9/4/2015: Itinerary

Spreadsheet magic

While it will be impossible to plan out each day of a 430-mile hike, an overall schedule is necessary to plan out resupplies and food quantities. The main topics to be worked out are starting date, resupply quantities/locations, and total time on trail.

Picking a starting date is somewhat of a balancing act. Weather, trail conditions, bug activity, and work schedules all play a part. The window for weather and trail conditions is between mid June and early September. Any earlier than June and one risks running into too much snow. Any later than September and drying creeks combined with hot temperatures make for a difficult trip. I'm still researching when bug activity is at a minimum, but it seems like it's too hard to predict. In addition, I've yet to read a PCT journal that didn't mention how terrible the bugs were through Oregon. It may just be a fact of the trail and time of year, so all I can do is prepare with the proper gear and mental outlook. Since I want to meet Kylie along the way and will be relying on her for to and from the trail, the duration of the hike must fall within her summer break, which starts in mid June and ends in early September.

Alternatively, one could reference the schedules of the hundreds of thru-hikers starting at either border (Mexico or Canada) to see when they'll be in Oregon. The standard start date for the 5-month trip is early April for Northbounders and late June for Southbounders. This places the Oregon window between July 15 and August 6 for both groups (assumes overall 20 mile/day pace). However, when planning to hike the entire trail, Oregon is hardly the driving factor for selecting a start date. For Northbounders, the crucial times are the heat in the southern California desert, residual snow in the Sierras, and new snow in the Washington Cascades. For Southbounders, the critical window is avoiding residual snow in the Cascades and getting to the Sierras before new snow. In both cases, Oregon not the priority but rather an afterthought sandwiched between more serious challenges.

The duration of the hike is based on average miles hiked each day, number of zero-mile days, and time spent at resupply locations. My duration assumes a 20 mile/day average, which is based on research and what I think I am capable of. After interrogating Ryan and reading others' online journals, I've learned that once your body gets used to hiking every day, the miles tend to come easier. In addition, it's not hard to spend 12-16 hours each day hiking, especially when solo. After eating dinner at 6:00 PM, for example, you have the option of setting up camp and relaxing for 3 hours waiting for the sun to set, or you can keep hiking and gain another 6 miles (assuming your feet abide). In short, there's not much else to do but hike! I don't plan on taking any zero-days, save for any potential meet-ups with friends along the trail. As a buffer/safety factor, I've assumed that once I make it to each of my resupply locations, I'll spend the rest of the day there, continuing on the next morning. This accomplishes a few things: It allows me time to collect my resupply package, purchase anything I may need, charge my devices (phone, battery pack, camera), eat "real food" at any facilities there may be, and shower/launder, if available. As calculated by one of my many spreadsheets (photo above), this works out to a total duration of 25 days.

All things considered, I am thinking that a start date coinciding with the full PCT dates (July 14 - Aug 7) is best. In addition to satisfying the criteria outlined above, it conveniently accomplishes a few additional things. It occurs in the window between Kylie and my wedding anniversary (July 2) and Kylie's birthday (August 13). In addition, hiking during the standard Oregon window means there will be the highest volume of thru hikers and therefore the most potential for receiving support. Since I'm hiking solo, the chances of getting help on trail will be the greatest during this time. 

9/1/15: Calories

Mmmm, peanut butter

The main priorities for me when it comes to food are perishability, calories/oz (weight), and ease of prep/cleanup. By and large, there are 2 main options I'm considering: boiling water for dehydrated meals or eating all cold meals. There are certainly benefits to both options, but my (limited) experience is steering me towards the former.

