As part of the permit process I agreed to follow the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace.
Over the next couple of days I’ll break down each principle and how I’m implementing them.
My phone beeped at a team lunch. I check my e-mail. There sitting in all its glory is an e-mail with the subject “Your Permit is Ready to Download”. The permit is in my hand and signed and I sent a PDF of it to the cloud for safe keeping. It is official!
This article was written back in 2018 when an FM Radio chip was standard in Android phones. There are manufacturers that still include this functionality. You will need to do some personal research to see if this is still an option for you.
Many years ago, before I took up long distance hiking, I used to canoe and camp. My girlfriend at the time and I had a special island in the Boundary Waters that we liked to call our own. It was secluded and the northern part of island was a small cliff where we liked to set up a hammock and watch the wildlife. It would take about two days to get there from where we parked the truck. The seven day forecast called for a slight chance of rain later in the week. As this was prior to smartphones and my ultra-light ways, one critical piece of equipment I took was a weather radio.
We were packing up on day five and were planning on paddling back early the next morning. That slight chance of rain carried on for the week. As the day wore on we could see from our perch that a pretty big storm was coming. We talked about maybe leaving early and finding a campsite on shore. We turned on the weather radio. It told us that the slight chance of rain turned into a storm, and it was going to be massive and it was approaching fast. We decided to dig in and packed up everything we didn’t want to get wet. We pulled out and tied down our canoe and huddled in our tent.
The storm was the very worst I’ve ever been in. The waters were white. The wind blew down our tent. The trees bent. Two large limbs fell in our camp. We huddled in the lowest part of the island that wasn’t getting washed over from the waves in our outer shells. The kicker was that lightning struck a tree no more than 100 feet from us. My ears rung.
This went on for hours. The lightning was so constant that it was like twilight, even though it was the dead of the night. It was terrible, but it would have been much worse if we would have tried to make it to shore. We would have been caught up in the storm and surely we would have capsized before we made it. We survived, in part due to that little weather radio.
So, it is 2018 and I am an ultra-light backpacker. I carry all of the world’s knowledge in my pocket. I still want that weather radio. I know that it is still important. So, how do you turn your Android Phone into a weather radio that doesn’t need the Internet? Turns out that it is cheaper than you think and doesn’t require you to take anything you will not already be taking. It also meets the backpacker’s budget. If you have the phone, the conversion is free!
To make a weather radio, we need just three things:
Per the specifications for a phone to be an Android phone, it must be able to receive FM-Radio. It is built in there for you. What we need is an antenna. That is where the headphones come in. Plug the headphones into the headphone jack and you are good to go!
I bet you thought you were going to have to MacGyver something.
The problem with receiving FM signals on an Android phone is that both the manufacturers and the carriers do not have much motivation promoting it. While your phone may be able to receive them, either the carrier or the manufacturer may lock them down so that you cannot use them.
I have an unlocked Samsung Note 8. It is unlocked, which means it is a universal phone not locked down to a carrier. It is one of the phones that has its FM chip activated. You can click this link to see if your phone’s FM chip is also unlocked.
Install the Next Radio app from the Play Store. Start the app. Then follow these steps:
Click on the menu again and select Basic Tuner. Plug in your headphones. Select a station you know in your area. Turn off Wi-Fi and mobile data to test it. You know it is working if when you unplug your headphones and the radio stops receiving a signal.
To make it work you cannot have your phone in Airplane Mode. You can still save power by turning off Wi-Fi and mobile data.
The range of FM-Radio is much longer than a 3G or 4G signal. While you might not have a good signal to use a browser, you still might have an FM signal from a local station.
As always, do not be afraid to take an extra zero before going out when conditions are going to be bad. Still, sometimes conditions change drastically. A slight chance of light rain turns into a massive storm. A backup method of getting local conditions that doesn’t require anything other than what you are already taking is a pretty simple solution.
See you out there.
Note to Apple Users. This also works for you, but I do not have an iPhone. You’ll have to figure it out yourselves. The Next Radio website can help.
When I talk with people about going on a hike like this I get the same type of question over and over. “What if X?” What if my shoes fail? What if my water filter freezes? What if it gets really cold? What if? What If? WHAT IF!?!
