That's right, 86 days until I step foot on the PCT, on the Mexican boarder, heading north. The only thing in my life right now that would prevent me from hiking the entire Pacific Crest Trail this year is if I got the job I applied for two weeks ago in Oregon at Sitka Center for the Arts and Ecology. It seems, since I haven't heard from them this week, that the PCT is the winner of my time.
This of course is exciting and scary. I am excited to buy new gear such as the xtherm - a super warm sleeping pad - and a light weight canister stove. My ex-boyfriend and I hiked the JMT with his MSR Windburner Stove, which is a deluxe, frigging amazing stove, that is, if you are not the one carrying it. Since he will not be with me, I need to find myself a lighter alternative. On the Colorado Trail, I used a handmade penny stove, with a caldera cone, but now that I have camped with an excellent camp stove and a penny stove, I believe I prefer the reliability and speed of a canister stove. I do like that with the penny stove, you know how much fuel you have left in your clear denatured alcohol bottle, but I think it's pretty easy to get the statistics on burns per canister now a days.
So, to recap, I will be buying a stove, and an xtherm. I may also buy a bivy and use it in the desert, and send myself my free standing tent once I hit the Sierras.
On the JMT, I was able to borrow the Bearicaide canister. I am hoping I can borrow it again from the hiker. If not, I will need to buy a bear canister.
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