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Welcome to Blade Forums wolfee!
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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Pacific Crest Trail thru-hike this summer
- Thread starter tradja
- Start date
Welcome to Blade Forums wolfee!
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Man I'm jealous!
Good luck with the trip, sounds like too much fun. I look forward to following this thread.
Good luck with the trip, sounds like too much fun. I look forward to following this thread.
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- Feb 10, 2006
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Hi wolfee! Welcome to BF! Thanks for the good wishes.
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OK, I finally got a solid draft of our itinerary ready if anyone wants to check it out.
Many days you hike 25, some days you hike high teens, and other days the trail is easy or water is scarce so you do 30's. These documents are approximate by nature. However, my 2006 CDT plan was more or less how that hike happened, and the CDT is a LOT less predictable than the PCT. Days off, injuries, postal hours, logistical difficulties, easy 30-mile days in southern Oregon, trail closures, Reno, fires, floods, mudslides, and other challenges have all sped up or slowed down my past hikes.
For that reason, I'm not concerned about PERSEC by posting this on a public forum. We'll be lucky to be within +/- 3 days of this as the hike proceeds. At 25 miles/day, that identifies our location to within 150 miles at best. Besides, at all times I'll have some combination of 10 knives, to include a Ranger Afghan.
What does 4.2 days food look like? How is it different than 4.8 days food? Yeah, I thought the same thing when I did my first thru-hike plan. But really, it's just a number for when you're shopping.
Whether shopping in trail towns or packing maildrops, we mostly do it by weight: approximately 4lbs per couple per day. It adds up. Oddly, neither temperature nor elevation seem to affect that base number for us.
Our goal this year is to minimize resupply package hassle. On the AT in 1996, I dutifully packed 30 maildrop packages. By the end of the hike, the food was stale and boring. Postage alone was about $500. I found myself rushing to get to town before the PO closed for the weekend, running past a 24-hour supermarket to pick up my resupply box where everything tasted like curry. Those of you who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan are probably familiar with soap-flavored cookies in your care packages. :barf:
In 1999, I did only 5 boxes on the PCT. That meant subsisting on some pretty junky food sometimes. These 2010 boxes are staggered to send new running shoes approximately every 550 miles, along with the next packet of maps and a few packs of AquaMira.
On the CDT in 2006, my wife got burned out on Tradja-dirtbag-style gas station resupply missions. Therefore, this time we added a few extra resupply boxes for places where the only retail resupply options are literally gum, Slim Jims, and chew. But in general, local cash resupply offers greater flexibility in quantity, menu, business hours, and hiking schedule.
In the back of my mind, I really want to attend this late-September Larry Vickers course in my town, but I think we'll just miss it. If we get ahead of schedule, I might try to late register from the trail. But I don't want to spend all summer rushing this hike to try to make the class.
Gear list will be up in the next few days. Much of it is pretty specialized gear so I want to incorporate photos/links. Featured knives are starting to arrive, but I want to wait until they all get here to post.
Many days you hike 25, some days you hike high teens, and other days the trail is easy or water is scarce so you do 30's. These documents are approximate by nature. However, my 2006 CDT plan was more or less how that hike happened, and the CDT is a LOT less predictable than the PCT. Days off, injuries, postal hours, logistical difficulties, easy 30-mile days in southern Oregon, trail closures, Reno, fires, floods, mudslides, and other challenges have all sped up or slowed down my past hikes.
For that reason, I'm not concerned about PERSEC by posting this on a public forum. We'll be lucky to be within +/- 3 days of this as the hike proceeds. At 25 miles/day, that identifies our location to within 150 miles at best. Besides, at all times I'll have some combination of 10 knives, to include a Ranger Afghan.
What does 4.2 days food look like? How is it different than 4.8 days food? Yeah, I thought the same thing when I did my first thru-hike plan. But really, it's just a number for when you're shopping.
Whether shopping in trail towns or packing maildrops, we mostly do it by weight: approximately 4lbs per couple per day. It adds up. Oddly, neither temperature nor elevation seem to affect that base number for us.
