Leaving (again)

Posted by Jenna.

So, here we go: hiking the PCT 2.0. Tonight at 7, Tom and I are leaving on a Greyhound bus. We will arrive in Medford, Oregon around 6am, then take a regional transit bus to Ashland, Oregon. We are hoping to get to the trail head and be able to put in a few miles before crashing for the night. But this is the re-beginning of our journey, and we are really psyched. We just bought an AM/FM radio to help pass the time. We were kind of blown away by it though- we figured since they have the technology to make an IPod so tiny, an AM/FM radio should be about the size of an eraser. In reality, it is about the size of a deck of cards. I am still very pleased and excited.

We have been checking snow reports and it is looking good. Most areas, according to snowtel and the Pacific Crest Trail Association website are snow free, but there still seems to be a bit of snow above 7000 feet. We are carrying our ice axes and instep crampons for the beginning of the trip, until we get our bearings and are comfortable with the conditions.

We have all of our resupply boxes packed- about 2 for each resupply point, and they are all stacked and organized in Tom's garage, ready for his mom to ship to us along the way (thanks Betsy!).

We have been able to get our pack weights down with a little work, as well. Our base weights are now 15 pounds, which feels pretty good. Right now we are loaded up with 6 days worth of food, though, and 2 liters of water each...so they are resting around 30 pounds at the moment (but that will go down as soon as we eat our first snack!)

Wish us luck, and we will see you all in September. We will have sporadic internet along the trail, so I will post updates and photos whenever possible. Thanks for all of your support!!