[pct-l] Gear

[marmot marmot]

David. 
Most--not all--long distance hikers find that their shoe size or width goes up. You might not want to buy all those running shoes at once. They usually last about 400 miles. 
Try to avoid carrying too much food in the beginning. You have a convenient re supply spot every 2-3 days until you leave the Saufleys. You are not going to starve. Everyone has too much food. They will be giving it away to get it off their backs. I still forget and imagine I'm going to be "hiker hungry" when I've been off a trail for awhile. For me that doesn't kick in for a month. Water is what matters. Don't count on water caches. 
This trail is doable by anyone with a normal fitness level and reasonable snow skills. If you need to skip forward at any point and hike south to let snow melt out, go for it. All you need to have hiked the trail is a continuous pathway with reasonable hiked alternatives. It will not diminish the experience. Moving it along so that you get through Oregon and Wash before the fire season (sometimes not possible) is a good idea. And you don't want to get snowed out at the end. 
The way you imagined the trail to be is never how it is. It's better. 
Take care out there
Marmot


Sent from my iPhone