This and That

I was on the PCT somewhere in Northern California and 3 months and 1,800 miles into my journey when I walked out of the forest and into a small meadow. Sitting on an Ottoman sized boulder in the middle was Trail Dancer, a hiker I hadn’t seen in a week or two. He was talking on his phone. Wow! A phone signal! I got out my phone, but, as usual, my AT&T showed no bars. I walked up next to him, but still no signal. Oh, he must have Verizon, I thought.

He finished his call and we chatted as he was getting ready to head out. Turned out he had AT&T, too. He said that someone told him about this boulder. If you sat on it you could get a signal, otherwise nothing. As he walked away I sat on the boulder and looked at my phone, two bars appeared. I called my wife. A few minutes later, when I got up to leave the bars disappeared. Weird! A phone rock.

I anticipate poor phone reception on the OHT. This is verified by the AT&T coverage map for Arkansas. Just for fun I checked the Verizon map, and it looked sketchy, too, albeit in some different areas. Since I don’t have a “phone rock” to carry with me I decided to add a second carrier to my phone. With two different ways to connect I figure my odds of finding service are increased.

Fortunately my phone has the feature that allows more than one carrier on the same device. So the other day I dropped by Verizon and had a second line added. It’s a monthly plan so I can turn it off when I’m not using it. My fingers are crossed that this might help. We will see.

In other news, I have started to collect the various food items I will be eating on the trail. I need to get meals assembled and packed up to send to myself along the way. I will probably get the boxes in the mail a few days before I head for the trail, giving them time to reach their out of the way post offices before I arrive to retrieve them.

I have re-waterproofed my rain gear and picked up some Permethrin to insect proof my clothes and hammock. I am testing my backup charging batteries and other electronics to make sure they are all in good working order. I have checked my water filter, the waterproofness of my tarp, got a new hiking shirt , and I even got my second COVID booster per the recent CDC recommendations. In other words, I am down to the last 3 weeks before I hit the trail and it is time for all the last minute tasks to be done.

Finally, this next week, I hope to get out for another overnight in the mountains if the snow is not too deep. Fingers crossed!

Until next week, Happy Trails