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!