PCT!

If you haven't already heard, your unhealthily adventurous friends Lauren and/or Andrew are hiking 2,000 along the mountains of California, Oregon, Washington and Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail...and we hit the trail in only a few days! We'll fly to LA on June 14, drive a rental car two hours north to Ridgecrest, then find a way to Kennedy Meadows and begin our journey on the Pacific Crest Trail. If you're interested in following our tale of joy and suffering, keep reading for more details.
Blogs: Andrew will be updating his journal at http://www.shaggyhikes.blogspot.com/ and Lauren will be using http://laurenbalcken.blogspot.com/ . We plan to update these journals at every town stop, but that depends on internet availability. We'll also get pictures up when we can, also depending on the technology levels of trail towns. Hope for an update every week!
Care Packages: We're already sending ourselves everything we'll need, so please don't send anything unless you want to. We'd LOVE to get a letter or picture - you have no idea how exciting it is to hear from the "outside". Please remember that we carry EVERYTHING on our backs, and sending things home isn't always an option. Here are some welcome items if you feel like sending goodies: Letters and pictures; current magazines and local news; baked goods; candy; cookies (yes, I already said baked goods, but cookies are in a category all their own),  that's all I can think of but email me if you're not sure about something. Thanks in advance!!
Mailing Instructions: Lauren's parents have generously agreed to send our resupply packages to 6 towns along the way. If anyone feels the urge to send treats, these towns are the places to send to. Please use US Postal Service, Priority mail, that way the package can be re-directed if we have to change plans. Address packages to both of us - "Lauren Balcken or Andrew Rivers" and send them 10-14 days before our estimated arrival date. Write on your package "Hold for Hiker, ETA __/__/__"
The End: We plan to be in Manning Park, Canada around September 25, give or take. It's NE of the Cascades, near the Canadian Skagit Valley. If anyone is up for a road trip let us know! We're still taking suggestions on how to make our exodus from Canada (and no, we don't really want to walk...).
That's it! If you have any other questions, I'd love to hear them - I haven't thought about much else for weeks so I'm chock-full of trail info. We'll miss everyone of course, even more than we'll miss spending a summer in the mountains of Montana. But adventure calls, and those kinds of calls must be answered while we have the chance. Thank you all for your interest, your love and your constant support - we'll need it all!
-Lauren (trail name TBA) and Andrew (Shaggy)
  -THE INFO-

Mail Drops - Deliver hand-outs and happy messages here:
(Hiker Names Here)
Sierra City Country Store   (Send by July 5th)
213 Main St
Sierra City, CA 96125
Please Hold for Hiker!! ETA 7/18/12

(Hiker Names Here)   (Send by July 7th)
General Delivery
Belden, CA 95915
Please Hold for Hiker!! ETA 7/23/12

(Hiker Names Here)
Crater Lake Campstore   (Send by August 3rd)
Mazama Village
Crater Lake, OR 97604
Please Hold for Hiker!! ETA 8/16/12

(Hiker Names Here)
Howard Johnson Inn   (Send by August 29th)
Snoqualmie, WA 98068
Please Hold for Hiker!! ETA 9/18/12

Dinsmore's River Haven
(Hiker Names Here)     (Send by September 1st)
PO Box 374
Skykomish, WA 98288
Please Hold for Hiker!! ETA 9/21/12

(Hiker Names Here)
General Delivery      (Send by September 5th)
Stehekin, WA 98852
Please Hold for Hiker!! ETA 9/26/12