It is not possible to carry every single “what if” in my pack. The answer to this conundrum is to imagine this not as one big long hike, but 28 five day hikes. If something terrible happens, I will look where I am and either deal with it and continue on or turn around and go back. I need to have faith that my sisters and brothers will help me. I promise, I will always help them.
If I have to deal with it, I only have to deal with it for two days because that is really how far I am away from civilization I will ever be. I can deal with an awful lot for just two days. If I have to look to my sisters and brothers for help, then I probably should choose to be nice. Fortunately, I am nice and I share, so that will not be too difficult.
I enjoy seeing the fear in the eyes of people I talk about what I’m doing this year and they are amazed at the courage I must have. Don’t get me wrong, this is going to be real. Once I realized that I can count on my sisters and brothers, then my pack became much lighter.
The lighter the pack, the faster you go.
I knocked off the second of three permits this morning, the California Fire Permit. This allows me to light a campfire and use my stove in California. It was simple and free. You go to the site, watch a video, take a quiz and they give you a link with your permit. It is good for the year issued, so I had to wait until after January 1st to get it.
That leaves just the Canadian Entry Permit. Getting that done requires me to gather and scan some documentation, but I do not expect any issues as I do not have a criminal history. I hope to have that done by next week.
The combination of the holidays and sub-zero temperatures have slowed my training a bit. I bought some micro-spikes at Costco for $9.99 and I did some hiking in the snow last week and I hope to do more. They are great for the urban trail, but they would last about ten minutes on the PCT. They are very light weight, however. When it gets below zero with a wind chill of -25, it is best to stay inside. It is supposed to warm up next week.
With three months to go, I have worked with a trainer and put together a more aggressive workout program that I will start January 1st. With my legs tested with back-to-back 18 mile hikes, I can focus more on my core to help improve my endurance.
I still need to get my permits. I need to get a box together for Warner Springs, one of the only towns I’ll send a box. I haven’t thought about what I’m going to wear other than my base layers. All my gear is purchased. In theory, I could leave tomorrow.
So, I wait…
While it is way too early to be sure, there are some indications that the PCT is going to be dry for 2018. That is good and bad. The PCT Class of 2017 struggled with heavy snow in the Sierra Mountains. Many skipped, flipped or quit. It looks like 2018 will not be like that. In fact, 2018 might be the year of the forest fire.
There is a total fire ban in the Angeles National Forest which affects the PCT. If it is still in force by April, miles 345 to 510 will require me to go completely stoveless. That is a pretty big section starting from Cajon Pass all the way to Hikertown.
This is a good reason why I’ve decided to resupply as I go. I’d hate to have shipped myself all these dinners that require heat, only to be unable to cook them.
The question I’m asking now is should I give up coffee completely? If I do, do I do it before I leave or do I piss off the people I love at home?
What does it mean to successful hike the Pacific Crest Trail in one season? Is that even possible?
The orthodox answer is to hike straight from Campo, California to Manning Park, British Columbia with footprints on the trail the whole way. When I leave the trail, I always return to the exact point that I left. I always hike the PCT and never deviate from it.
Unfortunately, to hike the actual 2650.1 miles is impossible. There are sections of the trail that are closed and will remain closed. For example, a fire near Idyllwild, California in 2013 damaged the trail. By order, the trail is closed between miles 168.6 and 177.3. There is a section in Southern California that has been closed since 2013 to protect an endangered mountain yellow-legged frog.
The forest fires in Oregon and Washington have closed significant portions. In many cases, there was no alternate route to take. One simply skipped that part. The heavy snow in the Sierra Mountains in 2017 forced a majority of hikers to skip that section, continue north, and return later in the season when it was safer to hike.
To make matters more complicated, there are trails that split off the PCT that are ascetically more pleasing than the trail proper. There is an alternative route that allows you to walk the rim of Crater Lake. Do I skip that?
Finally, there are some additional alternative routes to avoid dangerous sections. For example, there is an alternate road hike between miles 187 and 191 that allows me to avoid hiking Fuller Ridge during heavy snow and high winds.
So, what am I going to do?
My hike is my hike. The trail is what is presented to me when I get there. If a section is closed, but there is an official alternate route, and that route is safe, I will take that alternate. I will monitor the weather when I’m in town. If conditions are dangerous, I’ll stay in town an extra day or two. Despite my best efforts, if a commonly unsafe section like Fuller Ridge is dangerous when I physically walk there, I’ll take the alternate. If snow conditions in the Sierra Mountains are the same in 2018 as they were in 2017, I will consider flip-flopping.
