Defeating Perfectionism one check box at a time

Yesterday I drove 392 miles with 2 dogs and a car full of food. The goal: to organize some semblance of a resupply strategy. According to Halfway Anywhere the PCT class of 2018 sent 9 resupply boxes on average. This seems to be so few to my over prepping mind. At my last count, I am planning on around 17 give or take. The final count will be no less than 10. There seems to be a consensus on where you “need” to send boxes and then the rest ends up being preference.

The 10 that will be for sure on the list are, in NoBo (Northbound) order:
1. Warner Springs
2. Kennedy Meadows South (Non negotiable bear canister from this point on)
3. Sierra City
4. Crater Lake/Mazama Village Store
5. Big Lake Youth Camp (Apparently they will hold a package and feed you for about $5!)
6. Timberline Lodge (All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast here too!)
7. White Pass
8. Snoqualmie Pass
9. Stevens Pass/Skykomish
10. Stehekin

Getting the list of resupply stops down to 17 was difficult. I think I am worrying my poor parents. They shook their heads at the quantity of food/size of the boxes that don’t look like it could sustain me for any amount of time. It is strange, on one hand I have a hard time envisioning the bounty that will be mine for the purchase at any of the grocery stores along the way. Yet, on the other hand, I will be hiking miles upon miles on a primitive, 18 inch wide strip of dirt that is not really that far from civilization for most of it. But is it really any wonder that we (my parents and I) have a hard time envisioning it though. A lot of the Washington stretch of the PCT is pretty secluded. Other areas just don’t have reasonable options to resupply a hiker (a poorly stocked gas station or none at all). Our Alpine wilderness is not the same as the Southern Californian desert, obviously.

At a certain point I just have to acknowledge that my best planning is all I can do. After that I just have faith that I will be taken care of. In using Craig’s PCT Planner (This is a link to my personal plan) I can check and uncheck all the necessary boxes to make what I think is a do-able plan. I am so thankful for all of the patience my parents offer me as they sit through me thinking and rethinking (therefore changing) my plan of attack on this monster hike. I think I am really just chomping to get out there on the trail and see what I can see.