[pct-l] Vegan Thru Hike?

[brian_f_b at yahoo.com]

Hi Becky,
 
I thru-hiked the PCT two years ago (SOBO, for what it’s worth).  If asked, I describe myself as vegan, and
have been doing so for the last 7.5 years; for the four years prior to that, I was
vegetarian.  
 
Rereading your original post, I find it pretty easy to
answer your question:  you’ll want to
send a resupply box any where there isn’t a large grocery store.  If you have Yogi’s excellent guide, she delineates
really well where those grocery stores are (even if you’re on a tight-ish
budget, it’s worth the $40 -- save elsewhere).  There’s not a ton of them, frankly; but there’s maybe an even more
important question:  if you were to go to
your local supermarket right now, would you be able to pick up 15,000 to 20,000
calories that wouldn’t be excessively heavy, voluminous, or unappetizing?  Had you asked me *during* my hike, I might
have told you “yeah, probably.”  It took
me resupplying three or four times on my own to figure out that I’m not a
peanut butter and tortilla/bagel guy (it’s edible, but…); I get severe sugar
crashes if I try eating Oreos/junk food during the day; and, for the most part,
I went stove-less.  What worked for me
was stuff I got via mail order and Amazon.  The diet question can be tough to impossible to answer prior to doing a
long hike, but give it some thought.
 
Best,
 
Brian