Is that a Clif Bar in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

Leaving town with a full food bag is always a double-edged sword. Your next few days of trail meals are going to be good, but food is very heavy, and after your first steep climb of the day, you’ll want to stop and eat something just to lighten your pack. A good target is 10 to 12 lbs for a 4 or 5 day hike. Try to choose nutitious but light-weight food. As you eat, your pack gets lighter.

Preparing and eating meals on the AT becomes a ritual only a very few will experience. Meal time at a shelter with your fellow hikers is one of the great pleasures of thru-hiking. People from all walks of life have hiked to that spot on the trail and they will share mealtime with you. The smells and flavors of your meal are somehow better after you hauled your food 15 miles and up a mountain or two. Eating is not just something you have to do, but a memorable part of your hike.

In the evening, after you have eaten your dinner and your stomach is full and warm, your muscles will relax and your mind will fill with all you have seen and felt that day.

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Happiness is a light pack!

After four days of hiking, we arrived at Neel’s Gap. I sent 15 lbs. (that’s pounds!) of stuff home. I thought I had packed light, but after my first few mountains, I knew something had to go.

This is not another post about what you should be taking, but about what you should NOT be taking; a sort of anti-equipment post. It doesn’t take long to start trimming down your pack, but most hikers refuse to part with anything they have brought. I’m here to help. Following is a list of what – I promise – you will not need and should not take.

G.P.S. – -Just follow the white blazes.
Coil of rope – – You are hiking, not climbing.
Huge first aid kit – – There is no surgery on the trail.
Ax or saw – – If you can’t pick it up, please don’t burn it.
Bear-proof food bag – – Hang your food bag from a tree.
Camp stool – – Sit on a rock or a log.
Compass – – Follow the white blazes.
Giant hunting knife – – Please do not kill wildlife.
Spice rack – – Come on!?@!?

The above are actual items we saw on the trail. The guy with the spice rack didn’t make it the whole way, but he really, really thought he needed those spices!

What you need or don’t need may not be so obvious until you actually hike on the trail a few weeks. I’m here for you, though. The above items are better as ideas than actual supplies you will need.

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Hey, what’s in your pack?

For 2,175 miles, I carried the Gregory Z pack. It was a great pack, reasonably priced, and lightweight. It lasted the entire six months and it still looks new. If your pack fits correctly, it can improve your hiking experience exponentially.

I bought my pack from an outfitter, so I got to try on many packs. The Gregory Z had all the buckles and straps, but you can’t adjust shoulder strap height or waist-belt height, so your torso length must be within a certain range.

If you don’t have an outfitter close by, you may want to buy a pack you can adjust for a perfect fit. I also have a Dana Design Redirect pack. The shoulder strap and waist belt height can be adjusted to distribute weight more evenly. This often makes the pack weigh more and also cost more. After about 15 miles of steep trail, it may be money very well spent.

Careful which one you choose--that pack goes with you EVERYWHERE. We were lucky we didn't fall off that mountain!

I won’t spend a lot of time writing about equipment, but there are a few items I think are very important to a great hiking experience. I’ll be writing later about what to take and what not to take, but if you have any questions, be sure to leave a comment and I will let you know my thoughts. Bye for now.

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Two’s Company

I started my 2007 thru-hike March 12 and finished Sept. 9th. It was a magical hike through 13 states and some of the most remote and beautiful country on the East Coast. I was able to share this adventure with my brother, Steve, who for 6 months was my hiking partner.

We were a rare breed on the trail, as few people will have the ability to stick with someone on a 2000+ mile hike. (Actually, it’s rare for anyone to finish at all!) I saw some teams fail, and often this ended their hike. Doing something this intense, fun, stressful, and physically challenging has got to be thought out ahead of time, especially if you really want to enjoy your experience.

A shave and shower was long overdue!

On my hike I had a partner, but most people, for various reasons, choose to hike solo. This doesn’t mean you’ll be hiking alone. There will be many days when you may not see another person. Most days however, you will meet like-minded folks, looking for adventure. Everyone on the trail goes home with an experience they never anticipated.

You can hike alone or hook up with other solo hikers for a while. I said this in an earlier post, and it bears repeating–this is your experience, your time, your resources, so enjoy!

This is the photo my lovely wife, Norma, thinks looks like a Wanted poster.

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