[pct-l] Preparing food

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

On Nov 20, 2008, at 10:00 AM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:

> Preparing food

I spent ample time agonizing over and then preparing a whole bunch of  
food. I won't do that again. I realize that the original question- 
asker had special dietary needs, but it may be possible to still go  
without preparing a bunch of food. Here's what I would do next time.

1. Make a list of places where I think I will need food sent to me.
2. Verify during the trip on the trail from word-of-mouth or Yogi  
book or whatever whether my list of places is accurate. Perhaps a new  
store has gone in. Who knows?
3. Upon arriving in a town with a good grocery store (you can plan  
those, too, with word-of-mouth or Yogi book), purchase extra food and  
put that in a box for the next place I want to get a food drop. Send  
it. If a better store comes a long, or better food, or I get sick of  
something (gads, not another energy bar--I think I'll puke), I can  
send up-to-the minute food preferences.

There are some great towns along the way with foods I might not have  
picked out on my own. The grocery store in South Lake Tahoe blew away  
anything locally where I live. And by shopping during the hike, I can  
change my mind about what I like and avoid really stale food.

Good luck!
~Piper