Walking 2,659 Miles In The Wilderness…
Hiking this distance, whilst being completely self-sufficient takes a lot of preparation. So where to begin? Planning for a hike of such magnitude can seem more than a little overwhelming, but you are more likely to succeed in completing the PCT if you have an overall strategy and a detailed plan to fall back on in times of difficulty.
We found that there is now a multitude of resources online to support you with each of the 29 stages, (typically the trail is broken down into: 18 sections in California, 6 in Oregon, and 5 in Washington, with the average section length being 91.7 miles) making planning and preparation for the PCT much more manageable. A good place to start is the Pacific Crest Trail Association website which has all important up-to-date information on permits and trail conditions and closures. Another useful online resource that includes topographic maps, data books, gear lists and trail planners is Postholer.com – a Resource for Hikers.
Although it is possible to hike the PCT without a plan, having a detailed itinerary will support you with organising food re-supplies and will also help to ensure you do not reach the High Sierra too soon, nor Washington too late as conditions on the trail are very weather dependent. Most thru hikers take between 4 and 6 months to complete the entire distance, typically starting in the months of March, April and May.
Having researched the trail and planned out our re-supply points from back home in England over several months, we still had a number of final preparations to complete on arrival in San Diego before we finally set off on our 9th long-distance hike – the much awaited Pacific Crest Trail. Read about our final prep for the PCT below.
Our ‘hiker rations’ for the first 15 days!
1. Obtaining A Permit
After being interviewed at the US Embassy in London in order to obtain an American Visa allowing us a 180 day stay in the USA so that we would have adequate time to complete the trail, we would emphasise that the second most important, but also the most stressful thing we found even before setting foot on the Pacific Crest Trail, was obtaining a ‘Wilderness Permit’ allowing us access to the trail. As the PCT has become so popular, even more so after the ‘Wild’ effect (‘Wild’ being the Hollywood movie starring Reese Witherspoon who portrays the experiences of Cheryl Strayed taken from her 2012 memoir “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail”) only a specific quota of people are allowed onto the trail per day to minimise impact on the landscape, so getting a permit can be like winning the lottery. It proved a nail-biting half hour as we made our online applications back in November 2017 as soon as the first wave of permits was released. Daily quotas of 35 were filling within minutes, but luckily after adjusting our dates several times, we managed to successfully acquire permit reservations for April 10th. (For the PCT 2018, 50 permits per day in total were released in two waves. The final 15 per day were released in January 2018.)
Note: It is not a legal requirement to obtain a PCT permit but as ‘Wilderness’ permits are required for most of the congressionally designated wildernesses through which the trail passes, it is recommended that you apply for a permit if you intend on thru-hiking the PCT. (In cooperation with federal agencies, the PCTA issues wilderness permits for trips of 500 or more continuous miles in a single trip on the PCT.)
2. Purchasing A Garmin InReach Explorer+ & Other Gear at REI
The second most important thing we decided after getting our permit reservation confirmations was to purchase a handheld satellite communicator, purely for peace of mind for our loved ones back home as roaming 2,659 miles in the wilderness had suddenly alerted them to the many dangers we may face on a trail in a foreign country. Having experienced the beauty of the Sierra Nevada hiking the JMT in 2014, and having not seen a single bear, we were not particularly worried about any specific thing, but purchasing the Garmin InReach Explorer would be an investment for future hikes and also allow us to track our route more easily, with the function of having a live map on our blog for people to follow our progress. Having compared prices in the US with the UK, we decided to wait until our arrival in San Diego to make the purchase. We just needed a day to sort out our subscription, set it up and test it out properly. We did this by tying in a long walk around Balboa Park, which tracked our route accurately and proved the Garmin InReach Explorer was definitely worth the investment.
The Garmin InReach Explorer+ that we purchased as our satellite communicator device.
Recreational Equipment, Inc., commonly known as REI, is an American retail and outdoor recreation services corporation, organised as a consumers’ co-operative. REI sells sporting goods, camping gear, travel equipment, and clothing, and basically has everything you need in terms of equipment to hike the PCT. Its equivalent in England would be Cotswold Outdoor or similar. It has stores located in all major towns/ cities so it was easy for us to make our final gear purchases, which also included Sea To Summit ultralight pillows, cooking gas, Sawyer Squeeze filters, 4 Opsaks (odour resistant barrier bags to carry food and trash) and a large Osprey waterproof pack cover.
Visiting ‘The REI Store’ in Encinitas, San Diego, we made our final gear purchases as they worked out less expensive compared to UK prices.
