[pct-l] Resupply strategies

[Paul Mitchell]

I fully agree with Sean's experience & perspective.  

On paper the best solution might be to bounce a box of bulk supplies and
combine that with local to optimize your food bag for each stretch, but it's
just way too much work.  Supplying along the way definitely means a big
compromise in nutrition.  We're going with mailed boxes, including most or
all of our snacks as there are things like Oskri bars and Primal strips
which we love & know we can't get along the way.

The problem with mailing boxes if it's your first long distance hike is, of
course, not knowing what your appetite will be & what you'll actually
want/not want.	I recommend trying and failing to complete the trail a
couple times - then, by your third attempt you'll have a much better idea of
your trail tastes.  :-)

P178

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of Sean Nordeen
Sent: Wednesday, December 23, 2009 6:47 PM
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: [pct-l] Resupply strategies

I've heard all the arguements about resupplying on the trail as you go and
found some of them false when I hiked this year.

My original strategy this year was a hybrid one.  I was able to send out a
couple of packages from home, since I live in LA anyway, but I would quickly
transition over to the supply as you go strategy.  I supplemented what I
bought with hard to find things like rehyrdated veggies and ground beef in
monthly boxes from home as I figured they'd make my meals more nutritious
and tastey.  This stuff got mailed or bounced north over the next few weeks
as I had need of it.  These monthy boxes also contained gear and other
things I wanted along the way or had ordered online and had delivered home
such as shoes, so I was getting them anyway.

However, when I got off at Idyllwild for 3 weeks for injury, having all that
free time, I ended up making several more supply boxes and used them all the
way to Mammoth Lakes where I finally started buying my food on trail.
Latter on, when looking back at those supply boxes, I missed them.  I found
doing major shopping on the trail to be a royal PITA.  It was fine for just
doing a 4-5day supply, but there are many places where I had to make boxes
up to mail forward as many places have little to no food.  Sure you can live
off of candy and cookies, but it isn't healthy for long term as you body
needs more then just calories.  So I had to spend significant time making
boxes in such places as S.Lake Tahoe (mailed to Belden & Old Station),
Ashland (for all of Oregon except Sisters) and my least favorite, Cascade
Locks for all of Washington.  While I spent hours making up these boxes, I
watched O'Dark resting and watching TV since all his food came mailed from
home.  If he was go
 ing to get into town when the PO was closed, he had his box sent to a
hotel/business instead.  I grew envious of how relaxed he was in town
compared to all the running around I had to do.  I also missed the variety
of meals that I had made at home verses what I was willing to make while on
the trail.  I had less variety in my dinners that I bought on the trail
verses what I had sent myself from home early on.  I didn't have access to
my spice rack and other incredients and had no ability to make more complex
meals out of a hotel room.  The whole variety arguement really only applies
to snacks and maybe your lunch not the dinners which are the only meal I
cook.  Everyone I knew on the trail pretty much ate Mash Potatoes, Lipton
Sides or CousCous for dinner.  The only so-called variety was how many of
each you carried out of town and what flavor you found.

If I was to hike the PCT again, if at all possible, I'd make more boxes made
at home and just buy snacks and stuff on the trail to supplement them.  This
assumes I have someone to mail it out though.  Because if you don't, then
resupplying on the trail is the only option.

-Sean "Miner' Nordeen
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