[pct-l] a few questions

[Diane at Santa Barbara Hikes dot com]

I'll share my own personal experience.
On Jun 17, 2010, at 4:04 PM, pct-l-request at backcountry.net wrote:
> -My food does not come near to fitting in my bear vault (I plan to  
> hike thru to VVR and have purchased 10 days worth of food). Surely  
> other people have this issue - how do they deal with it?
You might consider leaving the trail for Lone Pine. Send your bear  
can to Lone Pine and pick it up there. You might also consider  
breaking up the 10 days and either leaving the trail for Lone Pine or  
for Independence. You could even go to Bishop.
>
> -I've added up all the calories that I've packed (a first for me),  
> and it equals 3,000 a day. Do you think that this is enough? I'm a  
> 29 year woman, 6'1 and 160 lbs. And keep in mind that I've already  
> hiked 652 miles, so I've got a pretty big appetite. I was thinking  
> I'd pick up a stick of butter at the Kennedy Meadows Store if  
> possible and maybe some cheese and olive oil if they have it, but I  
> want to keep the food as light as possible. I've never come near to  
> carrying 10 days worth of food and am a little worried about how my  
> pack and I will handle the extra weight.
I lost a lot of weight in the Sierras because I ran out of food. I  
was not the only person I met who ran out of food. I met JMT hikers  
who also were begging passers by for food. I never begged for food,  
but I camped strategically near people who might offer me food and I  
rationed my food. My body was shrunken so tiny after I left the trail  
for Bishop to get more food! But oddly I never felt that hungry.  
Probably the altitude.

> -Does anyone out on the trail know if anyone else will be leaving  
> KM on June 27th? Everyone I know will be ahead by then, and I'm  
> just wondering if I'll be tackling the Sierra alone.
I do not know the thru-hiker schedules, but you will not be alone.  
There will be JMT hikers, lots of other hikers and certainly there  
will be a few thru-hikers. June 27 is only a few days past "Ray Day."  
It is hard to be alone on that stretch of trail.

> -Finally, I know that my mileage will drop in the Sierra, but I'm  
> not clear at what point I'll be able to resume doing 25 mile days  
> again. After Toulomme Meadows? Not 'til after South Lake Tahoe? Not  
> 'til Oregon?
>
I did my first 27 mile day in Section J, the section before Echo Lake.

Good luck and I envy you being on the trail!
Diane

Books I've written:
~ Piper's Flight
~ Adventure and Magic
~ Santa Barbara Hikes
http://stores.lulu.com/dianesoini

We're not here for a long time, but we are here for a good time