I may be crazy, but I do not have a death wish.
That leaves the ascetically pleasing alternates. I may have only this once chance to do this hike. I will choose the best quality over orthodoxy. I’m going to hike the rim of Crater Lake. I’m going to see the best there is to see.
What I won’t do is skip a section because it is too hard. If I have to flip-flop, but the clock runs out, I will not consider it complete until I hike that section. However, if a section is closed, I’ll consider that section as not part of the trail. I’m not going to wait until the endangered section is reopened to claim victory.
Does this mean that I will hike 2650.1 miles? No probably not. I’ll be short a few. Will I say I completed it? If I skip a section with the intention of returning, but do not return because I ran out of time? No. Otherwise yes.
But, you didn’t hike all 2650.1 miles!!! How can you say you hiked the PCT if you didn’t hike all 2650.1 miles!?!
Sometimes in life you just have to say close enough. Get over it.
The logistics of hiking the PCT are complicated. Fortunately, I’m not packing food for one really long hike. I’m really determining the logistics of a series of three-to-five day hikes. Just thirty of them in a row! Regardless, after a couple of days in the wild, I will reach a town. Some of them will be full-service. It will have everything I need including a gear store. Some of them will have just a gas station and a mini mart. Some of them will have no resupply options at all. Nearly the entire State of Washington has no resupply options.
Now, I could buy all my food in bulk at home and mail boxes to each resupply point. In theory, this would same me money, because I could buy in bulk. Costco is your friend The problem with this method is that eventually you will get tired of eating the same thing over and over again. Also, what do you do if you don’t finish?
Buying local is a better solution. However, not every town has a grocery store. Sometimes it is just a gas station. I’m not sure how many calories there are in a urinal mint.
So, I have been spending hours researching each and every town. I’m also using the Halfmile Anywhere 2017 Survey as a guide. Based upon that survey there are thirteen towns were I will need to ship a box. They are the following locations:
It turns out that my very first resupply point after about five days is one of the towns on the list — Warner Springs. So, before I leave, I will ship a single box to Warner Springs. That box will have four-days of food in it. That may be overkill, because will stop at the Paradise Cafe for lunch and get a burger. It is a rite of passage on the trail.
For Kennedy Meadows South (Yes, there are two towns with the same name in California), I will do a gear swap. Before I can enter the Sierra Mountains, I will need a bear canister, an ice axe, micro-spikes for my shoes and a warmer base layer. I will keep this heavier gear only as long as I need it.
For the Northern California towns, I will ship boxes myself. I will ship a box from Tuolumne Meadows to Kennedy Meadows North. From South Lake Tahoe, I will ship a box to Sierra City and Belden.
For Oregon I will use a similar strategy. From Ashland, I will ship a box to Mazama and Shelter Cove. From Bend, I will ship a box to Timberline Lodge.
That leaves Washington. There are not many options there. The most likely strategy there is full resupplies from home. I’ll worry about that when I get there.
Using this strategy, I only have to pack one box before I leave. That makes this trip much simpler.
I was completely settled on the Altra Lone Peak 3.0 trail shoes for my hike, but Altra has upgraded them to 3.5. I tried ordering version 3.0 on-line, but they are discontinued. So, I’ve ordered a version 3.5 and I have to say they are an improvement.
From a size and foot feel, they are the same. What has changed is that there are now four points to connect your gaiters, they have improved the outer structure by reinforcing the skeleton, and they changed the ventilating fabric.
My Dirty Girl gaiters only have two connecting points, so the four point gaiter doesn’t help me. The outer structure improvement will hopefully improve durability. The biggest complaint about them on the trail is that you go through four or five pairs. I didn’t have any issues like that with my 3.0’s and they have a good 400 miles on them.
The fabric change might be a big deal. They are now using a fabric with smaller pores. This should reduce the amount of sand and dust that gets in while still allowing the shoes to breathe. Reducing the sand and dust will reduce one of the key ingredients to blisters. On my six-day shakedown, my feet were always wet and muddy. The 3.0 shoe did a great job of drying itself off as I walked. We’ll see if the 3.5 version does just as well.