So many people have been asking me the last few weeks about what my exact travel plans and itinerary are for my hike on the PCT this year. To those new to this process, there is no such thing as a set schedule of where I will be and when. One of the great freedoms about doing a long hike like this is the ability to wake up each day and hike as long and as far as you feel like and your body allows. If I wake up one day and I feel like hiking 20 miles, I will hike 20 miles. If I wake up and feel like hiking 10 miles, I will hike 10 miles. Though it has only happened once in all my hiking there may be a day either because of weather, or because I don't feel up to it where I wake up and decide to stay in my tent and rest all day without hiking any miles. The best I can do when planning a hike like this is to have some sort of tentative schedule however, because I will need to know how much food to carry between resupplies as well as when I will be hitting towns so that family and friends can keep track of me and know that I am doing all right.
In addition to a schedule I will also post below where I will definitely be picking up my mail drops that I will be sending out. Though I do have all the maps and guidebook instructions I need on my phone (amazing how technology has changed since my 2005 Appalachian Trail hike), I will also be carrying paper maps and all trail information in paper form as well. Even though technology has improved greatly over the years, I know that I don't want to get stuck in a situation where my technology fails. So I will be sending myself all the information I need to predetermined locations north through California and into Oregon. If you are not a hiker, you may not know that you can send anything to yourself via general delivery at most any post office throughout the country. All you have to do is write a rough ETA on the envelope or package and when you show up show your ID and they will retrieve your mail for you. This is how hikers send themselves supplies as well in hard to reach areas that may not have a grocery store or an outfitter. For the purpose of this hike, I will not need to send myself any food in advance as I will have pretty reliable stores that I can shop in at all of the places I plan on stopping. The reason for me posting these drops is also for any of you that might want to use them to send me anything. People have asked what they can send to help with my hike and I can't stress enough that I will have pretty much everything I need already to get through the hike. The two things that every long distance hiker loves to receive however are homemade edibles and letters from home. After a steady diet of Ramen Noodles, Mac and Cheese, and Oatmeal it is always nice to have some homemade snacks or food to hike out of town with. And even in this age of technology, handwritten letters or notes sometimes can help a hiker keep focus and encourage us. In today's age, if someone actually takes time to write a letter or note it means the world to know people are following along and encouraging you to keep going. In no way do I expect anybody to send anything, this list will stay up here for those who have inquired about sending things.
Here is my tentative itinerary as of right now.
Start Hiking Saturday, June 11th @ Tehachapi-Willow Springs Rd.
June 11th - June 16th - Mojave to Walker Pass (Lake Isabella) - 93.5 miles
June 17th - June 20th - Walker Pass (Lake Isabella) to Kennedy Meadows - 50.2 miles
June 21st & June 22nd - ZERO DAYS - Hitch to Bishop, CA
June 23rd - June 29th - Onion Valley (Kearsarge Pass) to V.V.R. - 86.0 miles (Plus 7.6 to Trail)
June 30th - July 1st - V.V.R. to Red's Meadow (Mammoth Lakes) - 32.1 miles
July 2nd - ZERO DAY - Mammoth Lakes, CA
July 3rd - July 5th - Red's Meadow (Mammoth Lakes) to Tuolomne Meadows - 35.9 miles
July 6th - July 9th - Tuolomne Meadows to Sonora Pass - 78.2 miles
July 10th - July 13th - Sonora Pass to South Lake Tahoe - 77.0 miles
July 14th - ZERO DAY - South Lake Tahoe, CA
July 15th - July 21st - South Lake Tahoe to Sierra City - 105.4 miles
July 22nd - July 26th - Sierra City to Quincy - 70 miles
July 27th - July 31st - Quincy to Chester - 63.4 miles
August 1st - ZERO DAY - Chester, CA
August 2nd - August 5th - Chester to Old Station - 42.2 miles
August 6th - August 8th - Old Station to Burney Falls State Park - 45.5 miles
August 9th - August 12th - Burney Falls State Park to Mt Shasta - 82.1 miles
August 13th - ZERO DAY - Mt. Shasta, CA
August 14th - August 19th - Mt. Shasta to Etna - 98.6 miles
August 20th - August 22nd - Etna to Seiad Valley - 56,2 miles
August 23rd - August 26th - Seiad Valley to Ashland, OR - 62.8 miles
Right now, that is what I hope to accomplish this season. However, if I can make it this far and my mind is right, my body is right, the weather is right, and the money is right, I may chose to continue on north through Oregon and attempt to get to either Crater Lake, Bend, or even Cascade Locks
Here are the places I will DEFINITELY be stopping to pick up mail along the way. With each one is an expected arrival date and a last possible day anything should be mailed to assure it is there by the time I walk through:
1) Bishop, CA (Mail by 6/11/16)
Todd Everleth
PCT Hiker - Expected Arrival 6/21/16
General Delivery
Bishop, CA 93514
2) Mammoth Lakes, CA (Mail by 6/21/16)
Todd Everleth
PCT Hiker - Expected Arrival 7/1/16
General Delivery
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
3) South Lake Tahoe, CA (Mail by July 3rd)
Todd Everleth
PCT Hiker - Expected Arrival 7/13/16
c/o Lake of the Sky Outfitter
1023 Emerald Bay Road
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
4) Sierra City, CA (Mail by July 11th)
Todd Everleth
PCT Hiker - Expected Arrival 7/21/16
General Delivery
Sierra City, CA 96125
5) Chester, CA (Mail by July 21st)
Todd Everleth
PCT Hiker - Expected Arrival 8/1/16
General Delivery
Chester, CA 96020
7) Ashland, OR (Mail by August 9th)
Todd Everleth
PCT Hiker - Expected Arrival 8/19/16
General Delivery
Ashland, OR 97520
I can not stress enough that these dates are all tentative. I could be early or late on any of these places which is why I would make sure anything is sent a minimum of 10 days prior to my expected arrival. Also, make sure you put a return address on anything sent. If something happens that cuts my trip short and I do not show up for mail at any point, I can call the post office or outfitter (South Lake Tahoe) and have them send anything there back to the sender. If there are any drastic changes to this schedule I will post it here on the blog and/or edit this post in the future, so always check here last minute before sending.
Okay, that is about it for today...back to all the fun preparation type stuff...
Patch
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