Canadian couple driven to live and eat naturally. We're travelling the world taking on challenges that test us physically, mentally and emotionally. Visit www.naturallydriven.ca for more!
Friday 27 January 2012
Medical Insurance
One concern when committing to hike the PCT, especially for Canadians, is having emergency medical insurance just in case you suffer an injury that requires immediate medical attention. I've shopped around looking for the best price on ~5 months worth of coverage. The best I found was $720 through the Blue Cross. My boss (Aaron Labarre, owner of 10 Popeye's Supplements Stores) found me a great deal through Co-operators, and even offered to cover the cost!! Aaron's been an awesome help on a number of levels, more so than anyone else.
Monday 23 January 2012
Coming Together
To say Julia and I are novice hikers is an understatement. We don't have a ton of experience with hiking and camping, especially not when it comes multi-day trips, let alone a multi-MONTH expedition! You can only imagine the amount of planning that has had to go into this thing. We had to learn about hiking and camping, the specific equipment we'd need for THIS trail, countless logistical details, nutritional concerns, plans for what we're doing with our place / stuff in Ottawa and so on and so on and so on. An incredibly daunting task, but over the 10 or 11 months, all of these tasks have been taken care of, or are in the process of being taken care of. We're down to the more finite details of everything, desperately trying to avoid overlooking ANYTHING. Just yesterday we received a letter from the Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) confirming our membership with them. It included a map overview of the trail and a sticker!
We don't move out until the end of March, but we'll be staying out in Stittsville for all of March, so we've already began some packing and organizing our stuff, selling some, giving away some and throwing some out. I figure, the more we can do in the month of February, the easier life will be in March, when we have to move everything to our storage locker in Kanata and the more time we'll have to take care of all the final details of the wedding and getting ready to leave for Campo.
We don't move out until the end of March, but we'll be staying out in Stittsville for all of March, so we've already began some packing and organizing our stuff, selling some, giving away some and throwing some out. I figure, the more we can do in the month of February, the easier life will be in March, when we have to move everything to our storage locker in Kanata and the more time we'll have to take care of all the final details of the wedding and getting ready to leave for Campo.
Saturday 21 January 2012
Two feet and a heartbeat
I totally ripped the title of this post off a Youtube video about some guys that hiked the PCT, so please don't give me any creative credit for it. It does, however, describe this post accurately. There's SO much that goes into a successful PCT Thru Hike, an incredible amount of time and energy has already gone into it, but at the end the day, what gets us from A to B to C to D to Manning Park, is our two feet and a heartbeat (ok and maybe a few other things). Because of this, your feet must be taken care of like they're your first born child (or second in the case of our parents). You'd be hard pressed to find a PCT hiker that didn't experience a rash of blisters in the first few hundred miles of the PCT. The combination of the dry heat in the Southern California desert, your ever expanding feet and the fact that just like the rest of you, they haven't become hearty and weathered enough to withstand the daily abuse you're putting them through is THE recipe for blister proliferation. The best treatment for blisters is PREVENTION! Or at least to the best of your ability. I mean, at the end of the day, you just can't always prevent the inevitable. Julia and I think we may just have THE perfect recipe for blister prevention. Check it out.
The first line of defense will be daily (and probably multiple times a day) application of BodyGlide to the areas of the feet most likely to be affected by blisters. We've both used a ton of this stuff in the past, training for and racing triathlons and running events, so we can definitely already attest to its efficacy. You could probably use any non-greasy "lubricant", but we know and trust BodyGlide, so it's going to be our go to solution.
After our feet are sufficiently lubed up, we'll slip on these little treats from heaven. We found the Incredisocks this year and have absolutely loved them from day one. They are incredibly comfortable, NEVER tend to smell (though I'm sure they will after a number of days on the PCT) and they have seemingly lasted forever. We'll expect to go through a half dozen or so of these. We got a couple of the other style that we can wear to sleep or in town, or even hiking. They've all be awesome in testing.
The Brooks Cascadias are the most popular trail runner on the PCT. They have a very generous, roomy toe-box that will accommodate your swelling feet, VERY important in blister prevention. They're also some of the most durable, breathable and generally comfortable shoes you can find for anything done on a trail, running, walking or hiking. We're planning to go through about 6 pairs each of these (1 per 500 miles).
Sounds pretty full proof to me! I guess we won't know though until we're out there in the desert heat, pounding the dirt for a couple weeks! If you're following along in July or August, I'll throw up a YouTube video review of how the plan went. Fingers crossed.
The first line of defense will be daily (and probably multiple times a day) application of BodyGlide to the areas of the feet most likely to be affected by blisters. We've both used a ton of this stuff in the past, training for and racing triathlons and running events, so we can definitely already attest to its efficacy. You could probably use any non-greasy "lubricant", but we know and trust BodyGlide, so it's going to be our go to solution. 
The Brooks Cascadias are the most popular trail runner on the PCT. They have a very generous, roomy toe-box that will accommodate your swelling feet, VERY important in blister prevention. They're also some of the most durable, breathable and generally comfortable shoes you can find for anything done on a trail, running, walking or hiking. We're planning to go through about 6 pairs each of these (1 per 500 miles).
