The PCT will surely be a test of physical endurance. In between all the fun we’ve been having over the last six weeks of funmeployment, Maggie and I are trying our best to stay in shape and build up some baseline strength. We typically run a few miles a few days a week. This helps to maintain some cardio, and maybe a little leg strength, but carrying a loaded pack is a whole different ball game.
We filled our packs again with all the gear we plan to use on the PCT, a little bit of food, and 4 liters of water. An easy 10 mile trail in the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque seemed like a good place to go for a training hike. I’m not sure how much good it will do to go out for a handful of hikes, certainly not enough to really get into good shape for backpacking, but I don’t believe it hurts. Well… it sort of does.
The full packs felt rather heavy once again. The weight is simply something my body isn’t used to. It will likely take several weeks on the trail to get accustomed to carrying our home, kitchen, bed, dresser, and a bunch of miscellaneous stuff we need.
Hiking in the Sandias is super interesting because of how many ecological zones you pass through in such a short distance. The lowest region, close to 6,000 feet, is high cold desert- grass, cactus, yucca, and the occasional one-seed juniper- very open and exposed with little moisture. Not much higher, perhaps 6,500 feet, the pinyon pine starts filling the gaps between the juniper. More birds are noticeable, feeding on the large pine nuts and bugs they attract. Closer to 7,000 feet, the one-seed juniper is replaced by rocky mountain juniper, with its pendulous blue foliage, and ponderosa pines start towering over the pinyon. At 8,000 feet we start seeing aspens, scrub oak, willow, and alder, especially where water gathers near drainages. At last, these lower altitude plants give way to the sub-alpine near 9,000 feet, where Douglas-fir, white fir, and spruce grow in dense forests in some places. The top of the Sandia Crest feels like a completely different planet compared to the open desert you see below.
We started seeing snow and ice on the trail, which was great! This was the perfect opportunity to try out our microspikes, which we’ll need for some sections of the PCT. After slowly trying to get across some snow fields, we slapped on our spikes and were able to pick up the pace again.
At the top, 2,800 feet above the trail head, we bundled up in our puffy jackets and enjoyed some left over sushi we made the night before. I love this, not only for how filling and delicious sushi is, but also for how ridiculous it is to eat sushi on top of a mountain. Another great example of human ingenuity at work.
Our fingers thoroughly frozen by wind and cloud cover, we cruised back down. Maggie is very fast on the downhill, I actively try to keep up with her, feeling the extra weight with every step in my thighs and feet. We saw no more than 10 people on the trail that day, which was quite nice, and a bit amazing for the proximity to Albuquerque. We of course celebrated a successful day by sharing a beer with some friends in the city.
The next day, we went grocery shopping. Boring, I know, but these groceries are for resupply boxes we will have friends send to us on the PCT. We chose 10 locations to do this based on some research and recommendations from past PCT hikers. In total, we intend to buy food for about 40 days on the trail, for both of us. My back of the napkin calculations suggested this is over 240 meals! We’re gonna need to make a couple trips…
You see things quite differently when shopping for backpacking food. The ideal food is light (i.e. dehydrated), calorie dense, easy to prepare, and hopefully delicious. Very few things check all these boxes, but we tried our best to get some variety. Back at home, we laid out our purchases, roughly organized by meal (breakfast/lunch/dinner), and we both started filling a box for a 5 day resupply. You would think with all the food in front of you, it would be easy to just throw stuff in, but… I underestimated how hard this is in reality. Feeling overwhelmed after a few hours of staring at this pile of junk food we just bought, we called it quits after putting together 3 boxes total.
The next two weeks will be dedicated to more PCT prep and moving out of our apartment. With permits in hand, and a flight to San Diego booked, the clock is ticking.
Distance Over Time 