PCT Training

T Minus 8 days until I leave for Campo and the start of this exciting next adventure. I thought I would share what I have been doing to physically prepare for walking 20 miles a day. I hesitate to use the word training, that seems more ambitious than what I have actually done but here is a summary of my extra effort:

For PCT thru hikers there seem to be two prevailing philosophies regarding physical preparation for the trail. The first group believe in training "on the trail", that is no specific physical preparation prior to starting the hike. The second group believe in preparing ahead of time by exercising before getting on the trail.

I belong to the second group, at least in theory and I believe that training and preparation are an important part of any long hike. I also plan to start out hiking 18 to 20 miles a day and I wanted to prepare for this as best I can. The problem is, I have never been  a gym nut and I would not consider myself very self disciplined when it comes to an exercise routine. I do like to live an active life and I am more motivated to exercise when I have a goal in mind but other things have been taking priority (like preparing and dehydrating 3 months of food). As a baseline, I have been averaging around 12 backpacking trips a year for the last 5 years and I have a job that keeps me somewhat active.

I tried a 12 week series of exercises in the late summer and fall of last year. It is based around a program developed by Ali Alami at FitClimb (link to 12 week intermediate training). I found it to be challenging and I definitely noticed improved cardiovascular performance as well as feeling stronger all around. I was thinking about doing it again 3 months prior to beginning the PCT but I have decided against it. While I think that it is a good program, I want to focus on hiking as my main form of training. When I hiked the Tahoe Rim Trail in 2010, I found that my biggest challenge was not strength or cardio but pain management in my feet. I was hiking about 22 miles a day and after the first 10 miles my feet would start to hurt quite a bit. I would take some ibuprofen and keep going but I don't like to do this if I don't have to. I trained in the gym for that hike, mostly cardio and weights but didn't do as much daily hiking and walking. So, my feet were not well conditioned to the stress of the trail resulting in pain. The prevailing wisdom is that the best training for any activity is to do that activity. So, more walking.


With that being said, here is a log of my "training". I intended to do more but this is what I did, I am sort of confident it is enough although the first couple of weeks on trail will probably be painful.

Jan 2 - 4 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Jan 4 - 6 mile walk around Lucas Valley Open Space
Jan 5 - 5 mile walk around Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve with 25lb backpack
Jan 7 - 4 mile run (I can't run very far due to bad shin splints)
Jan 9 - 3 mile walk
Jan 10 - 4 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Jan 11 - 7 mile walk around Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve (both loops)
Jan 12 - Yoga
Jan 13 - 3 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Jan 15 - 3 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Jan 18 - 16 mile walk with 25lb backpack at Henry Coe State Park
Jan 19 - 12 mile walk with 22lb backpack at Henry Coe State Park
Jan 20 - 3 mile walk
Jan 22 - 3 mile walk
Jan 23 - 3.5 mile walk
Jan 24 - 5 mile walk with 10lb backpack at Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve
Jan 25 - 2 mile walk with 25 lb backpack + Yoga
Jan 26 - Yoga
Jan 28 - 4 mile walk with 10lb backpack
Jan 29 - 3 mile walk with 10lb backpack
Jan 31 - 4 mile walk

Feb 1 - 2 mile walk
Feb 2 - 2 mile walk
Feb 4 - 3 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Feb 5 - 3 mile walk
Feb 8 - 4 mile walk
Feb 10 - 3 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Feb 12 - 4 mile walk
Feb 13 - 2 mile walk
Feb 14 - 3 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Feb 16 - Yoga
Feb 17 - 3 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Feb 18 - 2 mile walk
Feb 19 -  4 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Feb 20 - 4 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Feb 22 - 13 miles with 30lb backpack at Henry Coe S.P.
Feb 23 - 13 miles with 25lb backpack at Henry Coe S.P.
Feb 25 - 4 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Feb 28 - 8 mile walk (in the field for work but I'll still count it)

Mar 1 - 5 mile walk (Joshua Tree National Park: JTNP)
Mar 2 - 6 mile walk and bouldering extravaganza with 25 lb pack (JTNP)
Mar 3 - 14 mile walk and bouldering with 20lb pack (JTNP)
Mar 6 - 2 mile walk
Mar 7 - 2 mile walk
Mar 8 - 14 mile walk with 25lb backpack at Henry Coe S.P.
Mar 9 - 13 mile walk with 20lb backpack at Henry Coe S.P. (probably last backpacking trip until the PCT start)
Mar 10 - 4 mile run/walk
Mar 13 - 3 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Mar 15 - 4 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Mar 16 - 4 mile run, 2 mile walk + yoga
Mar 20 - 5 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Mar 21 -  4 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Mar 22 - 3 mile walk
Mar 23 - 4 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Mar 24 - 4 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Mar 25-  4 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Mar 26 -  3 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Mar 27 - 5 mile walk
Mar 28 -  3 mile walk with 25lb backpack
Mar 30 - Yoga
April 2 - 4 mile walk
April 5 - 6 mile walk

After April 1, I am finding myself ridiculously busy and I really have not had time to do anything. I will continue not to have time to do anything other than maybe a few brief hikes in the next week, so fingers crossed, I hope this is good enough!