Wayne is in his element perusing all of the gear aisles!
Just for fun! A reminder for us to stay safe on the trail for all the worriers back home!
In terms of storing food on the trail, regulations in some areas mandate proper food storage and prohibit feeding of any wildlife. Approved food storage canisters are required in many areas and are strongly recommended in others along the PCT. For the Sierra Nevada in particular, it is a legal requirement when camping overnight in the backcountry that all food stuffs, plus anything else that has a scent, (such as toiletries, medication etc,) are kept in a lockable container that prevents access by a bear. We previously bought ‘Bear Vault 500’ bear canisters in 2014 for hiking the JMT but did not bring them with us for this trip as there was not the need to carry them for the first 700 miles of the PCT. Instead, we have decided to purchase new canisters in readiness for the Sierra and beyond after the southern California section. We still like the see-through design of the Bear Vault model as well as the lid fastening system which is easier than the traditional Bearikade design. Renting canisters is also an option for hikers, but we are happy to purchase another pair and take them home to use as beer coolers in the summer!
Options for different bear protection measures in the REI store.
Happy with our final purchases! Now to test everything out!
3. Selecting Easy Cook Hiking Meals
Being in the wilderness for such a long time means we had to do a whole lot of shopping before we set off! We decided that we would carry food for the first 4 days then send ourselves 2 re-supply boxes along the trail that would keep us going for 15 days before we hit another town. Having quickly got bored of some of our food choices on the JMT, we decided that we would try to purchase food along the trail when we got to major towns/ junctions as this would allow us a bit more flexibility and to change it up a little in terms of our hiker menu. (We may be hoping for a little too much as the stores in these small communities often have limited options. But that is our strategy for the start of the trail at least.) For the first 15 days, we needed ‘easy cook’ breakfasts, lunches and dinners, as well as snacks. (‘Easy cook’ meaning in particular our evening meals had to cook in less than 3 minutes to minimise our use of gas, or be something that you basically add boiling water to. We didn’t want to spend lots of money on pre-packaged dehydrated hiker meals, so we came up with our own menu.) We both agree that variety is key and a good meal keeps up your morale, so we worked out different meals based on a 5 night rotation. (More details of that will come in our PCT updates.)
We got the majority of our food stuffs from Walmart, but also made purchases from Trader Joe’s, Target, Dollar Tree and Ralph’s (other chain stores that are readily available in southern California).
Plenty of carbs there! Loading the trolley up in Walmart with the necessities.
Our meals and snacks organised into daily portions.
4. Posting Food Re-Supplies & Choosing Collection Points
Depending on your itinerary and how many miles you plan on hiking each day, your food strategy may be very different to ours. Some hikers choose to send on food re-supply parcels all the way along the trail, whereas others may divert off-trail and take zero days in towns to stock up on food supplies. If you are planning on sending yourself food packages, it is your pace and ‘hiker hunger’ that will determine how many food re-supplies you will need. We used the US Postal Service to send two food parcels, plus a ‘bounce box’ with additional supplies of toiletries to a location further along the trail. The price is based on weight as well as the distance the parcel is being sent, so it was relatively cheap posting ours from San Diego to a location a few hundred miles along the trail. You can also send fixed price boxes that are a set fee, no matter the weight, which actually worked out more cost-effective for us. (6 days of food rations however would not fit in the largest size of these fixed price boxes no matter how hard we tried!)
Heading to the local Post Office in Point Loma, San Diego, to send one of our resupply food packages.
5. Access To Water
Starting the trail in southern California, we know that we will have a limited water supply for the first 700 miles, this being the ‘desert section’ before we reach the Sierra Nevada, so we intend on carrying 4 litres of water each in Smart Water litre bottles. From experience we have found these to be easy to carry, accessible to reach and more convenient than the care needed for a water bladder. (Previously water bladders have split in our packs and require regular cleaning, which we are not always able to do.) Established campsites are usually located near to rivers and creeks, so we’ll be relying on our Sawyer Squeeze Filter to provide us with plenty of safe, clean drinking water whenever we have access to a water source on the trail to top up our supplies. We used Sawyer Squeeze filters in South America on the ‘W’ Trek, as well as throughout our other thru-hikes without any problems. For this trip, we’ve upgraded our 1 litre pouches to Cnoc Vecto collapsible water containers of 2 litre capacity. Looking at all the reviews they seem indestructible – so we will test how well they perform over the course of the trail!
Filling up the Sawyer Squeeze pouch from a stream during our Coast to Coast Hike in England back in 2014. Filtering is our tried and tested method for safe, clean drinking water.
