Month: July 2018

Friday was my big resupply planning and, buying, packing and mailing day. I have to buy food and mail it ahead to locations on the trail that do not have a food market that I can count on buying meals from. So I have to acquire

• Five days of food to carry to get me to Crater Lakes
• Four days of food to box and send to Crater Lakes to get me to Shelter Cove
• Five days of food to box and send to Shelter Cove to get me to the Town of Sisters
• Three days of food to box and send to Timberline Lodge to get me to Cascade Locks
• And three days of food to box and send to Snoqualmie Pass to get me to Stevens Pass/Skykomish

I had to visit two food stores (one didn’t have Almond Snickers) and a Mountaineering Store to get a new digging tool.Most of these boxes can be sent via the US Postal Service, but one location only accepts UPS packages, so it makes it that much more work.There are other stops on the trail or near enough to it, that have grocery stores I can buy from. That’s much easier, although I may be at risk of having to accept what’s available. Luckily, I’m still ahead of the PCT “herd” that is working their way through the Sierras and Northern CA now. All the shopping caused my foot to start hurting again. After consulting with Dr. Alice, we agreed I should visit Urgent Care on Saturday to rule out a more serious injury. In the meantime I’m taking ibuprofen and icing my leg. Saturday morning I was second in line at the local Urgent Care. X-rays showed my tibia is fine, no micro fractures, so the diagnosis is “Shin Splints”. Bad news, but could be worse, the hiking may be delayed but not over. I’ve decided that I need to take a few more days off trail to let my leg mend. Thankfully, Rob and Alice are wonderful people and have offered to let me stay the extra time I need. It’s all part of the trail: dealing what what the trail throws at you: snow, swollen rivers, hot days, big hills, injuries, etc. I’m determined to finish this trail!