The Next One Will Have Pictures (+0 mi)

It's been a long three months since my last post, but I'm finally less than two weeks out from starting my PCT thru-hike! Some minor changes: My trip is now planned to be from May 17th until September 20th, which puts me at an average of 21 miles a day.

Tracker

My Spot tracker is live! Currently you can only see the half-Pemi loop I did last year with my little brother Robbie, as well as some tests from near my apartment. Soon you'll be able to track my movement along the PCT. https://maps.findmespot.com/s/50QM

Meetup

If you want to meet up, here's how to figure out when I'll be where. I intend to visit major cities along the trail when possible.

Pick a location, and find which mile marker of the PCT I'll be near with this map. (Click on the gear icon and select "Location Type -> Waypoint". Zoom in until there's a waypoint close to where you want.) Divide the mile marker by 21 miles, and add that number of days to May 16th to have a good guess as to when I'll arrive. Some examples:

5/17 - 21 miles - First night out after the southern terminus
6/1 - 337 miles - Crossing I-15 north of LA
6/30 - 944 miles - Tuolumne Meadows Campground on Hwy 120
7/27 - 1507 miles - Crossing I-5 near Dunsmuir
8/27 - 2160 miles - The Bridge of the Gods on I-84 outside of Portland
9/20 - 2653 miles - Canadian Border

I do not intend to follow this schedule exactly, but I should be within a week of it. I won't be able to commit to exact dates now, but I can follow a rigid schedule for about 2 weeks at a time.

Care Packages

I like getting mail, especially when I get to pick it up from a post office in the middle of nowhere. I especially like getting baked goods and letters in the mail. Everything you send will be consumed and disposed of pretty much immediately. (Including letters, but I will make sure to take good photos to preserve them digitally.)

I will update this blog with locations where I intend to be in the next couple of weeks. Let's try an example. On May 18th, I'm going to do a resupply in Mount Laguna. (Might as well carry less food when I'm gonna pass a town.) If you wanted to send something to me, you would address it:

Hold for PCT Hiker Matt Wismer ETA 5/18
General Delivery
Mount Laguna, CA 91948

That would let me pick it up at Mount Laguna's post office with my ID. But don't actually send anything there. The second day of my trip is a ridiculous time to get a care package. (General Delivery is a really neat USPS feature.)

Future Posts

As the title promises, the next post will have pictures of my hike. I'll keep this blog updated at least every few weeks while I'm hiking. You'll get a lot of photos, some stories about the trail and people I meet on it, and some fantasy book reviews. On the AT I read through the Wheel of Time. On the PCT I'm going for Malazan Book of the Fallen.