[pct-l] Resupply

[chwillet at indiana.edu (Christopher Willett)]

I bought as I went, with the following exceptions: Warner Springs
(maildrop from home, postage=$22), Kennedy Meadows (maildrop from 
Agua Dulce, posage=$7), VVR (maildrop from Agua Dulce, postage=$7), 
and Burney Falls State Park (maildrop from Sierra City, unknown 
postage).

This isn't listed geographically, but rather by size. These are 
just the places I visited.  I was behind the main pack up to 
around Walker Pass/Kennedy Meadows and in front after 
South Lake Tahoe.  So, I had first pickings of the food in the 
stores.  Later hikers might have had more difficulty than I did.

In some towns, you have big, regular grocery stores.  The places I 
stopped that fell under this category were: Idyllwild, Big Bear, 
Agua Dulce (not the town itself, but one close by), Mojave, 
South Lake Tahoe, Chester (although I didn't shop there), 
Ashland, Sisters, and Cascade Locks.  

Places that had medium sized grocery stores included 
Sierra City and Dunsmuir.

Places that had a well equipped campstore (i.e, like a medium 
grocery store, only in a camp) included Tuolumne Meadows, VVR, and 
Mazama Campground.

Places with a smaller, but still well stocked store included 
Kennedy Meadows, Old Station, Burney Falls State Park, 
Seiad Valley, and Snoqualmie.

Cajon pass is a gas station, but it is big.  You have a lot of choices 
for standard hiking food. If you are looking for, say, Lemongrass 
and Ginger Thai Noodles, then you'll be disappointed. But, if you 
want ramen, Mac and Cheese, Liptons, etc, you'll be fine.  
Mt. Laguna, Belden, and Skykomish were all the same.  I'm 
told White Pass is an easy resupply, but I got there 
after the store closed.  Some section hikers and tourists 
took up a food drive for me.

The only tough resupply points are Warner Springs and Stehekin.  I could
have resupplied 
out of the gas station in Warner Springs(as Glory Cummings did), but it
would have meant 
taking some microwave burritos for lunches.  I came into Stehekin with 
some leftover food from Skykomish and stopped in the PO before going to 
the store. So, I picked up a bunch of food out of the hiker box there and 
ended up only buying a few things at the store. Not much there, but you're 
only 3 days from Canada, so who cares.  I got the last box of poptarts, 
stealing it from under Birdie's nose.  But, she bought pastries from 
the bakery for breakfast instead.  Guess which one of us was happier 
during those last few mornings before Canada?

Chris

On Tue, 21 Oct 2003, Steve Setzer wrote:

> 
> Reading through the last thread on resupply, it sounds like a lot of
> through hikers didn't mail themselves food from home.  Did you just shop
> along the way?  How can you resupply at a gas station.  Most gas stations
> I've been too only have junk food that wouldn't eat for a snack, let alone
> for a week on the trail.  I always figured I didn't have much of a choice
> except to plan all my food drops ahead of time.  Is there a better way?
> 
> Steve
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----------------------
Christopher Willett
Department of Mathematics
Indiana University
831 East Third Street
Bloomington, IN. 47405-7106
(812)-855-1883
chwillet@indiana.edu
mypage.iu.edu/~chwillet