Overview

Our Strategy

How we plan on completing the trip

Our Equipment

What we're taking with us

FAQs

Answers to common questions.

Quick Facts

Start Date: May 16, 2015*

Start Location: US/Mexico Border @ Campo, CA

Scheduled End Date: October 10, 2015

End Location: Manning Park, BC, CAN

Journey Length: 148 days (21 weeks) total, comprised of:

• 127 Hiking Days
• 17 Zero Days
• 4 Days of Exciting Detours! (to climb mountains and such)

Average Pace: 21 miles/day

*Chris & Nick start at Campo, CA on May 16. Ben joins them near Palm Springs, CA on May 27.

Food

1,500,000 CALORIES

That's the minimum required for the three of us to walk 2,660 miles over 127 days (~4,000 per day per person). Calorie density is critical to maximize the number of calories for every ounce of food we carry. We've prepackaged most of our meals that hopefully have an adequate balance between carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.

Breakfast

Most breakfasts are an oatmeal base where different toppings, such as dried fruits, nuts, sugar, and chocolate, add variety and extra calories.

Lunch

Lunches consist mostly of snack-type foods that are easy to pack and easy to eat, like dried fruit, jerky, crackers, chips, tortillas, nut butters, honey, jam, cookies, candy bars, chocolate, and nuts. We will occasionally eat "bars," but we will go crazy if we have to live off those for 5 months.

Dinner

We have 20 dinner recipes that have a grain base, a protein component, and various spices, sauces, and oils to keep our taste buds happy. An example is Peanut Sauce Noodles, that has angel hair pasta, chicken in a packet, peanut butter, garlic, lime powder, and rice vinegar powder. Each dinner is cooked by simply adding boiling water and waiting. You should be super jealous.

The Outside World

THE RHYTHM OF LIFE

Thru hikers often comment on how the pace of life changes drastically while on the trail. The flow of time will slow down and our awareness of the surrounding environment will grow. Our minds will change, and we will see, hear, smell, feel, think, ponder, and experience life differently as the world beyond the trail—the modern, busy, fast, chaotic one that we're used to—slowly fades into the background.

Ultralight Backpacking

Ultralight backpacking is an artful balancing act—lighter weight equates to faster, easier hiking, but carrying the small creature comforts that make 5 months in the backcountry bearable is a temptation that is difficult to resist.

Our goal is that our base-pack weights (without food & water) will be under 15lbs each. At the heaviest, which will be on the first day of our longest stretches, our packs will weigh about 40lbs.

Each of us will have:

Additionally, we will be taking some "communal" items that will make our journey more comfortable without sacrificing too much on weight, as we can split responsibility of carrying these items between the three of us.

Technology

We are bringing our phones with us. Not only are we beta testing for CAIRN, but we will be using them for taking pictures, listening to music & audiobooks, blogging, finding our way around, and ordering new equipment.

We'll be carrying some rechargeable battery packs to power our phones since they will be continuously searching for GPS and LTE signals, which quickly drains a battery.

Creature Comforts

How long will we be on the trail?

148 days total: 127 hiking days, 17 zero days, 4 adventure days

Nick & Chris start on May 16th. Ben joins them on May 27th near Palm Springs.

Scheduled end date is Oct 10th.

How many miles do you have to walk each day?

On average, 21 miles/day. Some will be as high as 30, others as low as 15.

Will you guys always be together?

Probably not. Though there will be times we will hike together, we can also hike at our own pace during the day. We will always have designated meeting points along the way where we can check in. Each night we will set up camp, have dinner, and sleep in the tent together.

Unless of course, someone gets voted off the island...

What happens if you disagree about something?

We vote. Majority rules. Always*.

*Chris is always right.

What will you do while you're out there all day?

Hike, eat, sleep, repeat.

Look at pretty nature.

Tell fart jokes.

Contemplate things.

What will you eat?

Berries, dirt, squirrels...

Where will you get your water?

Natural and artificial water sources along the trail should provide most of our water, which we will have to treat, filter, or boil to make safe to drink. Because California is experiencing a bit of a drought, we expect there will be some water caches along the way, stocked by Trail Angels, to help thirsty hikers.

What are you taking with you?

Not much. Our gear is ultralight to keep our base pack weights around 15lbs. See our "Equipment" section.

What are you sleeping in?

On the Trail: A tent that is probably too small for 3 grown men.

In Town: We'll probably share a queen bed when we can find one. Why raise the bar just to have it lowered the next night?

Where will you shower?

Ben: "In town!"

Nick: "In the streams!"

Chris: "We won't!"

On the trail we'll take baby-wipe showers; baby wipes are more valuable than gold. We’ll be back in town every 6-8 days for a resupply and rest. This will be an opportunity to take a real shower and sleep in a real bed.

What will you do if something bad happens?

Situation: Bear Mauling
Solution: Slowest person eaten, the other two continue in memory of their fallen comrade.

Situation: Dying of Thirst
Solution: Drink each other’s urine (gross but necessary).

Situation: Broken Neck
Solution: See "Bear Mauling"

But seriously; all three of us are familiar with wilderness travel, and we'll actually never be further than a few days from a town. We'll figure it out and be fine. So please don't worry.

Can I hike with you?

If you can make the scheduling work, we would love the company! 

HOWEVER: If you are serious about joining us, there are a few conditions that you must adhere to.

1.         You MUST be in the proper physical condition that will allow you to hike 8-10 hrs a day for 3 days straight in order to put up 25 mi/day.

2.         You MUST have all your gear, and it needs to be light.

3.         You MUST arrange your schedule to match ours. We cannot change our plan to accommodate you.

The underlying message is that we are already planning on finishing the trail late in the season, and cannot afford slowing down. If you're up to the challenge, though, come join us!

Can I meet you in one of the Zero Day towns along the way?

Absolutely! Just make sure you stay up to date with our schedule so you know when we'll be there!

Also, for our PNW friends, we will be taking Zero Days in Bend, OR, Mt. Hood, OR, and Seattle, WA. We'd love to see you if you can visit us!

We also plan on climbing Mt. Rainier & Mt. Hood along the way, so if you are a seasoned climber you could probably come with! (That means you, Taylor Brugh.)

Are you taking your phones?

Yes, we will have our cell phones, but service will be pretty bad, and this is an opportunity to unplug from technology a bit. So please don't be upset if we don't respond promptly (or at all) to your calls, texts, and emails.

So how can I communicate with you?

Send a us post card! Or a letter! We will try to keep our resupply addresses up to date so you know when and where to send it.

Email and social media also work. If you don't have all of our email addresses, and want to write us all a message, you can send it to threegonorth@gmail.com.

We will also update our blog, photo gallery & schedule updated so you can follow us along the way!

How can I help you guys out?

Care packages are great, just remember that we have weight and dietary restrictions that limit the items we will take with us on the trail.

You can also send us words of encouragement through postcards and social media.

And you can always DONATE some cold, hard cash ;)