Holy Moly, I think it's coming together!

After almost 3 months of planning, purchasing and dehydrating, I think the end is in sight. It still doesn't feel real but today I was able to start packing up all the food I have been preparing. Finally feels like progress is being made. Twenty-two days until launch and more things to do than I care to think about but it's coming together fast!

PCT Info, FAQs, Links and Random Stuff

FAQs

Questions from friends and family (if you have any that I haven't covered feel free to ask in the comment section below)

What will you do about food?

- See my resupply post

There is currently a very bad drought in the West, how will you get water?

As of mid-March the drought outlook is pretty grim. There is still a chance that we will have some late season storms bring more water into the area. But, even on a good year there are some long stretches where no water is available. Fortunately, there is a very active community of people supporting the PCT and thru hikers. Other than word of mouth, which will probably be the most up to date way to keep track of water sources, there is also the water report. This is a very useful resource for keeping track of water sources (there is an app for it as well). Yogis PCT guidebook (which is quite useful) also has good information on water sources. And, a little bit of common sense will also go a long way as well. Strategies for keeping water needs down include resting in the shade during hot parts of the day and hiking in the early morning and late evenings. I plan on using an umbrella as my own personal shade provider, which I think will help with moisture management. Of course, having the capacity to carry large amounts of water (5-7 liters) is also important.

What about wildfires, how will you avoid them?

There is always potential for wildfires along the PCT in any year. This year, due to the drought there could be an increased risk of fires. Again, word of mouth and the trail community are going to be the best source of current information. The forest service is also very good at informing the public about fire dangers and closures. There may be some detours off the PCT to avoid current fires, there are some detours due to fires from last year, this information is also provided by the Pacific Crest Trail Association and is updated very regularly.

Are you worried about wild animals?

No. As far as animals go, I am more worried about mice getting into my food than anything else. Rattlesnakes are generally not a threat, try not to step on them. Bears will be around at some point, I have not had any problems with them so far I don't think that will change. Mountain lions are probably the most dangerous animal and they are rare and generally not at all interested in eating people. I would be very surprised if I ever encounter one. I might get licked by a deer at some point, they seem to really like salt.

Here is a great list of 17 things other than bears to worry about.

Where will you sleep?

On the ground most of the time. I have a very cozy air mattress that will hopefully not fail on me. I am carrying a bivy sack and tarp and that is all the shelter I need. Of course, the periodic overnight in a motel or hostel will also be refreshing.

Are you bringing a personal safety device?

I do not plan on carrying a personal safety device. With preparation, common sense and some basic knowledge, most of the potential for danger on the PCT is mitigated. There can, of course, be accidents but I trust that I can get myself out of most situations. The PCT is also quite well traveled and as I am hiking in the "herd", I have no doubt that I will be around people should an accident occur. The one area where I anticipate the most chance for mishap would be in the Sierras, where snow and fast moving rivers can be dangerous. If the conditions in California do not improve, this year will have minimal amounts of snow and dangerous water crossings. Either way, I plan to do the Sierras with other people I meet on the trail.

Do you have a first aid kit?

Yes, I have a small first aid kit. I have also taken a wilderness first aid course so, hopefully I know how to use what I bring as well. Gear is no substitute for knowledge.


Links to information

Thru Hiking Terminology:
via Scott Bryce's blog  click here
via Halfwayanywhere.com   here 

General PCT Information:
Pacific Crest Trail Association
HikeThru.com
PCT databook
Plan your Hike - pretty comprehensive website for planning
Pmags - check out the rest of his blog for great info

Permits:
PCTA permit page
CA campfire permit

2014 PCT Blogs I am following:

Chase Your Dreams not the Magic
Loveline's PCT 2014 Blog
Rob's Blog 
Blog aggregator for PCT blogs- I am not reading all of these but I do browse from time to time

2013 and earlier PCT blogs of interest:

A Bear in these Woods
BOLO  (quite entertaining)
Find a Bear and Ride It
Russel Mease
Walking with Wired - very extensive blogs about the PCT and CDT, soon to be AT as well
Not a Chance
Boston and Cubby
Lisa and the PCT
Carrot Quinn
Buckwheat

Food Preparation:

Backpacking Chef  (Really good source)
Trail Cooking 
DIY Backpacking Meals
Section Hiker
Mountain Ultralight

Resupplying on the PCT

Considering the length of this walk, there is no way I could (or would want to) carry all the food, fuel and other consumable items that will be required. For example, the total food weight I will need is somewhere around 300 lbs. So, a resupply strategy is necessary.