Our goal this year is to minimize resupply package hassle. On the AT in 1996, I dutifully packed 30 maildrop packages. By the end of the hike, the food was stale and boring. Postage alone was about $500. I found myself rushing to get to town before the PO closed for the weekend, running past a 24-hour supermarket to pick up my resupply box where everything tasted like curry. Those of you who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan are probably familiar with soap-flavored cookies in your care packages. :barf:
In 1999, I did only 5 boxes on the PCT. That meant subsisting on some pretty junky food sometimes. These 2010 boxes are staggered to send new running shoes approximately every 550 miles, along with the next packet of maps and a few packs of AquaMira.
On the CDT in 2006, my wife got burned out on Tradja-dirtbag-style gas station resupply missions. Therefore, this time we added a few extra resupply boxes for places where the only retail resupply options are literally gum, Slim Jims, and chew. But in general, local cash resupply offers greater flexibility in quantity, menu, business hours, and hiking schedule.
In the back of my mind, I really want to attend this late-September Larry Vickers course in my town, but I think we'll just miss it. If we get ahead of schedule, I might try to late register from the trail. But I don't want to spend all summer rushing this hike to try to make the class.
Gear list will be up in the next few days. Much of it is pretty specialized gear so I want to incorporate photos/links. Featured knives are starting to arrive, but I want to wait until they all get here to post.
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Ok, so you hike in shoes instead of the more tradtional boots? What models/weights? I know some of the local ultralight backpackers wear trail runners, but they say their shoes don't last anywhere near 550 miles. Heck, I usually toss my running shoes at 500, even though I keep my fully-dressed running weight less than 160, but I do run on rail ballast probably 10-20% of my mileage and that beats the living crap out of the shoes.
Eric
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- Feb 10, 2006
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Prep is coming along! We've got our resupply boxes mostly packed -- these boxes represent about 50 of our total ~150 days on the trail. The remaining days will be resupplied locally as we go.
Laying out the boxes with a summary sheet:
A bunch of "day food":
Some dinner stuff:
Top to bottom: Instant mashed potatoes, bulk sundried tomatoes, stuffing mix, mac-chee, instant black beans (I love these, especially in mac-chee with taco seasoning), various seasoning packets for rice/pasta/potatoes, orzo.
The dehydrator has been running around the clock. So far, we've dried about 10lbs of misc/mixed frozen veggies, about 3lbs of mushrooms, about 2 gallons of cooked dahl (Indian lentils), and a few pounds of cooked yams (Mrs. Tradja has some foil-pouch salmon dinner she wants to do with these).
Mushrooms:
Cooked yams:
I like New Balance, both for the construction and because if you select the right model, they are made in the US. This time, I found a great deal on 415's and got 4 pair (I will start the trip with my current runners). I generally don't like dedicated trail runners -- too heavy, stiff, and usually not as breathable. It's a bit different than running. Sure, it's 20-25+ mile days, but at a walking pace on moderate, if dusty, trail. I pushed a lightweight pair of Nikes for just over 750 miles in 1999 when a replacement pair was lost in the mail. That sucked.
The shoes look pretty bad when you toss 'em 4 weeks later. Those will be great pics to post.
Mrs. Tradja wears a combination of Brooks, Asics, and Sauconys.
Laying out the boxes with a summary sheet:
A bunch of "day food":
Some dinner stuff:
Top to bottom: Instant mashed potatoes, bulk sundried tomatoes, stuffing mix, mac-chee, instant black beans (I love these, especially in mac-chee with taco seasoning), various seasoning packets for rice/pasta/potatoes, orzo.
The dehydrator has been running around the clock. So far, we've dried about 10lbs of misc/mixed frozen veggies, about 3lbs of mushrooms, about 2 gallons of cooked dahl (Indian lentils), and a few pounds of cooked yams (Mrs. Tradja has some foil-pouch salmon dinner she wants to do with these).
Mushrooms:
Cooked yams:
I like New Balance, both for the construction and because if you select the right model, they are made in the US. This time, I found a great deal on 415's and got 4 pair (I will start the trip with my current runners). I generally don't like dedicated trail runners -- too heavy, stiff, and usually not as breathable. It's a bit different than running. Sure, it's 20-25+ mile days, but at a walking pace on moderate, if dusty, trail. I pushed a lightweight pair of Nikes for just over 750 miles in 1999 when a replacement pair was lost in the mail. That sucked.
The shoes look pretty bad when you toss 'em 4 weeks later. Those will be great pics to post.
Mrs. Tradja wears a combination of Brooks, Asics, and Sauconys.
