[pct-l] Things I wish someone had told me before I started my thru-hike:

[Julian Plamann]

Now that the class of 2010 is gearing up to head out there in the next few
months, here are some things I wish I had known before I began my own
thru-hike last year:

1. Don't over-think or stress about your resupply strategy. Even if you're
vegetarian, you can find enough food for a 4 or 5 day resupply nearly
everywhere
(even places like Stehekin and the tiny Warner Springs store!). Kennedy
Meadows is the only place that it is really necessary to send a food box.
This can easily be
done from The Saufley's or Mojave/Tehachapi on a zero day.

2. Make sure the things you carry on your back are as light as you can (15
lbs max is a good goal), but there is really no reason to go overboard.
Unless you're trying to
pull 40 mile days, the difference between a sub-10lb ultralight pack-weight
and a 15lb baseweight are just really not going to matter two months into
your hike. In the
weeks leading up to my thru-hike, meticulously adding tenth-of-an-ounce
measurements into an excel spreadsheet gear list in order to get an 8.5lb
baseweight, I never
would have guessed that I'd be carrying a 4lb case-hardened steel chain
attached to a giant Flava Flav clock through a good deal of the northern
Sierra, or that the sheer
weight of my food bag would eventually make a laughing-stock out of my
ultralight ways.

3. Silnylon does not make good rain gear. There. I said it! It wets through
almost immediately in heavy rain and feels gross and clammy... even ponchos.
The best rain
gear money can buy is a DriDucks jacket ($25).

4. It's about the people. You'll meet some amazing people on the trail! Even
if you initially intend to hike solo, don't be surprised if you roll up to
Monument 78 in
September surrounded by a pack of good friends. Looking back on my hike, all
of my best memories involve other people.

5. Carry your camera around with you in towns... not just on the trail!
Looking back on the countless pictures I took, I have almost none from town
stops! I attribute this
to the fact that I'd usually stow my camera deep in my pack when hitching
into a town... or maybe I was just too busy stuffing my face with food in
town to take photos.

6. Start from Campo with 6 liters of water for the 21 miles to Lake Morena.
That may sound extreme, but you'll drink wayyyyy more water in the desert
than you'd expect.
I started with a little less than 4L and felt like I was going to die for
the last hour and a half before stumbling into the  Morena campground.


Good luck and happy trails. I wish I could be out there with you all this
year.


-Julian
PCT '09