Sounds pretty full proof to me! I guess we won't know though until we're out there in the desert heat, pounding the dirt for a couple weeks! If you're following along in July or August, I'll throw up a YouTube video review of how the plan went. Fingers crossed.
Saturday 14 January 2012
SUPPLEMENTS!
Spending 4.5 months in the wilderness (or most of it anyways) and having to carry all your nutrition means that you concern yourself more with getting in the necessary calories to fuel your 20+ miles per day of hiking, than you do QUALITY nutrition. Getting in enough calories is definitely a priority, but for us, getting in the quality nutrients our bodies will need is equally important. Hiker food, for the most part is exactly fresh. You don't get to carry with you fresh fruits and vegetables as they just weigh way too much for the calories they provide. Everything is measured against a gold standard of 100 calories per ounce. We'll be eating lots of oatmeal, nuts, dried fruits, noodles and rice dishes with spices and some dried vegetable flakes, but we'll be supplementing our diet with some key items that will ensure we're getting in what we need to keep us not only moving, but thriving! The following is a list of "staple" supplements that we'll take pretty well every day.
VegeGreens - One serving of this stuff will provide the nutrient value of 6 - 8 servings of dark green vegetables, the ones known for nutrient density. These will help keep energy levels up, aid in digestion, and just keep our bodies running as efficiently as possible. This is something we use everyday at home as well, since we are very active in endurance sports and have very busy work schedules. Anyone can benefit from VegeGreens, it's certainly not exclusive to athletes.
PhytoBerry - PhytoBerry is an incredible whole body antioxidant. This will be huge to keep our immune systems running at full capacity and help get rid of the free radicals we'll be creating while hike all day long! Another product that we use everyday (or just about everyday). We use it after training sessions, especially longer ones or workouts in extreme conditions, where our immune systems may be compromised. Again, anybody can benefit from PhytoBerry since we all consume or create toxins and free radicals everyday!
Men's And Women's Active Multivitamins - With the stress we'll be putting on our bodies everyday and the lack of variety in our diet, it will be nice to know that we're getting in all the vitamins and minerals we'll need to keep us healthy! We've both been using the multivitamins for year's now and love them!
Protein Powder - Since Julia is Vegan, and I only eat fish, our protein sources at home are somewhat limited. This becomes an even bigger issue while hiking because our muscles will be constantly under stress and so we'll need to give them the amino acids they require to adequately repair! We'll be using products from Progressive and Vega.
Nutrition Bars - Neither of us are fans of chocolate bars, but realize the value of convenience of these prepackaged treats. We prefer nutrition bars that offer quality along with the taste. We'll be using ELEVATE ME! bars as they have all the qualities we look for in a bar. They are essentially comprised of dried fruits and nuts with whey isolate protein. No added sugars or preservatives. These bars won't melt on us in the heat, won't get crushed easily in our packs and they're bars that we already know we can eat DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY without getting sick of the taste. Another bar that's of equal quality, and new on the market is the Precision All Natural Bar. I've fallen in love with their Chocolate Cherry Bar and will be eating a ton of these also.
VegeGreens - One serving of this stuff will provide the nutrient value of 6 - 8 servings of dark green vegetables, the ones known for nutrient density. These will help keep energy levels up, aid in digestion, and just keep our bodies running as efficiently as possible. This is something we use everyday at home as well, since we are very active in endurance sports and have very busy work schedules. Anyone can benefit from VegeGreens, it's certainly not exclusive to athletes.
PhytoBerry - PhytoBerry is an incredible whole body antioxidant. This will be huge to keep our immune systems running at full capacity and help get rid of the free radicals we'll be creating while hike all day long! Another product that we use everyday (or just about everyday). We use it after training sessions, especially longer ones or workouts in extreme conditions, where our immune systems may be compromised. Again, anybody can benefit from PhytoBerry since we all consume or create toxins and free radicals everyday!
Men's And Women's Active Multivitamins - With the stress we'll be putting on our bodies everyday and the lack of variety in our diet, it will be nice to know that we're getting in all the vitamins and minerals we'll need to keep us healthy! We've both been using the multivitamins for year's now and love them!
Protein Powder - Since Julia is Vegan, and I only eat fish, our protein sources at home are somewhat limited. This becomes an even bigger issue while hiking because our muscles will be constantly under stress and so we'll need to give them the amino acids they require to adequately repair! We'll be using products from Progressive and Vega.
Nutrition Bars - Neither of us are fans of chocolate bars, but realize the value of convenience of these prepackaged treats. We prefer nutrition bars that offer quality along with the taste. We'll be using ELEVATE ME! bars as they have all the qualities we look for in a bar. They are essentially comprised of dried fruits and nuts with whey isolate protein. No added sugars or preservatives. These bars won't melt on us in the heat, won't get crushed easily in our packs and they're bars that we already know we can eat DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY without getting sick of the taste. Another bar that's of equal quality, and new on the market is the Precision All Natural Bar. I've fallen in love with their Chocolate Cherry Bar and will be eating a ton of these also.
