One of the main things that has taken up a lot of my time in recent months has focused on honing and advancing my outdoor survival skills for the trail. I’ve been doing this through several different outlets (classes, reading, a thru-hiker event, and coaching), and thankfully it has mostly been review instead of having to go and learn all new things from scratch.
Classes
I’ve taken several courses, but the first three listed below were the most helpful ones! The classes were through REI, NOLS, and/or Mountain Adventure Seminars. While at these classes, I met several PCTers, several of whom are starting within 1-2 days of me, so it was nice to get to meet some people prior to setting out!
- Wilderness First Aid- I’ve been trained in first aid in the past, but it was extremely useful to learn about more long-term care that needs to take place in a wilderness environment.
- Compass and Map Navigation Courses- My past experiences in this realm have been mainly self taught. It was great to get some formal training!
- Ice Ax and Crampon Course- Given all of the snow that won’t stop falling across the west coast this year, it’s critical that I’m comfortable using both of these pieces of equipment for snow travel. I’ve learned how to use these in the past in preparation for my first (unsuccessful) attempt on Mt. Whitney, but that was 4 years ago, so a refresher was necessary!
- Snow Camping- Again, it won’t stop snowing, and there is a chance that I will need to camp in snow. I learned a fair bit of wilderness winter survival during high school, but that was more focused on surviving an unexpected blizzard. Snow camping talked about intentionally sleeping on snow and best ways to set up camp, even with 3-season gear.
- Lightweight Backpacking- Gear is a constant concern. Trying to minimize my base-weight while still being safe has basically consumed my brain for the past 7 months, so many many hours have been spent on this challenge, including by taking courses.
- GPS Course- I have a Garmin InReach that I plan to use on my hike. Having never used a GPS device before (except for the ones in for cars), I took a class on how to properly use it.
Reading
Books I’ve Read Cover to Cover:
- Long Trails- Liz Thomas- Highly recommend– This is basically a beginners guide to thru-hiking. If you’re starting at zero thru-hiking experience, like I am, this was a great book to get ready for the trail.
- Yogi’s PCT Handbook aka “The Bible”- Jackie McDonnell- Highly recommend– this is basically a one stop shop for sooooo much info about the PCT
- Pacific Crest Trials- Zach Davis- Highly recommend– this is all about mentally preparing yourself for a marathon hike
- Wilderness Survival: Staying Alive Until Help Arrives- Suzanne Swedo
Books Skimmed:
- The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide- Andrew Skurka- All gear books are helpful up to a point since they become dated by the time they are published. This one is excellent, but I only skimmed because I could find more up to date info online.
- Backpacking the Light Way- Richard Light
- FalconGuides Ultralight Backpackin’ Tips- Mike Clelland
- PCT Data Book
Books Currently Being Read:
- Bliss(ters): How I Walked from Mexico to Canada One Summer- Gail Francis- So far, so good. It’s an account from a woman about her solo PCT journey… seems apropos
- NOLS Wilderness Medicine- Tod Schimelpfenig- Very dense, but useful!
Books I wish I had time to read:
- Thru-hiking will break your heart- Carrot Quinn- This one looks amazing, but I haven’t had the time. Maybe after I’m done, I’ll get the chance to dive in!
You’ll notice that “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed is not on any of these lists. I did read it in 2013, and also saw the movie when it came out. I think it’s an excellent memoir, and while I admire Strayed for what she was able to accomplish, the book itself is not very useful in terms of preparation for the trail. Strayed was attempting to overcome the loss of her mother and the downward spiral that ensued. She had little to no backpacking experience and carried a pack that was HUGE! Given these two constraints, it’s an amazing feat that she was able to go as far as she did, but it’s not the way that I wanted to go with for this trip. As I said in my “Why I’m Hiking the PCT” post, I’m in the middle of a career transition in my life, and I’m hoping to take advantage of it. I basically grew up in the woods, have spent a lot of my adulthood free-time outdoors, and have taken many courses throughout the years in trying to increase my outdoor skill levels. I also plan to carry a pack that has a base weight of less than 15 pounds. Therefore I didn’t think it would be a good book to spend time with again before my trip.
Thru-hiker Event
I was able to attend the NorCal Ruck put on by the American Long Distance Hiking Association- West (ALDHA-West) in January. This was an incredibly useful and fun event to attend! Topics covered were navigation, safety, trail etiquette, leave no trace, lightweight gear, food/resupply, and budgeting. I was also able to get a pack shakedown by an experienced thru-hiker (Bobcat) that made me a lot more confident in the gear setup I’ve chosen. The ALDHA-West community was amazing, and it was nice to meet so many fellow thru-hikers!
Coaching
I met Danielle “Giggles” at a REI Course about the PCT. She’s part of the 2017 PCT class, and she offers a lot of expertise on outdoor adventures. Most of these sessions were over the phone, so if you are interested, you can work with her from anywhere! The topics that we covered were across the spectrum and I could pick and choose what I felt was most relevant for me to learn. Things we discussed: Permits, Mental Prep, River Crossings, Desert Travel, Physical Training, Resupply Strategies, Setting Up a Home Base (for gear needs and emergencies), Gear Care and Repair. It was especially helpful talking with her about gear considerations! She’s very experienced, so she was able to walk me through the pros and cons for most pieces of gear, and she was also able to let me see and tryout gear that’s made through several cottage companies. Cottage companies are typically smaller and are focused on making ultralight gear. Most of the things you buy are hand made by people who are passionate about the outdoors. Because they are smaller companies and a lot of things are custom made, they are not typically sold in the big retailers (REI, Amazon, etc.). This can make it difficult to bite the bullet to buy them because returning purchases is not as easy as it is at the big retailers, therefore, having the opportunity to see some of the gear that Giggles owns was extremely helpful.
I'm happy when I'm hiking 