[pct-l] bounce box

[CHUCK CHELIN]

Good afternoon, Randy,



Several times I’ve intended to use a bounce box, but it never end up being
cost effective in my situation.  A bounce box that’s sent ahead by USPS
Priority Mail can be received at a resupply town, or it can be forwarded –
unopened – without additional charge.  That means that when the box is
received whatever is removed better be either totally unavailable in town,
or it better be worth the $10-$15 forwarding charge.  Clearly, it wouldn’t
be smart to receive the box, remove a ChapStick or a couple of AAA
batteries, and then forward the box for $10.



I used a Cannon camera with a Li-ion battery, and I have extra batteries for
swap in my regular resupply box.  I can easily go a through a resupply
section on one or two batteries, then at the next town I would mail home the
dead/weak ones with my full SD memory chip(s), my trail notes, previous
maps, etc.  In my resupply box would be several recharged batteries, and
some empty SD chips.  I have enough batteries and chips to be able to carry
some with me, have some in my resupply box, and have others in transit.  I
did carry a little charger once, and it wasn’t much of a chore to plug it in
while eating pizza and drinking beer, but I did worry that I might depart
and forget it.  Good friends, a full belly, and a pitcher of beer seems to
make me forgetful.



I use a mix of buy-locally and resupply by mail, and I seldom need other
bounce box items.  I’ve been out there enough that my gear doesn’t change
much, but I do plan on some gear changes at Kennedy Meadows; further north
at a stop like Echo Lake or Tahoe; then again at Cascade Locks.  Items at
those locations come in a planned resupply box.



Steel-Eye

Hiking the Pct since before it was the PCT -- 1965

 http://www.trailjournals.com/steel-eye

 http://www.trailjournals.com/SteelEye09


On Tue, Oct 20, 2009 at 12:06 PM, Andrea Dinsmore
<zaqueltooocool at gmail.com>wrote:

> The resupply boxes that come here to Skykomish usually have food for the
> next section, socks, liners, batteries, meds and prewound TP. Envelopes
> with
> tracking arrive with Passports and other important papers for Canadian
> entry
> and exit.
>
> PCT MOM
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