[pct-l] Shop-As-You-Go Re-Supply - Will It Work?

[chwillet at indiana.edu (Christopher Willett)]

I wouldn't worry too much about this.  Mount Laguna is pretty small, but I
was back of the pack then and it was fine for the three days to Warner
Springs.  I'd send a maildrop to Warner Springs. Idyllwild has a big, main 
grocery store, so worries there.  Big Bear has tons of stores, so no
problems there either. I then resupplied at the gas station at the 
I-15 crossing. The selection isn't huge (except for jumbo Mrs. Fields 
cookies), but it is a big, main stop on the interstate, so I wouldn't 
worry much about this. I skipped Wrightwood and pushed on to Agua 
Dulce.  There is a new store there which might be fine for resupply. 
Otherwise, there are mega stores in Santa Clarita, which is easy to 
get to thanks (!) to the Saufleys.  Send a mail drop from here to 
Kennedy Meadows.  Mojave has mega stores also.  Kennedy Meadows might 
be slim pickings, or it could be decent. Still, you need 10 days of 
food here, unless you plan to go out to Indpendence.  I would 
plan to buy at VVR.  Even if the store is completely empty, you could 
buy a couple of sandwiches from the cafe and go to Reds Meadow.  If they 
are cleared out, hop on the bus and go into Mammoth.  Tuolumne has a good 
sized store, so I wouldn't worry about that either.  South Lake Tahoe has 
mega stores. The store in Sierra City is small, but I had no problems 
buying there (I was up near the front, though).  Skip Belden and go into 
Chester, where there are huge stores and one of the best breakfast joints 
on the trail (Kopper Kettle).  Old Station is smallish, but you only need
a day and a half of food to get you to Burney Falls SP.  If BFSP is 
empty, the town of Burney is close by.  Dunsmuir has a reasonable store. 
By the time you get to Seiad, there won't be much thruhiker pressure, 
so don't worry much there either. Ashland is big.  In Oregon, I bought 
at the well stocked Mazama Campground, then in Sisters, then in Cascade 
Locks.  In Washington, the stores are small, but, again, there won't be 
much hiker pressure.  White Pass (didn't actually buy, but got 
free food),Snoqualmie, adn Skykomish are all good.  Stehekin is a little 
iffy, but there was a good hiker box and the fabulous Bakery.

In terms of fuel, the only tough leg is from Agua Dulce to Kennedy
Meadows. The town of Mojave had no (no=zero) HEET or denatured.  You can 
find fuel in: Idyllwild, Big Bear City (check in at the fire station), 
Agua Dulce (=Santa Clarita), Kennedy Meadows (lots of HEET), VVR, 
Tuolumne (maybe, can't remember),South Lake Tahoe, Dunsmuir, Ashland, 
Sisters, Cascade Locks.  I didn't look between SLT and Dunsmuir, but 
Chester probably has fuel.  Also, I think I bought fuel somewhere 
between Cascade Locks and Canada, but can't remember where.

Suge


----------------------
Christopher Willett
Department of Mathematics
Indiana University
831 East Third Street
Bloomington, IN. 47405-7106
(812)-855-1448
chwillet@indiana.edu
mypage.iu.edu/~chwillet