By going stoveless and eating only cold meals, I could save almost 1 lb by eliminating my stove (3.5 oz), cookpot w/ lid (3.0 oz), pot cozy (0.6 oz), and fuel (8.0 oz, in canister). Also saved is the time and headache of setup and teardown of the stove every night (and perhaps some mornings). The obvious downside is cold meals. I've done some research into no-cook hiking and, to be honest, it sounds terrible. Breakfast and lunch options would be mostly the same as if I had a stove, since I don't plan on heating water for most of those meals. Dinner, however, is where the stove system makes up for its added weight. Many no-cook dinners would consist mostly of the trail foods I'd been eating all day: granola bars, trail mix, peanut butter, dried fruit, candy, etc. While there are some dried foods that can be rehydrated with cold water (quinoa, cous cous, chia seeds, insta-potatoes), they tend to require a lot of other ingredients to make them palatable, some of which don't have a shelf life of 30+ days. Since I'll be sending resupply packages ahead of time (as opposed to buying in towns along the way), everything in them must last at least 30 days.

I believe that for trips up to a week long, going stoveless is a viable option. For my situation (25+ days of hiking with resupplies sent ahead of time), bringing a stove will serve me much better. Not only are the dinner possibilities much more delicious and calorie-filled, the stove will give me the flexibility to have hot breakfasts when I need them.

In keeping with the theme of carrying as little weight as possible, finding foods with a high caloric density is essential. An average of over 100 calories/oz is ideal. Foods that tend to be high in fats are very good in this sense: peanut butter, olive oil, nuts, and candy. Foods that are mostly protein or carbs are generally heavier: tuna, jerky, bread, and cheese. Of course, calories aren't the only thing to be concerned with. While it is necessary to eat over 3,000 calories/day, providing your body with a decent mix of fat, protein, and carbs is also important. Again, there exists a balance. This one between carrying the lightest 3,000 calories/day and the healthiest 3,000 calories/day.

Keeping a constant variety of foods will also be crucial. After my 2013 hike of Mt. Whitney, I learned that all the calories in the world mean nothing if you don't want to eat them. Although the elevation played a large part in ruining our appetites, we all learned the hard way that if it doesn't taste that good to begin with, it will certainly not taste good after eating 10 of them (I'm talking about Clif bars). This is part of the challenge in sending resupplies in advance: I'll need to decide on and send my 25 days of food up front.

I was surprised with the breadth of foods that can be packed in without spoiling. Aside from the obvious items (nuts, jerky, granola bars, etc.), cheese blocks, dry salami, mayo packets, summer sausages, and dehydrated ground beef offer the ability to vary meals in an exciting way.

Breakfast
Breakfasts will either be hot or cold, depending on how I'm feeling that particular morning. A 110g canister of fuel will contain enough fuel for heating water every morning and night for a week, so I have some flexibility. One of the things I'll need to work out during training trips is if/how often I feel like cooking for breakfast. While hot oatmeal and tea every morning sounds nice now, taking the time to boil water before hiking may not be something I want to do every day. I suspect that I will end up mixing both strategies.

For hot breakfasts, oatmeal will be the go-to. For ease of packing and cleanup, I will likely pre-package 2 packets of insta-oatmeal into individual sandwich bags. Dried fruits (cranberries, blueberries, etc.) are easily added on the trail and provide some variety. Since I suspect I'll only be having hot breakfasts once every few days, I'm not too worried about getting sick of the oatmeal.

For cold breakfasts, it's all about danishes and granola bars. I am also looking forward to testing out granola mixed with powdered milk. I'm hoping it turns out like the Trader Joe's cereal...

Lunch/Snacks
So far, my backpacking snacks have normally consisted of pretty typical trail food: peanut butter (it's the best), trail mix, bars, almonds, candy, and jerky. Lunches are slightly more interesting, but still not cooked. Current items I like include dry salami, tuna sandwiches (foil tuna pouch, mayo packet, bread) and tortilla rolls (ingredients ranging from peanut butter and nutella to salami and cheese).

Some things I'm looking forward to trying between now and next summer are ProBars (supposedly good tasting and very filling), PB&J on flatbread, dehydrated fruits, and more tortilla wraps (want to experiment with PB, jerky, hot sauce, fritos, etc.). I also read about someone who brought Emergen-C for electrolyte and vitamin intake...something to think about. I could also use Gatorade powders in my water at lunch and/or dinner, which provide a welcome break from the monotony of 5 L/day of water.

