[pct-l] Sierra food strategy

[Matt Geis]

KM to VVR is a long stretch, but it could be doable with no resupply, even if you climb Whitney.  It depends on a lot.
In short, take with a grain of salt any advice from people who say "that's too long", "you can totally do it", "not enough calories", "easy", "It worked for me", or "It did not work for me."
You'll be your own best judge by the time you get to Agua Dulce, regarding how much weight you're willing to carry, how to pack your backpack, what you're willing to ditch, etc.  A hiker's load out at Campo looks pretty different 500 miles down the trail.
One option is to leave KM with a lot of food (duh).  I left with a pack of about 42 pounds.  Had more than enough food, for me.  For others, I can't say.  Another is to not use a bear can at that point (I picked mine up at TM in Yosemite), relying on food bag hanging (easier said than done for the unpracticed among us) and doing a hike-eat-hike-some-more strategy so cook smells are not near your camp.
So... it worked for me.  Note the italics that suggest you disregard that as actual advice.  I think LB has some good advice for you though.  Not the part about how you won't have enough calories, but the part about "it will be worth your time and peace of mind...".  Don't create a stressful situation for yourself.  If you know you can do it without resupply, fine.  If having a resupply gives you a day of downtime and reduces mental stress or anxiety, then do that.  I knew a hiker who, despite knowing all the scientific data about how low the giardia count is in flowing Sierra water (lower than San Francisco municipal tap water, which is regarded as some of the best municipal water in the country), still used a filter -- simply because years prior he had a serious health issue when he contracted a parasite from untreated water in Central America.  He knew there was little to no risk on his PCT hike, but chose to filter anyway because it made his hike that much more enjoyable and worry-free.
Happy hiking,Iron Chef




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Message: 2
Date: Mon, 15 Feb 2016 20:15:59 -0800
From: William Canavan <wecanavan at gmail.com>
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Sierra food strategy
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    <CAOkHzc1Pn-42fVKSKkDxVKYMh1fZqrcYcOb_=Zo4J6E=UVzXoQ at mail.gmail.com>
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Hi Kurt
Hiking from Kennedy Meadows to VVR is a LONG stretch and it means you
probably won't have time/calories to climb Whitney.  It will be worth your
time and peace of mind to dive off into Lone Pine, or Bishop, or
Independence.  I did KM to VVR in 2015 in 12 days with a trip up Whitney
and ran out of food a day shy of VVR.
Little Brown


Hello,

I've been reading Yogi's book and basing my preparations on its guidance.
She mentions considering hiking from Kennedy Meadows to Vermillion Valley
Resort without a resupply, and seeing that the resupply towns require
considerable hitch hiking, I was planning on hiking straight through. Also,
none of the resupply points seem favorable; it's either resupply really
early on or super late on this section. But I'm doubting I can fit the
required calories into my bear canister. I was assuming 4000 calories per
day for 11 days. I know there's a good chance I'll burn more, and that is a
considerable length of time without a resupply. Does anyone have any
suggestions for packing the canister or other recommendations?

Thanks,

Kurt