[pct-l] PCT Plan in Excel or Google Spreadsheets?

[Brett Fisher]

Melissa wrote "...so I can share [my plan] live with my friends and 
family and I do plan on updating it occasionally from the trail so my 
family can follow my journey."

Take a close look at Craig's PCT Planner, http://www.pctplanner.com/. I 
found it very useful on my hike last year. There were three of us in our 
group. We were each in different parts of the world as we prepared for 
our hike. All of our route planning was through Craig's PCT Planner. And 
we updated while on the trail, too, since our initial plan changed quite 
a bit as life on the trail happened. I think it lasted all of a day.

We updated occasionally just to make sure we were taking enough food to 
get us to the next trail town. And to guide friends and family who were 
sending care packages where and when we might be to get them. And to 
know where to send shipments of new shoes and other gear.

Your plan will only be shared "live" to the extent you get cell phone 
reception from the trail if you're updating from a smartphone, or an 
internet connection from a trail town or trail angel.

You can update your plan on Craig's site all you want. Your pace will 
most likely get faster and distance covered in a day greater as you get 
further along the trail. Craig's Planner allows you to adjust your plan 
hiking rate as you go. And it takes into account how you slow down going 
up in elevation. You can put in notes about where you're camping, 
getting water, taking zero days, getting resupplies, shopping, lodging, 
etc. in the notes field.

You can share it by printing as pdf and emailing. Or printing as pdf and 
saving in DropBox and sharing it with family and friends. Or you could 
give family and friends access to your plan on Craig's site.

I also wonder how much your need to plan will go away once you get 
hiking. I liked spreadsheets and plans a lot before the PCT, not so much 
now. I just spent 12 days in Thailand without a plan. Only a rough 
outline instead, which was mainly - arrive this day, maybe go to these 
places, be back at this airport on this day to go home, and see what 
happens in between. The PCT got to be like that: I need six days of food 
until my next resupply ... hope that's enough ... let's see what happens 
next.

Happy trails.

- Backtrack