with a pack that is stuffed to the limit and a large cardboard box strapped to the top of it.

Oddly enough, in Oregon, I couldn't get enough food.

Mom was right.

 

Bottom line: if you have a support team, use it.

Ernie Castillo
erniec01 at hotmail.com
248 884 5201



 
> Date: Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:34:38 -0800
> From: hikerbob62 at yahoo.com
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Resupply strategies
> 
> I fully disagree :) with Sean's experience & perspective
> I like to resupply en route,for me it works out great.a little back round. i like to eat well,i don`t subsist on an exclusive diet of Lipton dinners and mashed potatoes.i like variety and fresh food,which trail towns provide. i also carry a real stove(msr dragonfly) a 8" frying pan, a backpacking grill,and a small spice kit.this not only gives me great flexabilityfoodwise,but i save a ton of money on restaurant food,and the layoverdays that go along with it.my typical town stop would consist of hitching(or walking)to town, shopping(1hr if that)lunch in town then a hitch back to the trail,then hiking a few miles farther.for dinner i would grill some steak,chicken or maybe have spaghetti with sausage.possibly a salad. the variations are endless.the rest of the time,well kielbasa keeps well,i mix it with cajun rice and beans and top it with chopped onions and peppers. bean and cheese burritos.some of the smaller stops might take a little ingenuity,but
> doable. a can(i can hear the ultralighters screams)of chili on top of pasta makes a fine dinner.my strategy was, in big towns i stocked up and in small towns i got enough to get by.
> 
> 
> 
> 
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