There seem to be three main options for resupplying on a long distance hike in the U.S.:

1. Self resupply along the trail and mailing boxes to areas where there is not a good selection of food. This requires access to a grocery store and post office. There are a number of advantages to this option. Pre-trip planning is kept to a minimum, if you tend to procrastinate (like me) then this allows you to do it on the fly. This option allows you to adjust quantity of food based on appetite, appetites change over the course of a long hike and being able to adjust to these changes allows more efficient meals. You can change your menu based on current cravings/needs, if you can’t stand to eat another dinner of mac and cheese, then don’t buy any more. However, there are disadvantages as well. You are limited to what you can find in the grocery store, this can be a real problem for me sometimes. You may be able to adjust your menus as you go but if your selections are limited to what can be found in the store, this may not be much help. Some stores can be expensive, so costs are potentially higher when not buying in bulk. When making a town stop, there is the stress of shopping, repackaging and shipping when all you want to do is wash up, eat in a restaurant and sleep.

2. Preplan every meal and have a really nice person mail these to locations along the trail. This has some significant advantages as well. Much of the logistics and resupply work can be done ahead of time, this allows time in town stops to be focused on eating, resting and relaxing. Any special dietary needs can more easily be addressed. More healthy meals can be prepared so better nutrition is more likely and better nutrition = more happiness. Preparing meals ahead of time allows a more varied diet, you can prepare countless different meals to give more variety. Buying food in bulk can result in substantial cost savings. Some disadvantages include the risk of preparing too many of the same kind of meal and getting tired of them. I am sure it would be pretty bad to be getting sick of a dinner in the 3rd week and know that you have to eat that meal for 3 more months. Appetites do change over time, it would be very difficult to know how much you will be needing to eat 2 months into a trip, unless you are experienced with long distance hiking. Many of the resupply locations are at post offices, you are restricted to the hours of these in order to pick up the resupply box. There is a cost associated with sending resupply boxes, it is recommended to use priority mailing and this can cost an average of $12-16 per shipment, this can also add up.

3. The third option is the hybrid approach, using a combination of prearranged supply points and re-supplying at larger grocery stores when available. This gives both the advantages and disadvantages of the previous two options. This hybrid option allows some preplanning and cost savings for buying in bulk but also allows some flexibility by buying at certain points along the way. A variety of meals can be prepared beforehand but some meals can be prepared on the fly to suit the tastes and needs of the moment. There is still the difficulty of preplanning meals and shipping to resupply points but not as many need to be preplanned.

My current thinking is that I will go with the 3rd option. I think it allows the most flexibility while still allowing me to customize the meals I think I will want. I like the idea that I can do much of the work ahead of time so that I don’t have to worry about it as much as I go along. I also like the idea of buying some foods along the way in order to get the full thru hiker experience. Therefore, I am working on a timeframe for the walk and a tentative list of resupply points.This is going to be a bit tricky and I will need to allow for some flexibility as I cannot know for sure how things will go. So I will make a list of the places along the PCT where it makes most sense to have a mail drop and a list of where it makes sense to resupply on trail. I will need to include in this list the places where I can supplement my mail drop with perishable items such as cheese, meat, bread and other goodies, as well as snacks. I will also need to note where I can pick up alcohol or fuel canisters for the stove.

My very tentative schedule, I really have no idea how it will work out. The one hard fact is that I have to finish by October, otherwise weather starts to get a bit dicey. Each section is where I will resupply, either by mail drop or by local shopping. I have a total of 22 resupply boxes and I will resupply out of local towns seven times. The longest section of trail between resupplying will be 147 miles and the shortest will be 42 miles.

Tentative Schedule courtesy of Craigs PCT Planner

For those who have expressed interest in meeting me at some point along the trail, you can use the above table for initial planning. But, this schedule is subject to change so we will need to be in touch before any final plans are made.

