[pct-l] PCT Advice

Tue Jun 5 14:17:18 CDT 2018

Wow, this is all amazing advice. Thanks for the share!!!

On Tue, Jun 5, 2018 at 12:44 AM, Town Food <pctl at marcusschwartz.com> wrote:

> I'd like to add some things that helped me:
>
> - Do a medium-length thru hike first.  Something long enough to need a
> resupply, definitely more than a week.  JMT is great for this, and is a
> great hike in its own right.
> - Do lots of short weekend overnight backpacking trips while figuring
> out your gear choices.  If possible, do this in hilly deserts with
> sparse water, so you're prepared to the first part of the PCT.
> - Make absolutely sure you can do 20 mile days in hilly desert hikes
> with sparse water, necessitating ~4L water carries.
> - Long-distance aerobic exercise like marathon running can be a good way
> to ensure you're in good enough health to do a thru without injuring
> yourself.  It can also help you understand your body's water needs,
> which is a very important technical point.  The training can physically
> help, as well.  It's not a perfect match for the stresses your body
> experiences hiking, but it's a lot easier to fit into a regular daily
> life than actual backpacking.
> - Don't mail your resupplies unless you have special needs (e.g.
> medication, serious allergies, etc.).  The first several resupply points
> vary from adequate to excellent.  It will give you a taste of whether
> you can manage with the resupply options available.  It's unlikely that
> you'll be able to correctly predict your arrival dates, calorie needs,
> and food preferences far in advance.  If this doesn't work out, you can
> always start mailing resupplies later.
> - Don't buy all your shoes in advance.  You may discover that your foot
> grew more than expected in the desert.
> - Use one of the formulas available online to calculate the day you
> should enter the Sierras, based on available snow data.  From that,
> derive your start date based on the miles/day you will average in the
> desert.  If you don't have a reasonable idea of how many miles you will
> do per day in the desert, you aren't ready for this hike.
> - Things will go wrong.  Badly wrong.  So wrong you will wish you could
> bail out.  But you're days from town, so you can't.  So then you figure
> out a workaround, or change your technique to adapt, or just get over
> them.  This is part of the fun!
>
>  -=Town Food
>
>
> On 05/30/2018 09:31 AM, Barry Teschlog wrote:
>
>> Friend of a co-worker is going on a thru next year and is asking for
>> advice.  Here's what I'm passing along, based on my experience and
>> observation. -         You need to bein good enough shape to do 15
>> miles / day right from day 1.  Water is scarce and you must be able
>> to hikefrom one source to the next in a reasonable amount of time,
>> else you get soloaded down with water, it slows you even more. Spend
>> the winter / early spring walking with your pack, uphill, bothways  –
>> there is no substitute for thiskind of training.  If you live in a
>> flat area, weight your training pack to be heavier than your trail
>> pack to compensate.  Do stairs for some vertical training.
>>
>> -         Minimalpractical pack weight is a key.  Notethat is NOT
>> absolute minimum pack weight, but minimal for YOU, and what YOUneed.
>> There were people with 8 poundpacks, I was at about 16, others were
>> in the low 20’s – all made it toCanada.  The 8 pound guy I knew
>> sleptwarm, didn’t need a ground pad, was ok with bugs, etc.  His kit
>> would have been wrong for me – my 16pounds was the minimum I could
>> get to and meet my other needs (durability,sufficient clothing,
>> etc). -         Pack weight &hiking speed are positive feedback.
>> Thatis, a heavy pack, begets and even heavier pack since it slows you
>> down,requiring even more water, food and fuel, which slows you down
>> even more.  Hiking slowly does the same for the same reasons (more
>> water, food, etc).  Heavy bulky tents and sleeping bags take upspace
>> and require a heavier built pack, that weighs more, than a smaller
>> pack(which you could use if your tent, etc was smaller and lighter.)
>> A lighter pack enables you to move morequickly for the same level of
>> effort, getting from one water source to the nextmore quickly,
>> allowing you to carry less water, which is lighter, and to get tothe
>> next town more quickly, enabling less food, etc.  The cheapest way to
>> save weight in the pack is to not bring an unnecessary item.  Quality
>> down gear is worth the price for the lighter weight, better warmth
>> and smaller volume in the pack  - get a high quality sleeping bag,
>> take care of it, and it'll last you for decades of solid service
>> (which in the end is less expensive than buying and replacing cheap
>> bags). - Big miles come from time out of camp, not from walking
>> quickly.  Get up early and get going.  Hike until dinner time, or
>> even later, with dinner being a rest break.
