[pct-l] Overseas plan to thru-hike

[Scott Williams]

I hiked much of the PCT with a Swiss mountaineer who was vegetarian.
 Neither of us had full resupply planned out ahead of time, but we both had
read Yogi's town guide and had an idea of which resupply spots had full
service markets and which were merely gas station convenience marts.  From
that info we mailed food to some of the really small places and also knew
where our shopping would be so good that we could resupply for several
stops ahead by putting together our resupply boxes in a trail town and
mailing them forward.  Ashland Oregon is one really great resupply spot for
this, but there are many others. Yogi's guides are invaluable for this kind
of on the fly planning because she updates the info yearly.  For Smiles,
the vegetarian, Yogi's guide was a must.

As for maps, I wouldn't consider hiking it without good maps.  It is not
marked so well as the Camino.  You can't rely on the markings.  Sometimes
they are there and sometimes not.  Even with maps, our group found itself
lost a number of times in the snow, and even in the desert sections where
multiple dirt bike tracks obscure your trail.  Over time you will get to
have a feel for the PCT and be able to tell it from the other pathways out
there, primarily by the two lines of tiny holes on each side of the trail
made by hundreds of hiking poles.  If you're out front, not so easy, but
you'll be able to "smell" it out eventually.

As Steel-Eye mentioned already, some of the coldest nights are in the
desert where we were snowed on three times.  The Sierra was cold, but not
as cold as our first night in early April at Lake Morena, where the Kick
Off is held several weeks later.  Actually the heaviest snow storm of the
desert in 2010 was the night before Kick Off at the end of April.  So be
prepared for cold right from the start.

The water report, Half Miles Maps and Yogi's guide are the three essentials
for me.  The others are great reads and wonderful information, but not
necessary for a successful thru hike.

Have a wonderful adventure!

Shroomer