Last Days of Normalcy
Hiking the PNT begins next week!
Almost two years ago I asked my friend Jessica what she would think about trying to a do a long hike with me. She agreed more or less on the spot and since then we’ve been sorting out leaves of absence and taking care of domestic arrangements. But the whole time, even as our paychecks bled onto the floor of REI, it hasn’t quite seemed real. Now, just four days remain until we pack up the car and head to Glacier National Park. A couple of days after that we’ll start hiking east on the Pacific Northwest Trail toward the Olympic Coast 1,200 miles away.
Our gear and food
We each bought new lightweight backpacks. Jessica also got an ultralight tent and sleeping bag, I’m planning to make my old tent and bag work. We’ll keep you posted with pictures of how it all works for us as we go along. I’m most excited/nervous about my ultralight rainjacket. It’s worked when I’ve tested it, but it’s so thin I wonder if it can really hold up. If it does I’ll be thrilled. If you want to see my entire packing list, you can check it out here. When I weighed my pack at home it came in at about 25 pounds fully loaded, but I think that may be light. I’ll try to get a better weight before I go.
As for food, we are not carrying stoves and instead will only be eating cold food. Mainly our diet will be bread, cheese, tuna, peanut butter, and gorp (trail mix).
The biggest unknown right now is how Jessica will function without her morning cup of coffee, or her mid-morning second cup of coffee. Will she become stronger than ever before, or will she break like a porcelain doll? Or will she break ME like a porcelain doll? All possibilities seem equally likely.
How to cheer us on
We’ll thrive on the support of those of you out there following our journey. We won’t be checking email or texts much unless we are in town, but when we do, it will be such a boost to hear from you. Please feel free to drop a line as a comment on this blog or via other channels. When you do, please share your own news too!
Another great way to support us is to support the Pacific Northwest Trail Association. Even in the best of times, it’s a big job to maintain the trail. They currently are facing severe budget shortfalls due to sudden loss of funding from the federal government, which established the trail. Making a small donation to the PNTA literally helps clear the path for our hike, and it also helps continue job training programs for youth.
Lastly, we will be receiving resupply boxes a few places. Right now we are planning on Polebridge, Oroville, and Port Townsend (other places we’ll rely on grocery stores or friends who live nearby). For those of you who know me personally, feel free to reach out to Shane and he’d be glad to include any letters or treats in the boxes.
What’s Next
We leave home on Saturday and plan to start hiking on June 25. Our first port of call is Polebridge, Montana, which we expect to hit about July 1. That will likely be the soonest that we update anything on this blog. Until then, wish us luck!
previous post: Like a Raindrop
Looking forward to following along. Super curious how you can keep calories up eating that way. I like going stoveless but it's difficult to get enough calories unless you truly cold soak (which seems complicated and annoying). I've done some meals of instant potatoes, etc but haven't found a good solution.
I'm looking forward to hearing about your adventures. Have a great time!