Dinner
Dehydrated meals cooked in freezer bags are the name of the game here. Not only do they give me a hot meal full of good calories, they are (relatively) lightweight and (extremely) easy to clean up. Some things I've liked in the past are Mountain House entrees (made in Albany, OR!), Knorr sides (pasta, rice, and asian), insta-potatoes, and mac and cheese.

While Mountain House entrees are the easiest and (generally) have the best flavor and texture, they are very expensive (between $5-8 per meal). Knorr Pasta sides have good flavor but a funny texture (they are designed to be boiled in a pot for 5-10 minutes, not just rehydrated by sitting in hot water). I've read great things about the Knorr Rice and Asian sides (yet to try). Idahoan insta-potatoes are supposed to be a favorite of thru-hikers. I've seen some "interesting" recipes that involve combining a pack of insta-potatoes and a pack Ramen noodles (nicknamed the Ramen Bomb for the dense orb of calories it assumes). Classic mac and cheese rehydrates pretty well after 15 minutes of sitting in a pot cozy. The noodles take on a different texture than when boiled for 10 minutes, but the radioactive cheese mix is the star. The other selling point is that 1 box provides 780 calories for under $1 and 7.6 oz. A squirt of olive oil bumps the calories over 1,000 and results in a caloric density of 117 cal/oz.

All of these get repackaged into freezer bags with any included flavor/spice packets already mixed in. On the trail, I simply set the freezer bag in my pot cozy, pour in hot water, close the bag, then wait 10-15 minutes for the food to rehydrate. The pot cozy (made from reflectix bubble insulation) keeps the concoction hot while it cooks. After eating, I simply close the freezer bag and put it in my trash bag. A quick lick of the spoon and dishes are done! Since I'm only using my cookpot for boiling water, it never needs to be cleaned.

There are a number of dinner options I'm looking forward to trying. Some are simple additions like adding summer sausages to mac and cheese, tuna to Knorr pasta sides, and having miso soup packets as an appetizer to Knorr asian sides. New ideas include meals I've never tried backpacking-style. Tacos can be had with a dehydrated taco filling mix, tortillas, and cheese. Bean and cheese burritos are similar except with a black bean mix, to which ready-rice can also be added. Sloppy joe mix on flat bread sounds appealing, as does a simple meal of pasta, freeze dried ground beef, and olive oil.

08/27/15: Partner

I talked with Kylie about general info and logistics last night, and it helped me to verbalize feelings I was having about the hike. Until tonight, it was mainly just me and my spreadsheets. Her main questions were

1. Why solo?
2. How is cell service?
3. Can we meet up for sections of hiking?

For me, the issue of thru-hiking solo is mostly a matter of practicality. It is virtually impossible for 2 hikers to be on the same schedule. One may need a rest day to recover from blisters while the other is ready for a long day. One may want to stop for dinner at 6:00 and continue hiking into the night while the other doesn't want to eat until 8:00 and be done for the day. In addition to the practical reasons, I believe I would get more from the hike (spiritually and emotionally) by myself. The thought of being completely free to decide where, when, and how I hike, camp, eat is appealing to me. Obviously, there are safety concerns, but between my research, planning, and loved ones willing to help, I know we can make it safe.

It appears as though cell service is quite good along the trail. At a minimum, I'm expecting to be able to make calls and emails at all 4 resupplies. Here are the grades given to the 4 resupplies according to PCTA’s cell service report: Mazama Village (A), Shelter Cove Resort (A/B), BLYC (B), Timberline Lodge (B), Cascade Locks (A). Service is actually pretty decent along the trail, with a grade of at least B coming every 50 miles or so. The other good thing about the PCT is that it will be relatively busy at that time of year. I'll likely be starting my hike within the window of full-trail PCT hikers arriving in Oregon (late June to late July), so I'll be getting passed by a number of hikers daily.

