Gear List

Most of my gear (not including food and water).  Not shown:  fleece jacket, hiking poles and 50' paracord.

Here's the whole list:

Pack--Granite Gear Vapor Ki
20* Down sleeping bag
Rain coat + Rain pants
Tent--Eureka Spitfire + 4 v-shaped aluminum stakes (not the stock stakes, those are terrible)
1.3 L titanium pot
MSR simmerlite stove + fuel bottle
Brunton compass
Aluminum alloy spork
Lexan mug
AT data book
2 t-shirts (the extra one is a luxury item, I guess, but I like to have a dry tshirt)
midweight-polypro-longjohn top and bottoms
SOL heatsheet (carrying this with the kids but I may ditch it later)
Camp shoes
Sunglasses
Fleece hat
Thermarest Neo-air shorty


Let's take a closer look:

 3 pairs socks
Katadyn Hiker water filter
Electronics:  SPOT, Phone, Camera + chargers
Zipka headlamp
Hiking pants
bandana
fleece gloves
hand sanitizer
1 oz castile soap
matches + lighter
2L water bladder
small first aid kit (more on this later)
toothbrush + toothpaste + glasses + contact soln (that's in the green bag)
hiking boots
Knee high gaitors

All this gear puts my base weight around ~15 lbs.

In other news

I figured out the table.  Yes, I'm answering entries to the form on the Schedule page now.

cheers
Captain.

Wet feet

One thing I cannot abide, is wet feet.  Unfortunately it's a fairly frequent occurrence  when hiking outside (contrasted with hiking inside, where one rarely gets their feet wet).  There are ways to deal with wet feet.  Rubber boots.  Foot-ectomy.  You'refineyoulikeit.  and so on.    Here's my system for inundated feet:
1.  After my feet get wet, I stop and dump the water out of my shoes.
2.  Wring out socks.  If I'm at camp: replace with dry socks and put feet into camp shoes.  If I'm not at camp put wet socks back on.  Suffer.
3.  Sometimes I put my dry feet and dry socks into plastic bags inside my wet shoes.  This is called the Vapor Barrier Method and it's also very useful for staying warm.  This is a good technique if I'm wearing tennis-shoes because the heat from my feet will dry my shoes before my feet get soaked with sweat.  There's a trade off though--because plastic is impermeable to water (the point!) my feet sometimes get quite sweaty which can also cause wet feet!  Conundrum, I know!

Other folks have different methods.  Here's a new one I'm interested in trying:  Neoprene socks Little wetsuits for your feet!

Here's a picture of one of my scouts demonstrating this skill:

I had a big problem with keeping my feet dry a few years ago when I was in Ireland.  I also didn't stop as often as I should have to take care of my feet.  As a result I got a nasty case of what I think may have been Immersion Foot (trench foot) which is probably one of the most painful things I've experienced.

Right before I went to Ireland, I was given a video camera.  I took MANY (tm) videos.  By the end of the trip, most of these videos were closeups of my feet.  I made a little montage for you.  Viewer Discretion is Advised. 

A sticky situation

So I tried Really Hard (tm) to make Toothpaste Dots .

I daubbed them onto wax paper, shoved them on top of the frige for the week and all I got was a sticky, dusty, mess of slightly dehydrated toothpaste.  I guess Miami isn't the best place for this sort of DIY.  

But it's a great idea for anyone who isn't in Humidityville, USA.

Maybe my Mom will make me some?

Important points

Things I find myself repeating.  Over and Over.  And Over.

Or, the anatomy of backpacking with middle schoolers...

1.  It's called the 'Ground' when you're outside.
2.  Ounces add up to Pounds, pounds add up to Suffering.
3.  Cotton kills.
4.  Saddle up.
5.  Daylight's burning.

and some tips from the Whiteblaze.net

OK, I just got back from Forest Service Road 42 at the foot of Springer. I saw about 150 people begin their long distance journey to Maine (not including section hikers). Some observations/suggestions for those planning a long distance hike on the AT:

1. I’m sure this has alot of opinions, but the bottom line is that the approach trail is not part of the AT. Somebody is dropping you off somewhere. Add an extra hour to your driving trip and say your goodbyes at FS42. Stop at the State Park visitor center for directions, sign-in, weigh your pack, etc. Although FS42 is a dirt/gravel road, the preferred route that most people take is passable by cars.

2. Too many people with heavy packs. If your pack weighs more than 50 pounds, it weighs too much (30 pounds or less is desirable). If you are unable to get below 50#, ensure you have 2 crisp hundred dollar bills included in that weight. When you finally make it to Mountain Crossings @ Walasi-Yi (Neels Gap), find the nearest employee and hand him/her your 200 bucks. You’ll need it for a new backpack, sleeping bag or tent (possibly all three, not to mention resupply and the heavy box of gear that you‘ll be mailing home). It is highly likely that you will spend alot of money there.