PCT Gear List

You will be hard pressed to find a blog about the PCT without at least some mention of gear. People love to talk about gear! And who can blame them? Gear is an important consideration as it can save your life in certain circumstances, and can make the difference between an enjoyable walk or a death march.

However, I would be remiss if I did not at least mention the most important piece of gear, that thing between your ears. Paying attention and using common sense is going to be more important than any single item. There is no substitute for experience, and if given the choice between researching every minutiae of the latest sleeping bags or going on a backpacking trip, take the trip! No amount of gear is going to replace the knowledge gained from practical experience. What I choose to take with me is based on thorough research as well as thorough testing in the field under as many different conditions as I can find.

I have written reviews on a few things but if you are really curious about something I mention, feel free to ask a question in the comment section below.

The following gear is what I plan on bringing with me on the PCT, it supersedes my previous blog entry on what I carry on most of my 3 season backpacking trips. Although I have most of my gear decisions nailed down, there may be a few changes made before and during the trip, so this is somewhat of a work in progress. This list does not include consumable items such as food and fuel. I will break it down into six categories:

1. The Big Three

2. Clothing

3. Cooking and hydration

4. Camera and electronics

5. Everything else

6. Sierra specific gear

1. The Big Three:

The big three refers to what are generally the three heaviest items; shelter, sleeping bag and backpack. For me, it is actually the big six as my shelter is a two piece affair and I would also include the sleeping pad with the sleeping bag.

Shelter

Zpacks Hexamid solo tarp (see my review)

MLD superlight bivy (see my review)

Zpacks Hexamid and MLD bivy

Sleeping

Enlightened Equipment RevelationX 20 quilt (with 2oz overfill)

Gossamer Gear 1/8" thinlight pad

Thermarest NeoAir regular sleeping pad (see my sleeping pad post)

EE RevX quilt, Neoair and thinlight pad

Backpack

Zpacks Arc Blast 60L (see my review)

Zpacks Arc Blast

2. Clothing:

Clothing worn while hiking

Columbia Tamiami long sleeve shirt

Nylon shorts

Synthetic boxers

Darn Tough ultralight wool socks

Brooks Cascadia 9 shoes

Outdoor Research Sunrunner hat

Simblissity Levigaiters

My usual hiking outfit, minus the Llama

Other Clothing

Patagonia Houdini windshirt

Montbell stretch wind pants (no longer made)

Patagonia Capilene 1 long underwear (top and bottom for sleeping)

Montbell Ultralight down jacket

2nd pair Darn tough socks (for sleeping)

Outdoor Research Helium II rain jacket

Zpack cuben rain wrap

Mountain Hardwear liner gloves

MLD rain mitts

Fleece hat

Cheap Flip Flops

Montbell down jacket, polypro top and bottom, darn tough socks

OR jacket, Patagonia wind shell, fleece hat, fleece gloves, montbell wind pants, zpack rain wrap

3. Cooking and Hydration:

Snow Peak Litemax canister stove (for California)

1100 mL Evernew titanium cook pot

spoon

Snow Peak titanium mug

Insulating Pot Cozy

Soda can alcohol stove + Caldera Cone system (for Oregon and Washington)

Sawyer mini water filter

2 - 2.5 liter Platypus bladders

1 to 2 misc. water bottles (Gatorade or Smartwater bottles work well)

4. Camera and Electronics:

Camera, lenses and accesories

Olympus OMD EM-5 camera (see my initial review)

Olympus 75mm f1.8 lens

Olympus 12-40 f2.8 lens

filters + filter holder (polarizer, 3 stop reverse grad. ND)

Cleaning cloth, blower

Batteries

Battery charger

Hipbelt pouch (for carrying camera)

Lens case for extra lens

Zpacks multipack for carrying extra lens and accessories

picture from www.lightweaversblog.blogspot.com

Electronics

Smartphone (Motorola Moto G)

Solar charger (Homemade - Thanks Dad!)

5. Everything Else:

First Aid kit

Gear repair kit

Toiletries

2 Zpacks cuben fiber stuff sacks for clothing and sleeping bag

1 cuben fiber stuff sack from Lawson equipment for tarp and bivy

Homemade silnylon sack for misc. items

Large sized Alocsack for food

Brunton ADC Pro

Headlamp (Petzl Tikka)

Black Diamond Trail hiking pole

Halfmile maps

PCT data book

Swing Lightflex umbrella

Polycro groundsheet

8 titanium stakes

Zpacks hipbelt pocket

Brunton Compass

6. Sierra Specific Gear:

BV500 Bear Canister

Sea to Summit headnet

Sea to Summit Nano Pyramid Net (see my review)