Zero Day: Big Bear Lake (250.0)

Fishtank, Little John, and I met in the hotel lobby at 8 a.m. to catch the bus into town so that we could begin the process of resupply. Before we began we ate at a local restaurant and I had a massive breakfast. Without a doubt I will eat about 10,000 calories before I leave.

During the breakfast I exclaimed that I am overjoyed that I burnt out hiking to Big Bear Lake, because I now know how far I can push, and what I need to do to make sure that never happens again. Looking in the mirror, I’ve lost at least 15 to 20 pounds since I’ve started and that is one base weight.

The plan is to return to mile to 250 and hike the portion that we missed. It takes the average hiker five days to get from Big Bear Lake to Wrightwood, so we will take six days of food to cover the missed portion, and we now have additional reserves to make sure that we never run out on trail again. Mashed potatoes are light.

What I bought…

After condensing it.

I am eating a combination of complex starches, protein, fat and good old-fashioned candy to get me over the hills. I will be cooking more and adding olive oil for additional fat and calories. While it is my intention to come back in my 20 year old body I don’t need to do it in the next month. Yes, this isn’t the healthiest food in the world, but it has a ton of calories, and that is what I need. There is a McDonald’s along the way as well.

When I trained for this hike I changed my diet focused more on losing weight. Now I need to focus in on completing the hike. That means more calories and more in the form of fat.

After we bought everything we returned to my room and broke it down into smaller portions for easier transport. We then went to Little John’s room and began the shakedown process.

In the end Little John’s pack is now a solid 9 lb lighter! Fishtank sent home another 4 pounds of gear. I’ve eliminated half a pound. We went to the post office and sent it all home.

We then took Little John to Big 5 Sporting Goods and help him purchase some of the equipment that he was missing, so now he has the proper amount of water capacity for the longer hikes without easy water supply. Little John was thinking of leaving the trail here, but he is now inspired, and he’s a better position to be successful.

I purchased a set of Frogg Toggs to replace my now broken outer shell. While some hikers swear that they are the ideal combination of water proof and cheapness, they seem mostly cheap for me. I wasn’t able to find a jacket I liked.

So with my pack ready to go, there is nothing left to do but chill and eat a pint of well-deserved Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia.

The thru-hiking diet. Eat all you want. Lose a lot of weight.