[pct-l] Thru hiker questions

[Austin Williams]

-Are traction aids required starting in Kennedy Meadow?
No, but they do make hiking over snow in the early mornings easier.
-If so would Katoohla Micro Spikes meet this need?
Yes.
-Is an ice axe necessary and if so from where to where on the trail?
No, it's not necessary , but traversing snow slopes will be faster, easier,
and less nerve-wracking if you bring one along.
-I was looking at getting a bag that can take me down to 25-30 F and still
be warm.  Is this a good target?
Yes, very good target.  You hit the nail on the head.
-I was planning on using a Neoair for my pad.  Any thoughts on this
surviving the trip or parts of the trip (say North of Kennedy Meadows)?
Any pad will work.  I say the lighter - the better.  I use a half-length
closed cell foam pad... by HYOY :)
-About how many pairs of footwear should I budget for the thru hike?
6 or 7.  If you are thinking about buying them all at once make CERTAIN that
you buy them 1 full shoe size bigger than your usual shoe size NO MATTER
WHAT THE SHOE SALESMAN SAYS!  Your feet will swell... and they'll do so
significantly more than they do when you go out for an hour long jog.
-Is good replacement footwear easy to do on the trail or do I need to plan
on shipping myself some on the hike?
Yes.  But it may be cheaper to just leave some money with your support
person... show them what style of shoe you like and which store to buy them
at.  Then you can call them from the trail and tell them what size to buy.
This saves money (since you aren't buying in expensive, trailside tourist
towns) and you you don't have to stress about whether you bought the correct
size shoes or not.
-I will probably be using my esbit stove along the trail I’m guessing I will
need to plan on shipping myself tabs along the way.  Am I correct in this
assumption?
Yes.  I used esbit along the entire hike.  Works well.  I'd recommend buying
in bulk online and sending them in your resupply packages.  Better than
alcohol (in my minority opinion) because there are no shipping restrictions.
-I’ve seen a lot of estimates for cost to hike the trail and while I admit
it’s going to vary from person to person, how much should I budget for
assuming I have all my gear to start out with?  If you could break this into
approximate $ for food, hostels, etc  and resupply gear
(shoes/socks/anything that breaks) it would be helpful.
Style dictates cost.  I did my entire hike on $5,000 - and that includes
gear AND providing my wife with rent and gas money for the months I was
gone.  But I'm pretty frugal in general.  I can only offer
http://www.planyourhike.com/planning/financing.html as a thru-hike financing
resource.
Thanks in advance for any help.  If I’m posting this in the wrong place
please point me in the right direction.

Good luck!

Best

Ken