Last edited:
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- Nov 18, 2009
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- 1,258
Prep is coming along! We've got our resupply boxes mostly packed -- these boxes represent about 50 of our total ~150 days on the trail. The remaining days will be resupplied locally as we go.
Laying out the boxes with a summary sheet:
A bunch of "day food":
Some dinner stuff:
Top to bottom: Instant mashed potatoes, bulk sundried tomatoes, stuffing mix, mac-chee, instant black beans (I love these, especially in mac-chee with taco seasoning), various seasoning packets for rice/pasta/potatoes, orzo.
The dehydrator has been running around the clock. So far, we've dried about 10lbs of misc/mixed frozen veggies, about 3lbs of mushrooms, about 2 gallons of cooked dahl (Indian lentils), and a few pounds of cooked yams (Mrs. Tradja has some foil-pouch salmon dinner she wants to do with these).
Mushrooms:
Cooked yams:
I like New Balance, both for the construction and because if you select the right model, they are made in the US. This time, I found a great deal on 415's and got 4 pair. I generally don't like dedicated trail runners -- too heavy, stiff, and usually not as breathable. It's a bit different than running. Sure, it's 20-25+ mile days, but at a walking pace on moderate, if dusty, trail. I pushed a lightweight pair of Nikes for just over 750 miles in 1999 when a replacement pair was lost in the mail. That sucked.
The shoes look pretty bad when you toss 'em 4 weeks later. Those will be great pics to post.
Mrs. Tradja wears a combination of Brooks, Asics, and Sauconys.
Tradja if I may make a recomendation
http://www.salomon.com/us/#/footwear/footwear/trail-running/xa-pro-3d-ultra-gtx
1 pair lasted me not only 7 years of normal use but also 600 miles on the PCT
they are awesome shoes!
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Those look pretty good! I like how meshy they are compared to many trail runners. Was the Gore-Tex sweaty? Which 600 miles?
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Holy food bags batman!!!
Yeah Saucony! Best tennis shoes ever!:thumbup:
I have this thread bookmarked for periodic checking. Man you guys are ambitious though! I'm usually sick of walking around 10-13miles, I couldn't imagine 30 miles!
I would probably try to start earlier in the year and give myself more time, but perhaps weather doesn't permit?
Man, I wish I had the ability to be making knives right now. I would definitely send you a tester to take.
Couple questions for ya:
* What is your average (trailhead) pack weight? Including water and food, etc.
* What kind of boil times (16oz.) do you get with that pepsiG stove? I have getting together what I need to make a similar one, that someone claims a 3:30 boil time with(indoors of course). If I could even come close to that, I may switch from my pocket rocket and save a whole pound off my pack! My pocket rocket takes 3:40 to boil, so I would be willing to sacrifice up to a minute to save a pound, but not sure I'm willing to wait 10 minutes for my food... I'm also gonna experiment making a caldera cone for my test stoves to see if I can't help the times a little, as well as save more weight by combining windscreen and pot stand.
Yeah Saucony! Best tennis shoes ever!:thumbup:
I have this thread bookmarked for periodic checking. Man you guys are ambitious though! I'm usually sick of walking around 10-13miles, I couldn't imagine 30 miles!
I would probably try to start earlier in the year and give myself more time, but perhaps weather doesn't permit?Man, I wish I had the ability to be making knives right now. I would definitely send you a tester to take.
Couple questions for ya:
* What is your average (trailhead) pack weight? Including water and food, etc.
* What kind of boil times (16oz.) do you get with that pepsiG stove? I have getting together what I need to make a similar one, that someone claims a 3:30 boil time with(indoors of course). If I could even come close to that, I may switch from my pocket rocket and save a whole pound off my pack! My pocket rocket takes 3:40 to boil, so I would be willing to sacrifice up to a minute to save a pound, but not sure I'm willing to wait 10 minutes for my food... I'm also gonna experiment making a caldera cone for my test stoves to see if I can't help the times a little, as well as save more weight by combining windscreen and pot stand.
Last edited:
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Have a safe time
Thanks for sharing your journey and the great pics.
We'll be checking in with excitement.
Mark and Holly
Thanks for sharing your journey and the great pics.
We'll be checking in with excitement.
Mark and Holly
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2006
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Holy food bags batman!!!
Yeah Saucony! Best tennis shoes ever!:thumbup:
I have this thread bookmarked for periodic checking. Man you guys are ambitious though! I'm usually sick of walking around 10-13miles, I couldn't imagine 30 miles!
