PCT 2019 Prep: My Food Resupply Strategy (not shipping packages)

See what my food resupply on the PCT will look as I begin my journey NOBO. I do not want to ship packages if I can manage but will consider doing so for maybe a few towns along the way where it is recommended. I do have a list of the top 10 towns that other thru-hikers have recommended having packages sent to due to limited options. ****I forgot to mention in my video but I do plan to eat a LOT of healthy foods whenever I am in towns, of course. So on top of my pretty good food plan for the trail days, the addition of 1-2 days a week in towns with healthier options will definitely be taken advantage of 😊 Cheers!

[@gooster777]

Thanks Tracy. Good to see you back. I can't wait until you start. I imagine it is a fine line between nutrition and weight and there will be compromises along the way depending upon what is available in the resupply towns. It is very hot in Oz at present and I went for a training hike on New Years Day. It was about 40 deg C. I went about 26 mile (42 km) and the one of my observations was how hot my drinking water became and how the heat melted a lot of stuff in my pack. It was a good lesson for me and when I got home I threw out a lot of junk. I can't trust myself with Snickers Bars. Every time I buy some to save for hiking I end up eating them watching You Tube videos. Looking forward to your next instalment.

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Thank you Steve! Yes, definitely lots of compromises along the way but at least having a plan in mind will keep me from buying things aimlessly or compulsively and hopefully I can find the best substitutions if the selection is blah. I’m so glad you’re following my journey. It will be fun to see when I will eat my first Snickers, and why, haha. I cannot wait to get started 😊💕

[@linzyweber7247]

Hello Tracy! I am glad I found your channel :) thank you for sharing your planning/preparation for your thru hike! I am so excited for you & the opportunity you've provided for us viewers to share in the experience.

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Linzy, I am so happy you found me too! I am super excited to share this experience with everyone and I truly do appreciate you taking the time to follow my journey, and for your much needed support along the way. Cheers :)

[@richardross7219]

Oatmeal is the best emergency food to carry because it is light and sticks to your belly longer. The problem is if there is a water shortage. I always(even in the Army) carried a can of fruit cocktail for an emergency. Over a 29 year period, it helped me out a few times Good Luck, Rick

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Thank you Rick! 😊

[@AllenSchubert]

HAH! That "Stay Tuned ... First Snickers!" was so funny! I quickly envisioned a contest where people state at which mile you would eat your first Snickers Bar! More seriously though, thanks for sharing your food resupply strategy!

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Allen, YES, that would be fun...but if I know which mile people are voting on my competitive nature will surely keep me going, haha. You can form a secret side bet with the group :D I will be sure to video when that time comes though...maybe with each stretch after a resupply, just to keep things interesting. Thank you for taking time to watch and for your support. It is very much appreciated. ~Cheers

[@HolotypeTV]

Oh snaps your view are climbing!!! So happy to read this and see it!!! Keep going Tracy we will follow and support this whole journey

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Thanks for watching, supporting me, and for following along!! The videos will get more entertaining once I'm actually on the trail...which is happening pretty soon! So happy to have you along on this epic journey :)

[@johneason6540]

Wow, we are right together on diet ideas. I'm going to supply as I go also. I've been tracking my daily intake for a year, so I know what I like and need. Plus everything is going to have to fit into a bear canister so quality calories is needed. You should see my pantry at home. I estimate 4400 calories aday. Great watching your prep, cant wait to see you on trail. Wow, 50 days!!! Exciting, class of 2019

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Yah, I'm pretty strict about recording what I eat, how I feel, etc. I went through a big weight loss a couple years ago and that became second nature. But I also learned just how much certain foods affect me. I know I won't be perfect out there...I never am at home either, and that's okay. I'll try to follow the 80/20 food rule much of the time. Hope to see you out there :)

[@johneason6540]

@@TikiBirdTracy I go stove less, so on trail it is easy to keep quality food on trail. But in town, all restrictions are off for that day,haha

[@TikiBirdTracy]

I hear ya!! My only requirement for town is to eat a lot of produce/fresh foods, but I know I'll be craving cheeseburgers and ice cream.

