[pct-l] Another perspective on weight

[Ernie Castillo]

I do not want to ignite a debate regarding ultralight vs. heavy trucker but I do want to add an opinion regarding food and water.

 

Thru hikers, indeed all mammals, need food and water to survive in the wilderness. So make sure you carry enough water in your pack to get you between reliable (a.k.a. natural) water sources. I don't mean to offend trail angels but water caches should be considered a "highly probable" source. Don't bet your life on them. How would you, or the trail angels for that matter, feel if the water cache wasn't enough to serve somebody at the tail end of the herd, perhaps because a thirsty non-thru hiker stumbled across it?

 

Food is a necessity, obviously, but it can also be a reward. Sure, you could survive on mush but why not reward yourself at the end of a long hiking day with "guilty pleasures?" Why not add a tube of peanut butter, a tube of honey, beef jerky, instant oatmeal, dried fruit, and trail mix to your pack? You are going to punish your body enough just with the strenuous activity involved in hiking. Don't compound matters with food depravity.

 

You don't have to be a "weight martyr" to enjoy the Pacific Coast Trail.

Ernie Castillo
PCT Class of 1980