[pct-l] Maildrops, Raingear

[Jeff Moorehead]

Scott,
 I will second what Elevator recommends with a few added bits of info. I 
basically did what he did for my 2006 thru-hike (i.e. had most resupply 
drops sent out to PO's) except I did all my own cooking and dehydrating 
before the trip. I also would recommend sending home-prepared breakfasts and 
dinners and holding off on the lunch/trailfare as items to buy along the 
way. This is a very successful 'hybrid' approach to a resupply plan. Your 
sent meals can be very nutritious and tend to have the best 
calorie-to-weight ratio possible (i.e. approaching 200 cal/oz). The 
store-bought trailfare adds spice and variety. This strategy is easy to 
implement as well--it greatly simplifies shopping in trail towns. In 
addition to being the lightest for the calories offered, dehydrtaed meals 
can really add variety to your menu. I had about 10 different dinners that 
were so damn tasty and went far beyond simply satisfying the high caloric 
demands of a thru-hike. You can email me off list if you want to know more 
details of the food plan.
 Please note that the Tahquitz Inn  is no longer hiker-friendly due to a bad 
bunch of  late-season thru-hikers that came across to the owner as overly 
demanding, ingratious and irresponsible. Incidents like this have become a 
larger issue for the PCT thru-hiker and should perhaps be discussed on the 
list or on the Yahoo2007 group.
 I encountered major rain four times in the Sierra and was glad I carried 
decent raingear. I used Marmot Precip garments but will attest to the 
problems with perspiration build-up when using lightweight rain gear in 
warmer weather.
 Good luck with your trip planning!
 Whiptail...