Man, I wish I had the ability to be making knives right now. I would definitely send you a tester to take.
Couple questions for ya:
* What is your average (trailhead) pack weight? Including water and food, etc.
* What kind of boil times (16oz.) do you get with that pepsiG stove? I have getting together what I need to make a similar one, that someone claims a 3:30 boil time with(indoors of course). If I could even come close to that, I may switch from my pocket rocket and save a whole pound off my pack! My pocket rocket takes 3:40 to boil, so I would be willing to sacrifice up to a minute to save a pound, but not sure I'm willing to wait 10 minutes for my food... I'm also gonna experiment making a caldera cone for my test stoves to see if I can't help the times a little, as well as save more weight by combining windscreen and pot stand.
Yeah, early spring weather can get dicey in SoCal, at least up high. In 1998, I was caught in a bad blizzard in early May at about 9000ft on Mt San Jacinto, not far out of Palm Springs.
WEIGHT: I'm still trying to finalize the list, but base pack weight should be around 10-12lbs for each of us. The max water load would usually be around 10 liters for me (22lbs), and the max food load for the 175-mile Sierra stretch will be about 30lbs for me. Most of the time, north of the SoCal deserts, I will not be carrying much water and only about 2-4 days food, so the normal carry weight will be in the mid-high teens. I carry most of the food for both of us, and Mrs. Tradja carries both down bags -- I carry the weight in my smaller pack, she carries the volume in her larger pack.
STOVE: I've never conducted formal boil tests. It's fast enough for us, but we usually boil at least 1L of water at a time, sometimes more. Frequently, it starts out as pretty cold creek water. I doubt it would boil a pint in 3:30, but I've never tried. With more than 200 nights on it so far, we're very happy with the Pepsi-G, but fast boil times was not a selling point.
Last summer, I did an informal head-to-head with a Caldera and the Pepsi-G smoked it, even starting later and boiling more water. My buddy tried to explain how efficient his Caldera is, but I was almost done cooking by the time his boiled. IMHO, the pot seemed way too high up, the stove was starved for oxygen by the tight-fitting Caldera cone, and the stove itself was too busy being efficient to burn any fuel and produce any heat. Admittedly, the Caldera is a sound and popular pattern, but I was not impressed. I reckon we'll see many more on the PCT this summer. You will probably have better results with your own Caldera-style screen using your own stoves.
We just prototyped some hardware cloth pot stands for the trip (pics forthcoming). They're all about 0.6-0.7 oz, and will support a full 3L pot.
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Awesome! Thanks for the reply!
I am constantly amazed at how light you guys are able to get your loads.
Are you going to post a full packing list at any time?
I'd be interested to know exactly what your packing that you are able to have what you need for such low weight. I'm usually at about 35lbs. including food and water, but admittedly I could save about 3lbs. off our tent if I could convince the wife to let me spend the money...
P.S. I just got done testing a pepsi stove, and was able to achieve a 3:10 boil time! That was one second faster than my pocket rocket! But that doesn't include prime time which is about 1 min. Now I just have to experiment with windscreens, caldera cones, pot stands, pots, to find the lightest/fastest combination.
I am constantly amazed at how light you guys are able to get your loads.
Are you going to post a full packing list at any time?
I'd be interested to know exactly what your packing that you are able to have what you need for such low weight. I'm usually at about 35lbs. including food and water, but admittedly I could save about 3lbs. off our tent if I could convince the wife to let me spend the money...
P.S. I just got done testing a pepsi stove, and was able to achieve a 3:10 boil time! That was one second faster than my pocket rocket! But that doesn't include prime time which is about 1 min. Now I just have to experiment with windscreens, caldera cones, pot stands, pots, to find the lightest/fastest combination.
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that is awesome that you are doing the whole PCT with your wife. I'm picking up where I left off at siskiyou pass in Oregon and doing the 312 mile OR. trek this summer. I might see you on the trail or try to meet up with you. have you thought about doing a bump box? I think they are great for gear you don't need to carry the whole trail. ice axe ect. it's a good way to send some hard to get batteries and extra med supplies ahead of you too. are you going ultra light with the tent?
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Did you have a custom laminated warncliff necker made for your 2006 trip, or am I thinking of someone else?