6. Making A Change To Our Sleep System
We were really satisfied with our Rab Neutrino 400 down-filled sleeping bags during our previous thru-hikes, however for the PCT we have upgraded to hand-made PHD Minim 400 down sleeping bags that are 780 grams and rated to -5ºC (23°F), which we think will keep us much more comfortable as we make our way through the northern regions of Washington towards Canada in September. We have bounced forward our inflatable insulated pads (Exped Winterlite) as we don’t want to face the prospect of a puncture in the desert. During the first 700 miles we will use our tried and tested Thermarest Z-Lite mats that we purchased for the JMT. They’re a lot bulkier to carry so will have to be strapped to the outside of our packs. They’re also not particularly comfy being only a few centimetres thick, but more importantly for us, they will do the job and keep us insulated from the ground, with a silver coating to reflect back our own body heat.
7. Stocking Up On Calories Pre-Trek
One of the most pleasurable aspects of getting ready for the PCT has been loading up on calories. Basically that means eating anything and everything we’ve fancied whenever we wanted, as we knew we would be losing weight rapidly after starting the trail! No matter how much you plan and prepare your meals, it is not physically possible to carry the amount of food required to maintain your current weight. So, with this fact in mind, we continued to over-indulge in San Diego, knowing full well that after a month of hiking the trail, we would be struggling to keep weight on. And what a feast we had! From grande breakfast burritos, to seafood platters, and giant barbequed meat feasts, we sampled all the best of what San Diego had to offer whilst we had the opportunity!
Making our first visit to Phil’s BBQ! It was a popular place as the queue went out the door and around the block!
Sampling a combo of 4 pork ribs and 1/4 chicken – this plate was the smallest size!
Tucking into a giant BBQ feast and pre-loading with calories before we hit the trail! (Truth – we couldn’t eat it all, although we gave it a good go!)
8. Getting To Campo, San Diego County (On The Border With Mexico)
After flying to LA, then getting internal flights to San Diego, we were lucky enough to have an American friend who not only picked us up from the airport, but also took us on our shopping trips and helped us acquire our final gear purchases. He is also our designated driver to Campo on our start day, April 10th. From Point Loma where we were staying in San Diego, it is around an hour and a half drive to the border. We definitely feel on this trip that it’s not always what you know, but who you know! Coming from England, Kelly’s help and assistance made our final arrangements and start on the PCT much easier.
Our good friend Kelly who is our American based ‘Support Team’!
Ready To GO!
It has taken us months of planning and preparation back at home. Plus a final week of purchasing, organising and posting here in the USA. But with our bellies full, backpacks fitting snugly, and our trail shoes nicely worn in, we are at last ready to begin our journey on the Pacific Crest Trail!
We hope it will be everything we dreamed of and more… See you somewhere along the trail (when we have a WiFi connection), … We’re heading into the wilderness!
6 Comments
So you two – ready for the off – great organisation has paid off in getting you ready.
Are you going to publish your full kit list? I always look out for your gear preferences as you certainly put anything you have to the test!!
One thing does intriuge me and that’s your menu planning. Knowing what I need to keep me going when I hike, I’m astounded when I look at your menus and (even through all your other adventures) wonder where on earth you get your energy from – any comments would be gratefully recieved.
I wish you a great start to this fantastic adventure.
Best wishes
John
Hi John, at some point Wayne will try and put a gear list together!
Unlike for the JMT, this time we avoided weighing everything as we knew what we wanted to take, and as ‘comfort’ hikers, we weren’t too concerned with how heavy everything was. Sometimes it’s a case of better not knowing!
We’ve been trying out some different meal options as you’ll see from our ‘Week 1 Update’, but our staples are always tortilla wraps, instant mashed potato and super noodles. Although we want to try and incorporate more dehydrated vegetables this time round as it’s such a long trip. We’re having dry breakfasts such as bagels or fig bars at the minute, but will probably change to porridge when it gets colder. Snacks are generally what we can find along trail, and we always eat well when we stop off in towns. We’ve not yet got the ‘hiker hunger’ but I’m sure when we up the miles we’ll be hungrier!
Thanks for following along, Danielle & Wayne
The walk started, wish you all the best and a lot of fun. Looking forward to follow your trip on-line.
Walter Bulkens
Thanks for your kind wishes Walter! 🙂
Fabulous read of all your preparations. Now you must be on day 1 of this amazing thru hike. So looking forward to following the adventure. Stay safe and hopefully, the weather will be kind to you. I don’t have to tell you to enjoy to the max!
Thanks so much Helen! Glad you’re still following along 🙂