**On this note, remember that ounces add up to pounds. While going over your gear, keep track of how many times you’ve thought “Hey, it is only a few ounces.”.

**Still on this note, I would suggest a pre-trip to Mountain Crossings, if it is at all possible. Preferably at least a year before you start and when there are likely to be hikers there. It would also be best to visit before making major gear purchases (backpack, sleeping bag, tent). Discussions with employees and hikers will help solidify your gear decisions and save you money. While there, ask what was the most any one hiker spent.

3. Many hikers start on or after the 1st day of Spring. Unfortunately, that does not mean instant warm weather. It will be cold and the possibility of snow still exists (don’t forget the Smokies). Ensure you have appropriate cold weather gear (including long pants). Another interesting thing about spring is that leaves don’t appear over night. Until the leaves arrive, when the sun is out you are exposed all day long. Bring some sunscreen.

**During your pre-trip to Mountain Crossings, observe sunburned hikers. OUCH!!

4. The weekends are busy on Springer. Start during the week. If you do start on the weekend understand that upwards of 60 other hikers will also be starting (on 4/1/06 and 4/2/06, I counted 29 (Sat) and 35 (Sun) at FS42). The shelters (and tent sites) will definitely be crowded (as well as the hostel at Neels Gap).

5. Climbing rope is extreme overkill for bear rope (you don’t need to haul your entire backpack up a tree). 50 feet of nylon cord (parachute cord or 550 cord - whatever you want to call it) is sufficient. Nor do you need those huge carabiners that usually accompany climbing rope. Although required in several places on the PCT, bear canisters are NOT required on the AT. Areas that have heavy bear concentrations have appropriate systems for hanging food (and other aromatic items). GA and GSMNP have cable pulleys. SNP has poles and NJ has metal boxes. A sil-nylon stuff sack will work for food bag.

6. Saws, axes, Rambo/hunting knives can be left at home (unless you plan on wrasslin’ a b’ar as part of the evenings entertainment at the shelter). A small knife (with tweezers for pulling out those tiny ticks up North) for slicing bagels and spreading peanut butter is perfect.

7. Another piece of useless gear is a camp chair/stool. A camp chair/stool is nice for camping. However, you’ll be hiking more than camping. When you stop for the day, you fix dinner (while talking gear with other hikers, who are also carrying too much) and then you go to sleep. If you stay at shelters (which most do) there will be somewhere to sit down.

8. Nalgene bottles. Almost everyone carries two or three of them (sometimes clipped to back of pack with large carabiners). Nalgenes are heavy and bulky. Consider a collapsible water reservoir which is lighter, holds more water and can be rolled up when empty. Of course, for drinking on the go you will also have a water bladder with a drinking tube.

9. Crocs/Waldies. Very comfortable and very lightweight. Enough said. Buy them before your hike and save the money it’ll cost to mail home your heavy sandals.

10. It takes approximately 4 days to get to Neels Gap (30.6 mi) from Springer. That means you only need enough food for approx 4 days. Anymore more than that only increases pack weight. Of course, err on the side of caution. If you are uncertain of your daily mileage, carry an extra day of food.

Anyway, these tips have absolutely no bearing on whether or not you make it to Katahdin. Hopefully, they will make your first week a little more enjoyable and save you some money. I’m sure you don’t want to blow half of your budget on day 4.

See you on the trail,
mt squid.

Time to get serious...

Hi!  It's been years, I know.  I've lost track of days... It's close though.

We're on the home-stretch now.  My girls are selling cookies like crazy to make the money for the trek to Georgia, we've been hiking and preparing and fixing/replacing our gear for months.

Now the fun parts:  gear lists, schedules, musings on technical details and working out who's meeting us where.

Practicing the fine skills of boot drying and hiking in wet feet.

Mastering the art of backpacking meals

urban hiking in Miami

Day Hike. Day -148

We went on our first long hike of the year last weekend.  The weather was pleasant--which was a nice change from the torrential downpour we camped in the weekend before (Day -155, -154)--we had breezes and cloud cover to keep us cool(ish).  This is still Florida after all.

We went up to Jonathan Dickinson State Park and hiked the East Loop.  It's a 9.8 mile loop that passes by the Scrub Jay campsite at mile 5.5.  We stopped for lunch there because there is a well with water (must be treated), benches to sit on and a composting toilet.

The trail is mostly flat and in the open.  There are a few spots where there is some shade, but the park is mainly sand, scrub and dead trees.  The first 2.3 miles of the East Loop out towards Scrub Jay has a bit of up and down over some sand dunes.

All the rain last weekend filled up the little dips in the trail and we had more of a swamp slog than we anticipated.  The girls learned the value of proper hiking shoes and why we wear long socks.  (ie: dry feet and fire-ant/cactus/thorn encounters).

We encountered wildlife:

And found a little bit of shade, but not much: