Box Mania Resupply: The last hours of preparation for the PCT

Anyone interested enough in trails to find this random post on the internet probably knows more about the PCT than I do. TBH, I’m not hard to beat.

So, 24 hours before taking off for San Diego, I woke up from a stressful Sawyer Squeeze dream and jumped out of bed to start my tasks for the day.

My original PCT to-do list had 41 tasks, every one of which I completed except «Knee is NORMAL.» I’m still waiting for that one. However, my to-do list would have taken me twice as long if I had spent the amount of time I probably should have spent researching.

Before I got on the AT last year, I only Googled three things: «How long is the AT?», «Should I carry a bear can on the AT?» and “Is it possible to use one hammock for the entire AT?” That’s all. I literally had no other preparation: I just grabbed my gear from my closet and left. I was sure that my previous experiences would allow me to thrive and I was right. And, due to my lack of AT-specific knowledge, I had all kinds of pleasant surprises along the way, like the existence of shelters, McAfee Knob, and Trail Days.

I know enough about the PCT to know that things won’t be so simple this time. The PCT is scary! There are fires! Snow! Long water transports! Super expensive refills! I’ve spent a lot more time learning the basics of this trail, but I still don’t know shit. And honestly, that’s fine with me. I’m sure there will be plenty of people along the way who will be more than happy to give me advice, whether I ask for it or not.

On my last day home, I forced myself to practice setting up my tent in my mom’s kitchen, even though I was pretty sure it would be easy (I was right). I weighed myself (151.4 pounds) and my bag (base weight 15.6 pounds, wow!). Lihat juga IS7Yoi. I made one last run to the store and then entered Resupply Mania.

You are now entering Resupply Mania…

Years ago, I used to Halfmile Replenishment Spreadsheet make an estimate of how many boxes I would like to mail (24), looking for replenishment locations that would likely be the most difficult or expensive. I’m so lucky that my mom helps me by mailing my boxes! Then I calculated how many daily servings of food I would need (72). I’m leaning toward being underprepared and having to buy more food later rather than having extra, so in my calculations I figured I’d walk 20 miles every day.

Each serving is 3,000 calories or more per day, 1.4 pounds, and all the foods I know and “love” from the AT. I’m very frugal when it comes to nights on the town, but food is my luxury. Like it’s my job: I eat a lot and as healthy as I can. Using this strategy, I gained ten pounds of muscle on the AT, and I looked and felt incredible.

It’s not easy to prepare food for 72 days! It took several days of shopping, seven stops in the city and two online. Much of the food, for example trail mix, had to be distributed in sandwich bag portions. That task alone took hours. Then I recruited my sister to support me on the assembly line and we got to work.

Each serving contains two servings of backpacking dinner, one breakfast (either ramen, chicken rice porridge, or oatmeal), one liquid IV, one packet of olive oil, one packet of Bare Bones chicken bone broth, one Builder-style bar, one Clif-style bar, one Barebells bar, one share-sized Snickers, some peanut M&Ms, and one bag of trail mix. Breakfasts are also customizable; For example, the oatmeal days come with powdered milk, chia seeds, cinnamon and freeze-dried fruit, and the ramen comes with olive oil and a package of tuna. Adding all those extra things to my breakfast makes it much easier to reach my calorie goal for the day.

Am I ready? A bit? Mostly? Enough to feel some confidence? Anything can happen on this path. There is nothing to do but wait and see.

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