>>
>> -         Be familiarwith your gear.  Everything you take toCampo,
>> should be well used THIS summer.  Field test everything.  Don’t be
>> that person (I saw them) trying to figure out a new shelter orpiece
>> of gear that first night on the trail. Don’t start with a brand new
>> pack – I watched a guy struggle with a newto him pack that simply
>> didn’t fit.
>>
>> -         Do NOT rush upto Kennedy Meadows if you get an early start
>> (e.g. any time in March or even inearly April).  Take zero’s, go
>> slow, doside trips, volunteer a week or two at a Trail Angels place,
>> etc to adjust your Kennedy Meadows date to beappropriate to the
>> combination of snow conditions and your skill set.  Except for the
>> most experienced, in general,I’d say never before June 1.
>> But…..don’tbe intimidated by snow either.  A sensible, wellequipped
>> and well trained hiker can get through the Sierra in high
>> snowconditions.  I left KM on June 14 of ahigh snow year and made it
>> through just fine – but I had the skills and gear todo it, plus the
>> motivation to handle the very challenging conditions.  Ignore the
>> panic that others instill in regards to snow.  Impassable to them
>> might be challenging but doable for you.  Conditions change quickly
>> during the melt, so that just a few days can make a huge difference -
>> reports from 3 days ago are out of date, go and put your own eyeballs
>> on the situation and judge for yourself.  That said, check your ego
>> and be ready to turn back if a dispassionate analysis of the
>> conditions shows they are above your skill or comfort level.  Do not
>> get "go fever" - that's what blew up the Challenger and killed the 7
>> crew.
>>
>> -         Start slow andtake lots of zero’s early on.  I zeroed 2days
>> for the kick off at mile 43, and zeroed in Warner Springs, Idyllwild
>> (oneeach from Pines to Palms and again from Devi’s Slide), Big Bear,
>> Wrightwood,Agua Dulce (double) and Mojave.  WalkerPass / Lake
>> Isabella was the first town stop without a zero.  This allowed my
>> body to adjust to the rigorsof the trail and I avoided the all too
>> common early overuse injuries of peoplewho went too fast, too soon. -
>> There is nosubstitute for solid land navigation skills with map and
>> compass.  Apps like Guthook and Halfmile are great,right up until
>> your phone dies (smashed in a fall, dunked in a creek
>> crossing,battery dies, etc, etc, etc).  Paper mapin a ziplock bag and
>> compass are far more robust.  If you don’t know how to map and
>> compass nav,learn.  Orienteering is an excellent wayto do this.
>> Electronic nav also dumbsdown hikers – witnessed is the person
>> staring at their phone / GPS trying tofind the trail under the snow,
>> when if they’d simply have looked, they’d seenit 15 feet over there.
>> Keep the head up,looking out of the cockpit, so to speak, instead of
>> staring at theinstruments.  If you do this and payattention, you’ll
>> develop a 6th sense of “where would they have putthe trail” having
>> been an observer of where they did put the trail the previousseveral
>> hundred miles.  Head up andactively navigating = situational
>> awareness. Relying exclusively on an app = lost if it breaks. -
>> This hike is80% mental, 15% physical and 5% logistical. Keep your
>> head in the game if Canada is your goal.  Along those lines, don’t
>> even think of Canadauntil you get to Washington.  My way ofmentally
>> not getting overwhelmed was to set short and mid-term goals so
>> thateach day made noticeable progress toward those goals.  Short term
>> was always the same – get to thenext town stop (typically 3-6 days
>> away) and all the goodness that entailed – foodon a plate, a bed,
>> shower and clean clothes. Mid-term goals were, in order: Get to Agua
>> Dulce (about 1 month or so, the transition period to thetrail), get
>> to Kennedy Meadows (done with the desert and gateway to the
>> highSierra).  Get to South Lake Tahoe(through the high Sierra).  Get
>> to halfway (Chester).  Get the heck out ofCalifornia.  Orgeon is a
>> mid-term goalunto itself.  And finally at CascadeLocks, you are
>> allowed to think of Canada. -         Staying healthyis paramount.
