I did way more prep for this hike than I have for past hikes. With past experience, I now know some things that will make my life on trail easier, and so this time I went all out.

Did I buy snow gear for my first few weeks that I may or may not even use, depending on snow levels? Check. Order specific foods online so I can eat healthy stuff for at least the state of Washington? Check. Download hundreds of podcast episodes to my mp3? Check. And yes, you read that correctly. I have an mp3 player separate from my phone, so I don’t have to worry about battery as much.

I even organized my phone with all the apps and links I only use when hiking, so I’ll have them all handy and will be able to make the most of the precious little cell service/internet time I’ll have. (For those curious, this includes things like links to PCT water and fire reports, offline Google Docs for my writing stuff, and a VPN app so I can upload blog photos even with public wifi like a McDonalds or Walmart.)

Most thru hikers mail themselves resupply boxes for all (or nearly all) of Washington State, since the trail doesn’t really go through any towns. I opted to send myself three boxes in Washington, with extra food mailed to Cascade Locks in Oregon, where I’ll redistribute and mail again if needed.

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