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Cool! Yes, we might see you out there. What timeframe are you looking at for Siskiyou Pass?
I'm not into bump boxes, due mainly to the shipping expense. When I've run a bounce box, I've found that I pay $24 to ship it to the next town, just so I can open it and get out a $4 set of batteries, then ship it on. Also, it's one more thing to carry around town. We're getting our ice axes in our normal Kennedy Medows box, then we'll just ditch them at a friend's place in Tahoe.
Our tent (tarp/bug house combo) isn't ultralight by today's standards of 6oz cuben fiber tarps and 5 oz bivies. I just typed up a big gear post and will get it up in a few minutes.
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Yep, that was a Murray Carter Muteki wharncliff necker our CDT hike. I posted that on the camping subform of another knife-related forum. That was a great hike.
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Whew! Im scrambling around to get the rest of the house packed up. Its 3am, I still have to vacuum the whole house, take out the trash, make the bed with fresh sheets, pack my scattered gear, and my ride to the airport arrives at 6:45pm. Ive just finished typing this up and want to get it posted.
I just wanted to post a quick roundup of my (mostly) finalized gear, and more importantly, the KNIVES!!!
WORN ON BODY:
This gear is worn, pretty much daily. The other clothes might go over these, but on past hikes I dont really take these off:
Columbia Silver Ridge shorts: On past hikes, Ive just worn soccer or board shorts. For this trip, I selected shorts that have belt loops so I can belt-carry the sponsor knives. REI Sahara shorts are very popular with thru-hikers, but when I tried them on, I found that the 2009 closeouts were painfully crude and cheap, and the 2010s were just a Chinese knockoff of the Columbias. So I opted for the Indonesian-made Columbias instead.
In real life, Ive learned that a stiffer belt helps tremendously with a CCW. However, Im not interested in wearing my usual 1.75 5-stich Wilderness Instructors belt for 2700 miles this summer. So I upgraded the flimsy stock strap belt on the shorts to this stiffer webbing belt that Ive had for years.
I always thought these shirts were for dentists from Cleveland when they go on an $8000, 4-day Eco-Tour in Costa Rica. However, I wore a similar one on the CDT and really liked the fit, comfort in blazing sun, and pockets. Ive seen em called PFG (Professional Fishing Guide) shirts and adventure travel shirts. This North Face nylon shirt was less than $10 shipped NWT from eBay.
Suunto Altimax watch Won this at work years ago, and love it. It is the simplest model with no worthless digital compass, but I really like the altimeter as a navigation tool on established, ascending or descending trails -- its easy to see where the trail crosses a contour line. Off-trail, it is still pretty useful. I carried a GPS on the CDT and would again, but it is not needed on more-defined trails like the PCT and AT.
I just wanted to post a quick roundup of my (mostly) finalized gear, and more importantly, the KNIVES!!!
WORN ON BODY:
This gear is worn, pretty much daily. The other clothes might go over these, but on past hikes I dont really take these off:
Columbia Silver Ridge shorts: On past hikes, Ive just worn soccer or board shorts. For this trip, I selected shorts that have belt loops so I can belt-carry the sponsor knives. REI Sahara shorts are very popular with thru-hikers, but when I tried them on, I found that the 2009 closeouts were painfully crude and cheap, and the 2010s were just a Chinese knockoff of the Columbias. So I opted for the Indonesian-made Columbias instead.
In real life, Ive learned that a stiffer belt helps tremendously with a CCW. However, Im not interested in wearing my usual 1.75 5-stich Wilderness Instructors belt for 2700 miles this summer. So I upgraded the flimsy stock strap belt on the shorts to this stiffer webbing belt that Ive had for years.
I always thought these shirts were for dentists from Cleveland when they go on an $8000, 4-day Eco-Tour in Costa Rica. However, I wore a similar one on the CDT and really liked the fit, comfort in blazing sun, and pockets. Ive seen em called PFG (Professional Fishing Guide) shirts and adventure travel shirts. This North Face nylon shirt was less than $10 shipped NWT from eBay.
Suunto Altimax watch Won this at work years ago, and love it. It is the simplest model with no worthless digital compass, but I really like the altimeter as a navigation tool on established, ascending or descending trails -- its easy to see where the trail crosses a contour line. Off-trail, it is still pretty useful. I carried a GPS on the CDT and would again, but it is not needed on more-defined trails like the PCT and AT.