Stove Options

Posted by Tom

Jenna alluded to the stove debate in the last post, so I will review the options that are available to us.

1). We could use a multi-fuel stove that can burn white gas/gasoline. This is what our friend Rob P. did last year in his Sobo try and he thought that there was adequate fuel available. The cons are these stoves are by far the heaviest (some nearing two pounds), and gasoline is a dirty fuel.

2). Most through hikers use a alcohol stove. These stoves have three benefits, they are light, they are uncomplicated (nothing to go wrong), and they are cheap (the cost of a catfood can). However, I am concerned about fuel availability. You can burn this fuel additive that is sold in stores called "Heet." Heet is essentially wood alcohol (methanol, not like the stuff you drink, ethanol). While Heet is available in some stores, it is not universally available. This would mean that we would have to either carry lots of it (which I am disinclined to due for weight issues), or mail it ahead to ourselves. You can legally mail fuel, although it must travel by ground which is both slow and not available for some of our resupplies (Stehekin, all mail is flown in).

3). Canister stoves are relatively cheap (the stoves, not the fuel), and super easy to use. On a tired day, we could roll into camp and quickly heat up water. They are somewhat idiotproof (thankfully), they have a high heat output and the stoves are adjustable, a.k.a. you can simmer. The downsides: you would have to rely on resupplies because the fuel would largely be unavailable in town and the fuel would likely be the most expensive option.

4). Lastly there is the woodstove. Not like the big heavy cast iron thing that some people use to heat their homes, but small, relatively lightweight (under 1 lb) aluminum/titanium cookstoves. Their are many disadvantages to a woodstove. They might not be totally legal in Wilderness Areas (as collecting the fuel is prohibited, not the woodstove). There are concerns about finding fuel above the tree line or in deserts. There is the problem of inclement weather.

But woodstoves are also appitizing for many other reasons. Fuel is virtually everywhere (if you are not above tree line or in a desert). The fuel is free, or the cost of a Bic lighter. The hippy in me loves this, it is a carbon NEGATIVE fuel source. The residual carbon in the ash, if buried, would be sequestered into the soil. That is cool.

Lastly, I like the aesthetic. Campfires, even if it is a dinky woodstove fed by twigs, is a romantic notion. It seems right that in an excursion into wilderness, that a woodfire heat my food.

Right now I am leaning toward woodstove, Jenna toward canister. Either way, we would buck the usual trend of thru-hikers to use alcohol stoves. We both like to be trend-setters.

the wise words of rob

Posted by Jenna (are you noticing a trend here?)

Our friend, Rob Pudner, hiked the northern part of the PCT last summer. He is the only person I have directly talked to that has hiked (at least part of) the trail (and southbound, nonetheless). When I was up in Vermont the other week I was full of questions. Thankfully he put up with me, and here is some of his great advice:

• Don't bring literature- you wont read it. (Lots of sources advise in bringing that book you have just never been able to get through before, because you will have all the time in the world. But the truth is, if you didn't want to read it before, you definitely wont want to read it by flashlight in your tent...)
• Sacrifice those few ounces of weight for a good sleeping pad (both Rob and the most recent Backpacker Magazine Gear Guide recommend the Therm-a-rest Z-Lite)
• You wont need gators. You will get soaking wet no matter what you are wearing, you might as well just embrace it.
• Carry 3 pairs of wool socks at all time. That way, you can be wearing one, have a (theoretically) dry pair in your pack, and be drying out the wet pair on your pack while you hike...and keep the rotation going.
• Bring all the layers of clothing you have been considering. The beginning of the hike is chilly...and bring a 15 degree bag so you stay toasty at night.
• Hanging water filters are the bomb- invest in one!
• Vitamins are a very good idea.
• Bring your cell phone!

We are really in the final stretch of planning now. We are still researching a few gear items (like a wood-burning stove, a hanging filter, and a 2qt. pot). And I still have a few unanswered questions (like: what is the best way to transport water for filtering and showers, what is the best way to carry peanut butter, and so we need a pack cover?) But other than that...we are almost ready!

now we've got to do it...

...because we bought our plane tickets. We found some very affordable flights to Seattle on May 19th (shortly after Tom's graduation). When we get there, we will have about a month to get our food all figured out and boxed up before hitting the trail.

I spent this past weekend at the Young Alum Event at Green Mountain College. Everyone wanted to know when we were leaving (actually, a lot of people thought we had already done it...) and it seems that every single person knows someone (who knows someone) who has hiked (at least some of) the Pacific Crest Trail. There were lots of jokes about what we were going to eat, and lots of questions about mileage and if we were excited. As it gets closer and closer, I am getting nervous and a bit scared. When so many people are interested in what I am doing it makes me anxious. But I have been doing a whole lot of educational reading in my copious amounts of spare time lately, and I am learning all sorts of exciting things about resupply points, planning our itinerary, bears, and gear. Very, very exciting...

are you worried about us?