>> Managing blisters andchafe early on is critical.  Propernutrition
>> (vitamins, minerals, protein, caloric intake) is a must else yourbody
>> will break down (lots of drops from the Sierra to half way from those
>> thatnever get their nutrition right – they’ve been running on
>> reserves, but by thatpoint in a hike, reserves are exhausted). 2nd
>> breakfast and 2nd lunch help you to eat enough.  Sanitation and
>> hygiene is critical to avoid giardia and othertransmissible disease.
>> Don’t be cheap onshoes – replace them regularly (e.g. every 450 miles
>> or so) to help avoid stress fractures in the feet.  Expect to burn
>> through 5-6 pair. -         “Plans areuseless, but planning is
>> indispensable” – Eisenhower.  This applies to the trail.  Have a
>> plan, have a realistic time line, butdon’t be a slave to it.  Reality
>> willdictate what you will do out on the trail. The planning will
>> inform you of your options once you get there.  It will also inform
>> you if you’re makingreasonable progress (note that SOME schedule
>> pressure is a good thing, once youclear the Sierra – it’s motivating.
>> Don’tdilly-dally, else you’ll be caught by snow in Washington).  Be
>> flexible and adaptable – if something isn’tworking, change. -
>> Budget:  Have enough money for the hike.  I’d recommend a minimum of
>> $5,000.  It stinks when the forecast is for 3 days ofsteady rain and
>> you don’t have the funds to afford a couple extra nights in ahotel to
>> wait it out.  Be frugal, but notcheap on the trail – share hotel
>> rooms with other hikers, but pay the innkeeperthe extra person
>> charges (it is still way less expensive sharing a room vs solo)  –
>> don’t sneak people in to the rooms.  That would make for ill will for
>> futurehikers.  If you don't have enough money, some combination of
>> delaying the hike, getting a 2nd or 3rd job, sell your iCrap, quit
>> spending so much pre-hike will get you enough.  Don't forget to set
>> aside money to get back on your feet once you get home post hike.  2
>> months expenses is advisable.
>>
>> -         You will neverbe so dirty as you will be hiking the desert,
>> or other dry areas of the traillike Nor Cal.   See above in re
>> hygiene –do your best to manage this. - Spot / inReach and similar
>> devices are for actual, immediately life threatening emergencies
>> only.  Your first response should be to suck it up and self rescue,
>> not push the help button.  Half rations are an option if you're
>> behind schedule on a section.  Don't be a fool and go out into a fall
>> Washington storm thinking SAR can save your butt if you push the help
>> button.  Choppers don't fly in snow and you could be a frozen corpse
>> by the time it clears enough for them to get to you.
>>
>>
>> -         Beindependent.  Don’t rely on others fornavigation, gear,
>> etc.  That doesn’t meanyou can’t occasionally ask others for things,
>> but don’t be that person that isconstantly asking to borrow others
>> water treatment, or hike with other peoplesince you can’t navigate.
>>
>> -         Go your ownpace.  Never, never, never try and keepup with
>> someone that is faster than you – that is the road to injury. -
>> Listen to yourbody – if you need a break, take it.  Ifyou need a
>> zero, take it.  It’s fasterthan having to take time off for an
>> injury. -         Life is neverso simple as on a thru hike.  Wake
>> upwith the dawn, hike north, go to sleep with the darkness.  Wash,
>> rinse, repeat. -         The second halfof the trail in distance will
>> take considerably less time than the first half.  There are a few
>> reasons for this – you’realready in trail shape so you’re going full
>> speed vs the initial weeks ofcoming up to speed.  You don’t have
>> thehigh Sierra to slow you down.  Oregon isvery fast.  I took a
>> slightly longer thanaverage of 161 days to get from Campo to Canada.
>> I didn’t get to Chester until day 93.  It was only 68 more days from
>> there to Canada.  On day 81, I was a couple of days out ofSouth Lake
>> Tahoe. -         “Embrace thebrutality”.  Coined for the CDT, but
>> thespirit is applicable to the PCT.  FromP-Mags - “Now, there seems
>> to be some confusion over the meaning of thisstatement.  It is not
>> for braggingrights, or to say how difficult the CDT may be or to make
>> the trail out to bemiserable.  It is what a sarcastic, bluntEast
>> Coast guy says to another sarcastic, blunt East Coast guy.  Namely:
>> Suck it up. Quit your whining. Takethe trail experience for what it
>> is. Enjoy it all.” IMO YMMV. HYOH. Free advice is worth what you paid
>> for it. Opinions are like pie holes, everybody has one. Yadda, yadda,
>> yadda.......
>>
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