I do hope I can meet up with Kylie and Geoff for short sections of the hike, perhaps for a weekend or 2. I think I would enjoy the change of pace and company. The main hurdle is logistics. They would need to shuttle 2 cars or take public transit on the way down and/or back. I looked into good spots for making this happen and have yet to come up with any good ideas.

08/26/15: Chopped

Nothing is safe (source)

Current base weight is 17.7 lbs. Working my way through the lists again to see what else is a big contributor.

List of heavy items that could potentially be eliminated: sandals (TBD, approx. 2.20 oz), gaiters (LevaGaiters, 1.80 oz, $28), knife (Mora Companion, 3.40 oz), pack cover (ULA, 3.00 oz), sit pad (3.25 oz), mug (GSI, 1.5 oz), miscellaneous cord lengths (2.35 oz), and my grandpa's old candle lantern (old school REI, 8.60 oz). Eliminating everything would save 26.1 oz (holy crap that's a lot), but would come at a cost.

1. Sandals (2.2 oz, source) - These are for lounging around camp. I'm either going buy a cheapo foam pair or make them out of a blue foam sleeping pad from WalMart. I kind of love how ugly they are. Plus, they are lighter than any other options and are dirt cheap (can make multiple pairs from one sleeping pad). If I don't bring sandals, I'll be stuck wearing my hiking shoes around camp, which sounds annoying. I'd probably want to wear socks in the shoes but could go barefoot in the sandals. These will stay for now.
2. Gaiters (1.8 oz) -  This will have to be trail-tested once I get low-top trail runners. The idea is that they keep crap out of your shoes, but I'm not convinced this will be a problem. From what I've read, most of Oregon is packed dirt. This is in contrast to southern California (sand) and the Sierras (rocks) where gaiters would be much more valuable.
3. Knife (3.4 oz) - I already have a small folding knife (Gerber Compact Scout, 0.90 oz) included in my base weight. The question is whether or not I need this larger, fixed-blade knife. Pros: allows me to process firewood, provides a better sense of security/self-defense. Cons: weight (obvi), likely to have no fires due to fire restrictions, false sense of security. Apparently the only reason I have the knife is for a (potentially false) sense of security, so I'll need to decide if this is something that is 3.4 oz important to me.
4. Pack Cover (3.0 oz) - I'll definitely be using a heavy duty trash bag (1.5 oz) inside my pack as a liner for my sleeping bag and clothes, so I'm not sure a pack cover is really necessary. Plus, pack covers don't keep the pack 100% dry (the area on your back is still exposed), so water will work its way into the pack one way or the other. I think this is gone.
5. Sit Pad (3.25 oz) - I always said this was worth its weight, but nothing is safe at this point. Actually, I just read that the ULA Ohm 2.0 has a removable foam back pad weighing (1.5 oz) so this additional sit pad is out.
6. Mug (1.5 oz) - For lunch, there will be no cooking and therefore no mug required. For dinner, I'll boil water in the cookpot, then pour it into a freezer bag containing dehydrated food. The freezer bag sits in a reflectix cozy (size and weight yet to be analyzed) and the food is eaten straight from there (no need for a mug/bowl). For breakfast, I'll either be eating oatmeal or danishes. The oatmeal can be repackaged into sandwich bags or can be eaten straight from its pouch (although that may make it difficult to add fruit/toppings). However, I'll likely want to be eating 2 oatmeal packets per breakfast anyways, so I'll just repackage them into sandwich bags (and perhaps add the fruits/toppings beforehand). This means I can rehydrate, cook, and eat directly out of the bag (assuming my pot cozy works with both large and small bags). So, the only thing left for the mug is hot beverages. On the mornings when I'm heating water for oatmeal, I'll probably want tea or coffee and will thus need something to drink it out of. This means either drinking from a mug or drinking straight from the cookpot. My current cookpot is fairly large (1.8 L), and the orientation of the handle makes it too unwieldy for direct drinking. Since the most water I'll need to boil at a time is 2 cups (16 fl oz, 0.5 L), I could find a smaller cookpot that is smaller, lighter, and more suitable for drinking (new cookpot to be analyzed below). The other option I've seen is a cheap plastic travel mug. This would likely add 2-3 oz, but would allow me to hike with a hot beverage instead of trying to gulp it down at camp so I can start hiking. It would also keep the beverage hot for a long(er) time than an uninsulated metal cookpot. In conclusion, I think all this means that I should ditch the small GSI mug. If I want to drink tea at camp, I'll use the cookpot (if I get a new, sexier one) or get a travel mug (cheap, sexy in its own way). The travel mug also gives me the added flexibility of walking and drinking, which my current one does not.
7. Miscellaneous Cord Lengths (2.35 oz) - This is a group of cordage lengths on a carabiner. I typically bring this when using my Mamajamba tarp as it allows more flexibility in setup. However, the TarpTent Protrail is pretty much a one-trick pony so the only extra cordage I need will be for hanging food, clotheslines, etc. which I can accomplish with one 30 ft length (already included in base weight). For these reasons, Miscellaneous Cord Lengths (2.35 oz), you've been chopped.
8. Lantern (8.60 oz) - As bloody heavy as this thing is, I don't want to leave it behind. After my grandma bequeathed this to me, I knew I owed it to my grandpa to use it in a deserving way. I believe a month-long trek on the PCT is a as good a chance as I'll ever get, and that both my grandma and grandpa would be happy to know that I brought it along. However, I have two concerns: that it might get damaged and that fire restrictions wouldn't allow its use. I know I can come up with a safe way to store it (I'm thinking reflectix, maybe integrated with my pot cozy...). If the fire season allows, I'll bring it.