Posted by Jenna.

A few weeks ago I went to my uncle's house to celebrate Easter with my extended family. The day went much like all holidays with my mother's side of the family. That is, until the conversation turned to my upcoming hike. This was the first time I had been around my whole family since I had decided to hike the trail, and they were worried, to say the least. They wanted me to bring a gun, a GPS unit, and wanted to know how we would go to the bathroom, where we would sleep, and much more. I mentioned shipping resupply boxes with food, which prompted them to ask how far I would be from "civilization". My answer of: "no more than 5 days or so" did not put them at ease.

They think Tom and I are utterly crazy for wanting to do this. While they were outwardly worried and skeptical, I know a lot of other people are more reserved with their thoughts (both mine and Tom's mothers, for example). Then today, I stumbled on a nice article about another PCT hiker's worried mother. So, if you are worried about mine and Tom's wellbeing, here are some tips to put your mind at ease:

• Check out the Pacific Crest Trail Association website (www.pcta.org). There you can learn more about the trail, including the route, terrain, weather conditions, and read other hiker's journals. 
• You can even call the PCTA with specific questions, concerns, or to hear about weather conditions. (916) 349-2109
• Talk to as many experts as possible: avid hikers, park rangers, PCTA staff, salespeople at outdoors stores. The more opinions you hear, the better you will be able to understand the big picture. And many once you realize we arent the only people doing this, you will be less likely to question our sanity...
• Follow our blog once we head out on the trail! We will post journal entries and updates as often as possible- including some breathtaking photos.

The bottom line is: the more you know about the trail, the less scary our excursion will seem. All of this information will help you see that the trail is well marked, rattlesnake bites and bear attacks are rare and easily avoided, and we will be carrying very detailed maps and guide books. Perhaps after all of your researching, you will want to join us on the trail.

so, we are hiking south...

Posted by Jenna.

We have previously explain that we are hiking the PCT south, but I just wanted to talk a little more about this. 90% of PCT hikers head north, from Mexico and Canada, and they leave in the very early spring. The timing is what made Tom and I decide to hike southbound: he is not graduating until May, which means we wont be able to leave until after that. I didn't really think anything of it, until recently. The Pacific Crest Trail Association advises heading north because, "you are more apt to successfully negotiate the snow, runoff, dryness and heat, and early winter storm windows this way". Great.

But that isn't even where the difficulties end. Since we are among the minority, there has never been a PCT guide book written in the perspective of a southbounder. This means we have to read all of our books backwards and inversely (when they say we go up, we are really going down). I am currently "translating" The Pacific Crest Trail: A Hikers Companion, by Karen Berger and Daniel R. Smith, into a more comprehensible guide for me and Tom.

One thing that I find really interesting, though, is that we are literally going to pass (and meet) 90% of thru-hikers. And it is mostly going to happen in Oregon, because of the timing. One book I read advised that Oregon is going to be very slow and you just need to keep your head down and keep going, because everyone will want to question you about what is ahead (behind for you) and know about the trail in Washington. Right now I find it very intriguing that we will run into all of those people, but lets see how I am liking it mid-way through Oregon.

Posted by: Jenna.

Tom and I are both back on the east coast again! He flew into NYC last Monday, and we spent the week bouncing around Brooklyn and Manhattan, then came back through Massachusetts and headed up to Vermont. Yesterday Tom defended his Honors Thesis (about animal standing and the laws surrounding animals...I think) and now he is all done with his undergraduate studies! It was really nice to be back in Vermont for a bit and to be on campus and see old friends. A lot of people kept asking how our hike had been, though. So I figured I should clarify: we haven't started hiking yet. We are still preparing (and preparing, and preparing) and we are still planning on heading out on the trail starting on June 13th. We started this blog way in advance to chronicle the preparations and everything leading up to the trip. A hike of this length takes months of planning and training, before you even start the actual hiking. But the beginning is drawing close. While I was in Vermont I got to talk to our friend Rob, who hiked a bunch of the trail last summer. I just wanted to know everything (especially gear related things), and I think I quickly got annoying. But he said we dont need gators, and gave us some great advice about sleeping pads, ice axes, hiking in snow, and bear cannisters (I will share later). We also talked a lot about clothing choices, and while those things do vary a bit by gender, it was very helpful.

Now I am back in Massachusetts wrapping up some web design work before heading back up to Vermont to keep Tom company in between now and graduation (May 15th). We also need to start looking for plane tickets...