Embarking on the PCT

In five days I will be standing at the Mexican border and take my first step northward on the 2,655 mile Pacific Crest Trail. I sit at a surreal liminal moment — on leave from work, bag contents finalized, resupply boxes labeled, house brought to order — feeling the slow march of time towards a date chosen last fall that felt like it would never come.

As departure draws near, I notice the comforts of modern life: latex cushions, overmedium eggs, a plethora of shoes, clean water on demand. My living room will be the wilderness for the next 5 months. Like the days before a big race, I have a keen awareness that I am boarding a raft, submitting to ride any curve, calm, and rapid on an uncharted river. This forced surrender continuously draws me to big pursuits in the wilderness; the mantra of just keep going has become a life source.

This journey has been years in the making. I first had ambitions to thruhike the PCT in 2015, when a dear friend walked the trail. Life circumstances (and new dog ownership) got in the way, but bearing witness to her experience germinated the seed in my mind, "I will someday hike this trail". 11 years later — with a career, a house, a husband, same dog — the stars finally aligned.

A heady mixture of nerves and impatience circulates through me. I am a planner; if there were a clinical diagnosis for excessive detail orientation, I would fit the bill. What follows is a surface manifestation of this overthinking, to record my tentative resupply plan and gear list. Perhaps future hikers might find it helpful. I know plans will shift and my gear will take an editing round or two, but I'd like to capture a segment of this mindstate, where I've mentally explored every eddy on the proverbial river in an attempt to anticipate the needs of my burgeoning thruhiker self.

Planned resupplies

Resupply food contents

The following is a list of resupply towns I imagine we will stop at from the Mexican border to Mount Shasta. I tried to space out resupplies ~50-100 miles apart, and prioritized stops that are on trail or easy hitches.

California (through Mount Shasta)

+++ 👉 box mailed before we start the hike, *** 👉 box mailed from trail

As I imagine my trail sense for resupply strategy will drastically shift after 1,500 miles, I'm intentionally planning only through Mount Shasta before we leave.

Gear

Backpacking gear laid out

I won't document every single ounce in my pack, but will share the "Big 4" and other notable items. I made a Lighter Pack but then realized the gram counting fueled my indecision. I recognize that I will edit my pack items and some things I deem necessary now will no longer fit the bill on trail, so here's to having a learning mindset 😁.

Big four

Backpack - Atom Packs custom Mo 50 liter

I took this pack on the JMT and absolutely loved it. It has a lightweight aluminum frame which gives the perfect amount of support for a heavier load. When this pack fails, I will absolutely be purchasing another pack from this awesome UK-based company. Note the "Mo" pack model is now called the "Prospector".

Tent - Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2

We affectionately call it the "Frito Lay bag". Ultralight tents all seem like they are going to shred at the first breath of wind, but this one has held up well after two seasons so far. We do use a ground cloth to protect the base.

A freestanding tent is a non-negotiable for me, especially in the Sierra. Often we have to camp on a granite outcropping or with hard packed dirt where stakes are useless. The last thing I want to do after a 20 mile day is have trouble pitching shelter. This tent isn't super ultralight (2lb 10oz), but it's reliable, comfortable for two, and easy to setup in a variety of conditions.

Sleeping bag - Western Mountaineering Megalite

This 30°F / -2°C mummy bag is one of my favorite pieces of kit. The materials are high quality, the zipper is reliable, warmth is impressive. I love getting into this after a long day. I also use the Tioga Liner to keep it clean and add extra warmth.

Western Mountaineering is an awesome, tiny California based company with many "Made in USA" products. I'm always singing their praises to other outdoorsy folks.

Sleeping pad - Nemo Tensor All Season

This is a brand new, untested piece of gear for me. My former ThermaRest pad was 8 years old and too heavy for this thruhike. As a side sleeper, I opted for something with a bit more cushion and looked for the ultralight weight, this comes in at about 15oz.

Food

Water

I plan to supplement water capacity with plastic water bottles from gas stations in the desert.

Clothing

For sun protection, I'm taking the "cover everything" strategy. Having lived in the baking sun of the Eastern Sierra for almost 6 years, I find physical protection for long days outside works best. I don't want to remember (and inevitably forget) to reapply sunscreen. I also don't want to slide into my sleeping bag at night with 5 days worth of oily chemicals layered on my skin.

I opted for merino where possible since it can double for heat and cooling, along with mitigating the inevitable stank.

Daily drivers

Extra layers

Misc

I will be documenting my hike via log waypoints. I look forward to revisiting this with the wisdom of hindsight.