With these optional items gone, I just saved 15.3 oz. This is assuming I actually follow through with the gaiters and knife. Along with some other minor changes, my base weight is down to 16.1 lbs.

The list of heavy items I have to keep, but could replace, is as follows: insulation layer (Columbia Platinum, 22.25 oz), battery pack (Outdoor Tech Kodiak, 9.4 oz, $50 or Mophie Powerstation, 4.4 oz, $80), cookpot (GSI 1.8L, 8.05 oz), pot cozy (1.09 oz).

1. Down Jacket (22.25 oz) - Clothing is a frustrating category because unlike some other items, money is pretty much the only way to make any significant gains. I'm happy with the weight of the rest of my clothes (shirts, light jacket, pants, beanie, gloves), but the Columbia puffy jacket I have leaves a lot of room for improvement. A Montbell jacket (Ex Light, 5.6 oz, $200) would provide a pound of savings. At $12 per oz saved, it's not the best deal, but 1 lb is a lot of weight.
2. Battery Pack (9.4 oz) - For an extra $30, I can shave 5 oz ($6 per oz saved) by going to the Mophie Powerstation. I've tried my darndest to eliminate this brick all together, but I believe it will be the lightest way to keep my devices (phone and camera) charged.
3. Cookpot (8.05 oz) - Per the mug discussion above, I only need 16 fl oz / 0.5 L of cooking capacity as opposed to the 1.8 L I have now. The SnowPeak 600 (2.8 oz, $40) is a good fit and a pretty good value at only $7.62 per oz saved. I'll also get a lip guard (SnowPeak HotLips, 0.3 oz, $4) so I can use the pot as a mug without burning my face off.
4. Pot Cozy (1.09 oz) - My current pot cozy is sized to fit snugly around my GSI cookpot. If I do get the smaller SnowPeak pot, I'll make a new pot cozy that fits snugly around it. I'll still eat dinners directly out of the freezer bag, which sits in the cozy. This will likely only result in about 0.5 oz savings, but is free and makes packing easier.

Current base weight after all these (assumed) changes is 14.4 lbs. Hooray that's light! In reality, my pack will end up somewhere in between a number like this (15 lbs) and the number I'm at with my current gear (24 lbs). I have no intention of making all the changes I've listed so far, but rather analyzing which changes would give the most bang for my buck.