Border to border takes 5.3 million steps with beginner's mind.
I am watching the cold rain drip off my office window thinking about one year ago – making lists, buying food and gear, all the while wondering what the hell I had got myself into. Even after completing the hike, that is an unanswerable question because everything changes. What I do know is that I prepared as well as I could and then let go of my preconceived notion of what was going to actually happen. I am dedicating this post to all the hikers going through their own preparation while the deeper questions continue to swirl.
I have written about my gear and food. This post is about logistics. Self-supported hikers do not have anyone meeting them during the hike. They hitchhike to resupply locations and either pick up boxes mailed to that location or buy food locally. If you are a self-supported thru-hiker, I recommend using this excellent Trail Resupply Guide from Halfway Anywhere. I used the gear reviews posted by Halfway Anywhere extensively in my preparation. His resupply guide paints a clear picture of what self-supported thru-hikers would have done differently. He covers resupply strategy/frequency, mailing boxes versus purchasing food, resupply locations, food selection, and much more. My post focuses on supported hikers and those who support them, but all hikers might find missing pieces to their logistics puzzle.
I was so fortunate that Pleasure-Way supported me during my 118 hiking days that spanned 151 calendar days. Her support allowed me to adjust as I learned what gear and food I actually needed. Her moral support was even more essential, as was my ability to recover more quickly during my zeros because I didn’t need to hitchhike into town and run errands all day.
Even though my hiking logistics puzzle was simpler, Pleasure-Way and I had to work on two puzzles simultaneously because the supporting party navigates a complex rural landscape. We both needed to meet at a known place at a specific time. How many of you have had trouble finding your party after getting separated while shopping or at an event. Imagine an event the size of the western US with limited cell service in remote locations and questionable roads. For more information about how to pull all of this off, take a look at my post, Pleasure-Way: an interview with 2021’s best Trail Angel. Constantly adjusting our plan for when and how to meet was more complicated than my resupply puzzle.
Below, I have copied another spreadsheet to aid your planning, Rib’s Border to Border Logistics. This list shows every hiking day and our meeting locations for zeros and resupplies. We became very good at resupply points that did not cost any miles; in fact, they lengthened my days. If I knew I was coming into a resupply, I could push my mileage that day. Nearly half of my 30+ mile days ended in a meet-up with Pleasure-Way. As you use this for your planning, remember that we jumped to northern California twice to avoid snow in the Sierra and meet family members. We were fortunate that we did not have to jump to avoid new fires, but this is now the new reality for many hikers.
As you continue to put your logistics puzzles together, occasionally take a break and walk the hike in your mind’s eye. The beautiful and solitary moments are endless and await your trip of a lifetime. Pleasure-Way and I look forward to seeing you at the Frog Lake trailhead near Mt. Hood on July 22-25.
