Saturday, April 5, 2014

Considering my Bump Box

Having no logistical base in the US, I will not be relying on food packages during most of my hike. Since several resupply locations along the trail do not have any actual resupply options in them (No store, basically), I will send myself some packages from other towns, 2-3 weeks before arriving at those locations.
But first, I want to try and arrange my bump box for my hike.

What's a bump box?
A bump box is basically a package a hiker sends to himself, to a town a bit up the trail. Once he reaches that location, he opens the box, gets some needed gear from it, puts in some gear he might not be needing in the near future, and bumps it again to another post office further up the trail. The trick is that if the hiker never opens the package, and it was sent as Express Mail, he can bump it ahead for free (I'm sure there is some fine print regarding this, but that's the general idea).
I expect to open my bump box every time, so I won't be enjoying the tricky bit of the deal, but I do intend to put some stuff in it that I will probably not need in the beginning, and pulling them out as I go along.

So, what will be inside my bump box?
Well, for a start, most of Halfmile's Maps will be there, except for the section I will be currently hiking. At 225 pages, they can get quite heavy for the full set, and completely not needed months in advance.

I will also put in my Marmot Precip rain jacket. I bought a Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Anorak, which is about 6 times lighter, and should be enough against some drizzling and windy conditions. I hope I won't get a lot of rain at the beginning, but if I do - I'll get wet. I'll pull out the rain jacket (Which served me well on the AT) further up north.

Another piece of gear that I intend to bump ahead, is my Cladera Keg-F Stove System. I really like it, and was sorry to hear I wouldn't be allowed to use it in southern California. I hope I'll get along with my newly purchased Snow Peak LiteMax Titanium Stove, but as soon as I'm able to use my alcohol stove again, I'm switching over. I haven't started walking yet, and I already miss it.

In addition, I will probably put in a mosquito headnet I intend to buy (Probably Outdoor Research Deluxe Spring Ring Headnet, or something similar), a bottle of Dr. Bronner's Castile Liquid Soap (I will carry a smaller bottle with me on the trail).

I will start by sending my bump box from San Diego to Idylwild, for a pick up before my ride to the KO (Or maybe after getting back?). From there, I will probably bump it to Agua Dulce, and to Kennedy Meadows. And then? I'll improvise.

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