Category: Resupply and Prep

Sunday, April 23, 2023

Edit: Disclaimer – Since I am going to start posting regularly from trail now, I wanted to take a minute and say thank you to all who have followed so far. This will be a very personal blog and my goal is to show the good, the bad, and the ugly. There will be cursing. There will be crying. There will be laughing. You have to show all of the experience and that’s what I intend to do. Fair warning.

I hit the trail tomorrow morning. We flew into San Diego on Friday and have spent a couple of days enjoying the weather and the sights. Courtney and both sets of our parents flew out to take me to the southern terminus and see me off on this journey.

We went to REI on Saturday to get fuel for my stove (and of course a couple of other things because I can’t just buy one thing there) and saw the shuttle that takes hikers from San Diego to the southern terminus. Apparently they run a few times a day.

We also drove out to Point Loma and the Cabrillo National Monument to get another stamp for our national park stamps collection. Great views of San Diego across the water and some old lighthouse history.

Also went to La Jolla and saw some sea lions and a random McClaren at a car show.

Anyway, I’m all packed for a 6am leave time from San Diego tomorrow morning and hoping to actually hit the trail around 7:30 or 8. Let’s do this!

Friday, April 7, 2023

It has literally been raining for two straight days. We need it here in Texas, so I’m not super complaining. I was supposed to hike 2 miles yesterday for my endurance training, so that got re-directed to the Peloton, but at least I’m not on trail yet where I’d have to hike in the rain anyway.

I’ve spent the week buying all kinds of food and bits of gear from Amazon and Costco. I also simplified my resupply plan at the beginning of the trail. Not including specialty gear drops like ice axe/microspikes at Idyllwild and new shoes at Wrightwood, I’m only going to have to send three or possibly four actual resupply boxes until Kennedy Meadows at the base of the Sierra. The trail towns have gotten so good with hiker resupply now, there’s really no need to prep all your boxes ahead of time like you would have done maybe 10 years ago.

I am also sending a bounce box with all my luxury toiletries, hair clippers, town clothes, etc. I will first pick this up in Julian and then bounce it along to other towns along the trail as I go.

Here’s my resupply hell right now. I will organize more this coming week, but right now it’s all just in a pile.

And for good measure, here’s my gear room.

To be fair, I’m only using about 10% of the gear in that photo. There’s actually a method to that madness and I can pack my full pack in there in about 5 minutes.

Anyway, this next week is all about organizing and prepping resupply. It will come together!