[@Josephhikes]

Looks like a good plan . I try to keep my carbs as low as possible also , at least simple carbohydrates. I bet you’ll be able to tolerate more carbs after weeks of hiking up and down hills all day . Good Luck and Good Health !

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Thanks for watching Joseph! I think you're right about my tolerance. I will try to eat most of my higher carb foods earlier in the day so I just can burn then off with hiking, and a higher prot/fat lower carb dinner and late snack will definitely hold me over all night and I'll sleep better. If I do have to eat a pasta/grain for dinner though due to poor town selection I'll make sure to include whatever fat/prot I do have and just limit those meals. ~Cheers

[@CaptainDansWanderings]

Good luck doing the entire trial without mailing food. Warner Springs, Kennedy Meadows, Shelter Cove, Belden, Timberline Lodge, Crater Lake, White Pass, Snoqualmie Pass, Stehekin and Skykomish don't have much more than snacks to buy. You might find a Mountain House at one or two of those places but that's it. And none of them have produce. I carried a small jar of Jif peanut butter the whole time. Don't be surprised if you're sick of Knorr sides and tuna fish about halfway thru. And all those different bars start tasting the same after a while as well. I had tons of food on my hike, lost 50 pounds by the time I got to northern Cali, and was in calorie deficit every day I was on the trail. Some days it was so hot I just didn't have an appetite, so I just drank a lot (plus electrolytes). I used Nuun tablets and Emergen-C for daily electrolytes, but discovered that potato chips packed a lot of sodium and potassium, and were a lot yummier. Best of luck on your thru hike. Looking forward to following it.

[@TikiBirdTracy]

I’m definitely open to sending a few boxes or ordering through zero day resupply to any towns with crappy selections. I have a list - probably the same as yours- that I wrote down from Dixie’s video suggestions and Yogi’s handbook. I’ll make it work however I need too. Thanks for following along! I appreciate the info snd support. 😊

[@davidgreene217]

Tracy my friends found out the hard way that at high altitude on the PCT in the Seirra's rice meals do not re-hydrate very well and have a crunchy texture. They preferred spicy noodle de-hydrated meals like Mountain House Chili Mac with beef, Backpackers Pantry Pad Thai veggie, Good To Go Thai Currie, Mountain House Lasagna With Meat Sauce, Good To Go Pad Thai, and Backpackers Pantry Pad Thai with Chicken.

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Good to know about the rice - I will be limiting that anyways. I do have to watch the pastas too but can have them occasionally and with added protein and fat. I do love all those Mtn House Meals you mentioned, still need to try the Backpackers Pantry entrees. Hope most resupplies have at least a few good options. Fortunately, I'm not too picky as long as the ingredients are close to my food goals. Thanks for watching and for following along :)

[@tommckinney1489]

Wow! That's a lot of planning. 1.5 lbs of food per day is about the right number. Regarding peanut butter, I think they make small cups fill with PB so you don't have to take a whole jar? And I agree with the no or low number of shipped boxes....you'll wind up shipping too much of the wrong things. Baby food.....good idea!

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Thanks Tom! Yes, will definitely grab the smaller containers as I find them. And the baby food is a great addition here and there. Not so sure about taste but I'll probably be so hungry that I won't mind :D At least it adds more nutrients and variety. Thanks for watching :)

[@123meaghanb]

Please revisit this video idea once you are on trail. I’m a pretty clean eater and the thought of trying to find low sugar, low carb foods is daunting. I’ll be curious to see how it changes once you’re out there!

[@TikiBirdTracy]

That's a great idea, Meaghan! It should be interesting to see how I make it all work for me in real world practice. Thanks for watching! ~Cheers

[@Swimdeep]

The Virgo is strong with this one. 🌿

[@JayWandersOut]

One Snickers bar a day? I was eating at least 2 a day, sometimes 3! I normally didn't eat a full lunch so I ate 4-6 bars throughout the day usually 2-3 of them being a candy bar of some type. Larabars pack no nicely and didn't melt so it's a pretty handy bar for the hot areas.

[@TikiBirdTracy]

No, actually its 1 Snickers per resupply...BUT...don't hold me to that, lol. It will be my emergency pick-me-up, haha. I just started sampling all the Larabars. They are pretty good. Hopefully there are at least one or two other "healthier" options for bars in the convenience stores, but I will try to find the best substitutes at each stop. I can barely stand Cliff Bars. Are you planning your next adventure yet?

