The key to any successful endeavor is preparation, right? We hope so, because we've sure been doing a lot of it!
“Thorough preparation makes its own luck." - Joe Poyer
We committed to thru-hiking the PCT back in October of last year. Since then, we've done some sort of planning every. single. day.
Talking about the gear we'll need, purchasing gear, budgeting, planning resupply points, preparing resupply boxes, organizing travel to the Southern Terminus, selling vehicles, putting our belongings in storage (aka the attics of our loved ones)... you get it. A lot goes into preparing for a 4+ month hike.
As ready as we'll ever be!
At this point we're as ready as we'll ever be. Hopefully that's ready enough! We've packed and unpacked and repacked again about 27 times. We've prepared our resupply boxes that my parents have graciously offered to ship us. We have created a stretch/yoga routine that we plan to implement daily to keep us limber out on the trail - our hips will thank you, Pigeon pose! We've eaten a buttload of food in attempt to bulk up - hands-down the best part of the preparation phase!
But we could be more ready...
Despite feeling ready enough, there are several things we've failed to do which would have made us tremendously more prepared. Like a training hike. It would have been too easy to throw our packs on and go for hike. Most thru-hikers do several multi-night backing trips prior to their thru-hike to ensure all of their gear is serviceable. We decided to forego the training hikes, because... well... honestly we don't have a excuse. In the words of T. Swift, "In my defense, I have none". I have no idea what we were thinking. Apparently we weren't.
Our packing list, our plan, our resupply points
Take a peek at our "Tips and Tricks" page if you're curious about our packing list!
Without food and water (aka our dry weight), we'll only be carrying about 19lbs. Not too shabby! Unfortunately we have to eat and drink, which will bump us up to around 35lbs at our heaviest. That still doesn't sound too terrible until you consider we'll be carrying that for 2,650 miles... ouch.
Thanks to the advice of the many thru-hikers who have gone before us, we'll be approaching the trail with a very malleable plan. This will allow us to bask in the glory of our hike and all that The Pacific Crest Trail has to offer. We have some vague goals we'll have to strive for in order to complete the trail - like averaging no less than 15 miles per day in order to reach the Northern Terminus prior to October 1st (northern sections of the PCT often close in late September/early October due to treacherous wintery conditions). Of course we want to finish the trail, but it isn't our main goal. In fact, on our list of goals, it's dead last. Goal numero uno - return home in one living piece. Following that, we hope to have the time of our lives. Next come the mushy ones. We hope to gain a better understanding of each other - how to better communicate, work together, support one another. We want to build trust, learn about each other's fears and vulnerabilities, and better understand our love languages. Awww!
As for resupply (and pretty much everything else pertaining to a thru-hike), each hiker does it differently. The majority of PCT thru-hikers opt for a hybrid resupply plan. We will be doing the same. This means that sometimes we will purchase resupply items in towns along the trail, and sometimes we will have a resupply package waiting for us at a post office or general store. We have prepared six resupply boxes that will sit patiently in my mom's office until we're approximately three weeks from their respective resupply location. My parents will then ship us the box marked for that upcoming location and the post office or general store will hold it for us until we arrive. As I write this, I realize how much more challenging and less fun this would all be without a support system back home and the generosity of so many strangers along the trail. We're immensely grateful for you all!
And so friggen pumped to hit the trail!!
Our next post will come to from the PCT! YEEEHAW!
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