Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Preparation


Resupply is a word I've come to despise over the last month. It conjures up imagery of my poor hiker self, alone in the woods and starving because I didn't pack enough food; of stumbling through town on a rainy day to discover the post office is closed; of certain misery because of my inability to count calories properly.

Even though I don't start my hike until July, I've been feeling extra crunched to get my resupply strategy down. Tomorrow, I'm headed back to Colorado to spend my final weeks before trail at a remote field camp for work. There won't be time or resources to continue packing, so it needs to get done now.

The plan is to send seven resupplies through Washington and Oregon, then regroup to analyze my hiking style and strategy.  


Food has been the main focus area of A Little Green Hike so far. It's been a challenge to find light, calorie dense foods with minimal packaging and a low price tag, and I'll admit I've been pretty stressed about it. After making my own (disgusting) protein bars, spending countless hours searching for recipes online, and keeping myself awake with ways I could afford this project, I decided it was time for a priority change. I had to remind myself this is about the amount of waste an average hiker does create, not about forcing myself to have a zero waste hike. Accordingly, I chose food that is convenient, tasty, and high in calories.

That being said, I have made considerations for repackaging food, repurposing items, and even preparing for bodily functions:

Repackaging: It's common to buy certain products in bulk, then repackage into smaller containers to split into resupply boxes, a strategy that saves money and weight. Although I tried not to do much of this, it was difficult to avoid. I repackaged things like cous cous, chia seeds, and powdered peanut butter. All but SIX of the plastic bags I used were fished out of the recycling. For example, that M&Ms bag in the picture above? It's filled with freeze dried fruits from Harmony House.

Repurposing:
Mostly applicable to gear and intended for weight savings, repurposing items just makes sense. My bandana will be used to wash dishes and protect my neck from the sun, my Leki trekking poles are the foundation for my tent, and my journaling pen doubles as a Leukotape spool. Another tip I picked up from triple-triple-crown hiker Lint: using an empty peanut butter jar as a cold soak container. Soaking my food through the day means less time, effort, and fuel consumption when I get to camp. I may end up ditching my stove altogether, but Mom isn't a fan of that idea, so it stays for now.

Eliminating: Human waste is a HUGE problem on long, popular trails like the PCT. Proper Leave No Trace principle dictates you should pack out your used toilet paper when you can, but I'm hoping to barely use any at all. For urinating, I'll use a 'pee rag'; half of a bandana that ensures I don't have to drip-dry or use TP every time I've gotta go. It will be designated as such and hung from my pack to dry as I walk. For poop, it has to be the backcountry bidet! I have an empty eye-wash saline bottle to keep me fresh and clean after my morning ritual. I'll use TP to polish up and pack it out with me. Since I'm not sure the US Postal Service would appreciate the smell of 5 months worth of toilet paper, it won't be going in the traveling trash box. I'll document the size of each bag and throw it away when I can.

Monthly: I just want to take a moment here to say that women hikers have it WAY harder than men. Fortunately for me, a monthly period isn't something I'll have to deal with. My birth control journey has led me to a place where as long as I'm taking my pill, I'm free from worry. That freedom comes with a price, but for a period-less thru-hike, I'm willing to endure it. I considered going sans-hormone (and may still do some thinking on that), for which I would have purchased a Diva Cup. Reusable time after time, it means virtually no waste. Compare that to carrying loads of pads or tampons that you then have to pack out? Easy answer.

General hygiene: Gotta be honest- I'm not a big fan of it.  So, I don't anticipate bathing to be an issue for me on trail, but when I do wash, I'll be using biodegradable soap and that bandana I mentioned earlier (although when I'm lucky, I'll be bathing in a hotel). Toothbrushing, on the other hand, is something I do care about. I love my teeth and don't have insurance for them right now, so it's important to me to keep up my brushing ritual while hiking. To avoid hundreds of those travel size toothpaste tubes, I've made toothpaste dots. For an estimated 5 months of hiking, I only used ~5oz of toothpaste. The dots took about 2 weeks to dry, after which I packaged them with baking soda to keep them from sticking. This method cuts down on waste and weight; all I have to do is pop one in my mouth and start brushing!

In reality, the project itself comes with very few specifics. I'll hike my own hike and consider my waste as another resupply:
  • Trash will be stored in an odor-proof LokSak while hiking
  • When the bag is full, it will be emptied into a USPS priority box and bounced to a southern location (courtesy of Michigan Recycling Coalition). I'll determine the location each time based on how fast I'm accumulating waste and how many miles I'm covering in that time
  • When the box is full, I'll ship it to Michigan and start a new one. At the end of my hike, I'll be returning home to get my bearings and take a look at the results.
  • Empty resupply boxes will hopefully be recycled at the post office they are shipped to. It's unrealistic for me to carry these until I reach a recycling center myself, so I'm hoping for the best here. I'll keep track of any boxes that have to be thrown away.
Remember to follow me on Instagram, and leave any suggestions you have for A Little Green Hike in the comments! With that, I'm happily off to the mountains again.


"Be moderate in order to taste the joys of life in abundance"
Epicurus


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