[@JayWandersOut]

@@TikiBirdTracy Yep, I was planning on leaving home in a couple of days to drive SW but it's going to be so cold I may sit tight a few more days. I'm already eyeing a bunch of peaks and mountains near the PCT that I want to climb.

[@TikiBirdTracy]

I just started watching your thru hike again...I'm going through them all again as I walk many miles a day. Very entertaining and informative - though the speed video makes me dizzy, lol. I'm on ep 8. Looking forward to following your future adventures. Maybe we'll run in to you out there by/on the PCT this year :) ~Cheers

[@JayWandersOut]

@@TikiBirdTracy Thanks! Yep, I'm planning on starting my drive down this Friday. I'm going to be on and off of the PCT though for most of the year though but not far from my car each time. Yeah, I was torn about speeding up some of the hiking footage and later just went to faded cuts to here and there. I don't think I like the sped up thing that much but I'll still use them once in a while when necessary.

[@bawattsyl]

What was the total weight for the five days of food? I eat like you, and I've been having trouble planning without it being crazy heavy. ..but all your foods look great ..and I plan on carrying similar items;)

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Hi Bryan, my food weighs about 1.75 lbs per day average. I’m trying to keep it under 2 lbs but I know it will vary as I add fresh produce the first 1-2 days after resupplies. Best wishes to you on your hike!! 💕

[@Kedger]

Hey Tiki Bird, try Annie’s Organic Bunny Snacks. They are not cheap, but I found I liked them better on the trail than my Gummy Bears and the small packages kept my consumption in check. Fair winds.

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Thank you for the great suggestion! I can only hope that most convenient stores will have at least a few healthier options, and will try those bunny snacks as soon as I can. I love anything chewy and sour/sweet :D Thanks for following along. ~Cheers

[@Mountian-Zen]

Nice..... LOL I love Haribo .... you are sure to succeed!! When it comes to the Bearcann use, repackage the Mt. House meals, into Ziplok baggies you will be amazed how much space you space.

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Yes, will definitely be breaking portions down for the bear can. Thanks so much for watching and following along. ~Cheers

[@LMicheleS]

It really helps to visually see what a day's worth of meals looks like. I've been in shopping mode, but haven't spread out what a typical meal will be yet. I'm torn for the desert portion. I want to use meals that need water (either for re-hydration or just water), but I know that takes a LOT of water. How are you planning for the stretches where there will be little to no water? I'm thinking of just not using dehydrated foods along the worst of them. What do you think?

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Yes, definitely nice to lay it all out - makes more sense to my brain. I'm not too worried about using 1 - 2.5 cups of water a day for re hydrating. That's not too much if I need to carry extra - plus I am still absorbing that water back in to my system so it does count towards my hydration. That's my thinking anyways. Not using meals that need water is a good option too like you mentioned, even if just for convenience sake of not having to soak and wait on days where you don't want to worry about it. I know I'll have days like that. Obviously, once we put our plans to the test on the trail we can better see how we feel about it all in different scenarios. Happy planning! :)

[@asiam7436]

I would not want to ship boxes either. My appetite changes when I'm on trail. I eat less or more or have different cravings which is my body telling me what it needs at that time, so it is likely I wouldn't want to eat the food I sent. I'll be very interested to see how this works for you.

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Thanks for watching! I agree with you on the appetite changes along the way. It is important to listen to the signals your body sends you and my appetite at the time will dictate if I need more or less of something. I'm sure it fluctuates quite a lot under those circumstances. I went through a pretty big weight loss a couple years ago (intentional to lose 50+ lbs) and got really good at paying close attention to what my body needs.

[@asiam7436]

Good for you! I"m really happy for you.@@TikiBirdTracy

[@donmartin9567]

When I have Oatmeal for breakfast, I'll throw in some of my trail mix as well (1/2 cup give or take). And, my trail mix is mostly nuts, not too much fruit and I don't like chocolate or smarties in my trail mix.