Thursday 12 January 2012
Some Details of Our Resupply Strategy
April 28th. That’s our official start date. It’s on paper, it’s planned and we can’t wait for it to come! The other date is April 14th, our wedding date!
We’ve done SO much planning in the past while. So many details have been clarified and we’re feeling more and more confident going into it.
Our resupply strategy:
Thanks to Abby, we have a resupply strategy that we’re extremely comfortable with. Abby is a close friend of Julia’s family and just so happens to live in California. She’s offered to help us out with some of our resupply boxes. Certain towns that we go into along this trail will consist of nothing more than a gas station, convenience store and a post office. In those circumstances, Abby will mail us a box that we can pick up at the Post Office that will have everything we need for the next stretch. Luckily for us, from Campo to Tehachpai (where we'll get off trail to go to Bakersfield for a few days) there are plenty of good spots to resupply so Abby will only have to send us one box, that we'll prepare here in Ottawa and mail to her, that she will then mail to us on trail in mid May. This may sound complicated, and it is, but it makes complete sense to us now!! I've learned an immense amount from a handful of guys (Dug (Rawhide), Adam (Krudmeister), Paul (Outpost), Tamsin and Chris) who are all vets of this trail. Tamsin and Chris are also both Canadian, so they offered some advice that is specific to us Canadians.
Bounce Box:
A bounce box is simply a box that you continuously mail to yourself along the trail. It is typically used to hold supplies, equipment and specialty foods that you may not find everywhere. There's no sense in carry maps for the ENTIRE trail, so what you do is just split them all up in sections and only take the ones you need with you and send the rest ahead in your bounce box! Same goes for certain articles of clothing that may be needed in colder or warmer temperatures. We'll also use our bounce box in cases where we arrive in a town with a
great resupply store, though the next stop won't be so great. We'll buy enough food for the next stretch and then send some ahead in the bounce box to the next stop.
Certain stops REQUIRE that you send your boxes VIA UPS, others don't have outgoing mail and others charge you an arm and a leg to get your boxes. This all has to be accounted for as well.
Kennedy Meadows is one important stop. It's the last stop before you enter the Sierras and it's where you pick up two important pieces of equipment; a bear canister (ours are Bear Vault BV500) and an ice axe (ours are Camp Corsa Nanotech). You also have a LONG stretch of around 174 miles between there and the next stop of Vermillion Valley Resort. This means you'll need a ton of food, especially since your appetite will go through the roof as you work much harder climbing over serious mountain passes. THIS IS WHERE IT GETS SERIOUS! AND HEAVY!
We’ve done SO much planning in the past while. So many details have been clarified and we’re feeling more and more confident going into it.
Our resupply strategy:
Thanks to Abby, we have a resupply strategy that we’re extremely comfortable with. Abby is a close friend of Julia’s family and just so happens to live in California. She’s offered to help us out with some of our resupply boxes. Certain towns that we go into along this trail will consist of nothing more than a gas station, convenience store and a post office. In those circumstances, Abby will mail us a box that we can pick up at the Post Office that will have everything we need for the next stretch. Luckily for us, from Campo to Tehachpai (where we'll get off trail to go to Bakersfield for a few days) there are plenty of good spots to resupply so Abby will only have to send us one box, that we'll prepare here in Ottawa and mail to her, that she will then mail to us on trail in mid May. This may sound complicated, and it is, but it makes complete sense to us now!! I've learned an immense amount from a handful of guys (Dug (Rawhide), Adam (Krudmeister), Paul (Outpost), Tamsin and Chris) who are all vets of this trail. Tamsin and Chris are also both Canadian, so they offered some advice that is specific to us Canadians.
Bounce Box:
A bounce box is simply a box that you continuously mail to yourself along the trail. It is typically used to hold supplies, equipment and specialty foods that you may not find everywhere. There's no sense in carry maps for the ENTIRE trail, so what you do is just split them all up in sections and only take the ones you need with you and send the rest ahead in your bounce box! Same goes for certain articles of clothing that may be needed in colder or warmer temperatures. We'll also use our bounce box in cases where we arrive in a town with a
great resupply store, though the next stop won't be so great. We'll buy enough food for the next stretch and then send some ahead in the bounce box to the next stop.
Certain stops REQUIRE that you send your boxes VIA UPS, others don't have outgoing mail and others charge you an arm and a leg to get your boxes. This all has to be accounted for as well.
Kennedy Meadows is one important stop. It's the last stop before you enter the Sierras and it's where you pick up two important pieces of equipment; a bear canister (ours are Bear Vault BV500) and an ice axe (ours are Camp Corsa Nanotech). You also have a LONG stretch of around 174 miles between there and the next stop of Vermillion Valley Resort. This means you'll need a ton of food, especially since your appetite will go through the roof as you work much harder climbing over serious mountain passes. THIS IS WHERE IT GETS SERIOUS! AND HEAVY!
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