[pct-l] storage during long hike

Hi John -
We faced the same problem about storing our stuff while doing the hikes.  On 
my first hike, I had little, so I stored it at my mother's.  After that, we 
rented a storage unit (about $100 month) and prepaid it for seven months.  
Our stuff is still there.  As to the car - you don't just need someplace to 
store it, but also someone to drive it occasionally (without putting on 
excessive miles.)  If the car isn't driven, the seals will dry out - and 
then you've got problems when you get back.  When we did the CDT, Jim left 
our trucks with a couple of family members who drove the trucks about once a 
week to keep the batteries charged.  This last time, we loaned one of the 
trucks to a friend who needed the wheels.  If you do that, check to make 
sure your insurance will cover them - or ask them to put the vehicle on 
their insurance. There are a lot of odd things that have to be considered 
when doing a hike that aren't all that obvious.  Insurance can actually be a 
harder problem - our insurance company wouldn't allow us to prepay - so we 
had to find someone to go through our mail and pay the insurance bill when 
it came in mid-June.  Inspection also can be a problem, if it is due midway.
If you're interested, Jim's second version of the Thruhiking Papers included 
a list of practical things that need to be considered before doing a long 
hike.  You can find it at www.trailwise.circumtech.com  Look for "Page List 
(Tidbits of information)" - and what you're looking for is a couple of the 
"Thruhiking" posts.

Good luck -
Ginny
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To:            "Ginny & Jim Owen" <spiritbear2k@hotmail.com>, jcryan@acupuncture.com, pct-l@backcountry.net