[pct-l] Things I wish someone had told me before I started my thru-hike:

[Kathryn Zimmerman]

Thanks Julian for the tips!  Always nice to hear what someone is reflecting
on their hike about what was important and what wasn't...

Bag Lady

On Mon, Mar 8, 2010 at 4:09 PM, Julian Plamann <julian at amity.be> wrote:

> Now that the class of 2010 is gearing up to head out there in the next few
> months, here are some things I wish I had known before I began my own
> thru-hike last year:
>
> 1. Don't over-think or stress about your resupply strategy. Even if you're
> vegetarian, you can find enough food for a 4 or 5 day resupply nearly
> everywhere
> (even places like Stehekin and the tiny Warner Springs store!). Kennedy
> Meadows is the only place that it is really necessary to send a food box.
> This can easily be
> done from The Saufley's or Mojave/Tehachapi on a zero day.
>
> 2. Make sure the things you carry on your back are as light as you can (15
> lbs max is a good goal), but there is really no reason to go overboard.
> Unless you're trying to
> pull 40 mile days, the difference between a sub-10lb ultralight pack-weight
> and a 15lb baseweight are just really not going to matter two months into
> your hike. In the
> weeks leading up to my thru-hike, meticulously adding tenth-of-an-ounce
> measurements into an excel spreadsheet gear list in order to get an 8.5lb
> baseweight, I never
> would have guessed that I'd be carrying a 4lb case-hardened steel chain
> attached to a giant Flava Flav clock through a good deal of the northern
> Sierra, or that the sheer
> weight of my food bag would eventually make a laughing-stock out of my
> ultralight ways.
>
> 3. Silnylon does not make good rain gear. There. I said it! It wets through
> almost immediately in heavy rain and feels gross and clammy... even
> ponchos.
> The best rain
> gear money can buy is a DriDucks jacket ($25).
>
> 4. It's about the people. You'll meet some amazing people on the trail!
> Even
> if you initially intend to hike solo, don't be surprised if you roll up to
> Monument 78 in
> September surrounded by a pack of good friends. Looking back on my hike,
> all
> of my best memories involve other people.
>
> 5. Carry your camera around with you in towns... not just on the trail!
> Looking back on the countless pictures I took, I have almost none from town
> stops! I attribute this
> to the fact that I'd usually stow my camera deep in my pack when hitching
> into a town... or maybe I was just too busy stuffing my face with food in
> town to take photos.
>
> 6. Start from Campo with 6 liters of water for the 21 miles to Lake Morena.
> That may sound extreme, but you'll drink wayyyyy more water in the desert
> than you'd expect.
> I started with a little less than 4L and felt like I was going to die for
> the last hour and a half before stumbling into the  Morena campground.
>
>
> Good luck and happy trails. I wish I could be out there with you all this
> year.
>
>
> -Julian
> PCT '09
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-- 
- Kathryn