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Good idea with the oatmeal. I have on my list to add maybe a piece or two of jerky on the side, which I forgot in the video..or summer sausage as I have that occasionally - to up the prot/fat and to slow the rate of absorption. My trail mix is pretty much like yours. I may add the peanut or regular m&m's once in a while but will try to limit that for sure. Thanks for watching and following along. ~Cheers

[@cybergypsy6380]

Also should be some good Trail Magic

[@narrow_is_the_way6170]

That's a lot of good food, makes me hungry just looking at it. Question about your hat. Looks like a antelope and 100?

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Haha, my dad texted me the same thing about it making him hungry. I always want to eat all the sweet bits right away...must learn to pace myself :D The hat was my work hat from the San Antonio Zoo where I managed the bird department for many years. It was given out on our Centennial year and the antelope is the logo :) ~Cheers

[@williamodaix9591]

To up protein, try ancient harvest brand of quinoa flakes, not regular quinoa, a flat taste but good in oatmeal (my diabetes requires increased protein), also, pb powder, good video.

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Yes, quinoa is on my list but I haven't cooked with it much. I will try the flakes as I can find them and any dehydrated meals including this. I get hypoglycemic with too high a carb diet so the extra protein and healthy fats keep me way more balanced and feeling good. I have PB2 at home I use occasionally. Might be good to add out there, actually miss the fat in it though ;D. I will definitely splurge here and there on goodies but will try to keep my food about 80% clean. That's the plan anyways, haha. Thanks for watching and the suggestions. ~Cheers

[@Jerrymc1975]

You can buy ancient grain in bulk from Costco

[@jimbelmont5608]

Are you going to post your planning sheets? Would be interested in seeing them. Also are you going to have an Instagram account for you hike? Look forward to following you on your adventure.

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Hi Jim, I think I would like to put it all in to practice first on the PCT before I post, just to make sure my system isn't flawed, work out the kinks, and of course, I can add more things as I come across ideas and food items from town to town, etc. It was definitely good enough to get me started though. I do have an IG account - I have to admit, I'm pretty new to IG and haven't posted much there yet. I'm not sure how I will use this platform yet. I already use Facebook and KZbin so often and am trying to limit how much I need to keep up with on the trail. But if you're interested in my IG, it's: Tiki Bird Tracy there also. You can "friend" me on Facebook also if you like: Tracy King Levine. I use that way more often and enjoy it. Thanks for following along. I appreciate it! ~Cheers

[@Swimdeep]

I’m a vegan sometimes vegetarian but the organization of your food plan makes good sense. I’m still figuring out best how to manage my meals on trail. Thanks for the informative video. 🌿

[@johneason6540]

I could not see the weight on the scale for the 4 day supply. Please send me a note. At 4400 a day for me and an extra day that I also believe is safe and wise. I'm about 2lbs a day?

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Hi John, I only did the 1 day supply weight. So the 4 day total for what I showed would be 6 lbs + all the extra produce and PB...which I would reduce amount or buy the small cups. Altogether with the extras for the first couple of days after resupply it would be around 7.5 - 8 lbs. Looks like 2 lbs is pretty average though. Sticking to those basics I chose leaves some wiggle room to buy those extras though. My cals are about 2600/day. Of course, I'll adjust as needed but I have a slow metabolism.

[@johneason6540]

@@TikiBirdTracy wow, very low calories on trail. That helps to lower food weight! At 4400 packed per day I usually dont eat it all every day. So this year I'm going adjust down some. Trying be more ultra lite.

[@memathews]

Nice look at your food plans. Of course, you'll have lots of changes depending on what's available. Have you looked at the handful of locations where it might be best to ship a resupply ahead because of selection or cost? A couple of KZbinrs have posted videos on their thoughts after completing their thru-hike. Gracegoesglobal comes to mind and I recall someone else also posted suggestions.

[@TikiBirdTracy]

Thanks for watching! Yes, will just have to substitute the best I can in each town but at least I have a plan/format in mind that I can reference so I'm not all over the place when I shop. Some resupplies will be healthier/more interesting than others, haha. I have watched Dixie's top 10 ten to send resupplies, as well as, Grace and Yogi's PCT Handbook - which breaks all that down as well so I have a pretty good idea. Might be kind of fun to receive at least a few packages along the way too, but definitely less stressful. ~Cheers :)