Gear

These Boots

July 17, 2010 8:59 pm

[youtube yRkovnss7sg These Boots]

One pair of boots down. Thanks Maine! At least the Shoe Goo (Thanks Connor and Clara!!) held them together until I got to town and got a new pair.

I wasn’t too happy about getting just over 300 miles out of this pair. I talked to some other hikers about it and they said to call Merrill the manufacturer and tell them I am an Appalachian Trail thru-Hiker and they would send a free replacement pair. I did and they are!!! Pretty cool! 8-10 days though so I’ll get them in the middle of the whites and mail them down the line for use after this pair.

Treking Poles

June 14, 2010 10:10 am

Treking poles have gained a lot of popularity recently. I have never been a fan of them. People who use them swear by them, even ex non-believers like me:)

I have read countless articles debating their pro’s vs cons. On the one hand using them is supposed to help absorb shock to your knees, help provide stability which can improve posture and reduce back injuries. They are also helpful for river crossing’s and other situations where maintaining balance can be tricky.

The argument against them is you expend more energy and burn more calories using them. Maybe not such a big deal on a 3-4 day hike but on a 6 month thru-hike your burning 3000-5000 calories a day and those calories aren’t so easy to come by. Expending extra energy is a serious consideration.

Even if you only use them for stability and impact reduction in certain situations, you have to carry them the rest of the time and then the extra weight is a concern.

Well after much debate I have caved in and bought a pair. I am much older than the average person attempting a thru-hike and my knees aren’t feeling all spring chicken either. So with much hesitation I’ll give them a shot, but they are on the top of my list to get mailed home if I deam them not worth it.

I did manage to get a pair of the Ultralight series and they weigh very little. I knew I should have picked them up in NYC though, I could have saved $25. Oh well.

Final Gear List

June 10, 2010 10:53 pm

Don’t have time to shoot pictures of all of it but here’s the final gear list. Looks like a lot but many items are small. Will get a shot of the loaded pack up soon.

Hammock
Backpack
Stakes
Nail clippers
Water Filter, Iodine Tablets & PA Neutralizer
Water reservoir
Water bottles 2
Rope
Hooks
Trowel
Knife
Fire starter & waterproof safety matches
Penny Stove
Denatured Alcohol
First aid kit
Head lamp
Bug net
Rain poncho
Shell (jacket wicking layer)
Hat
Towel
River/Camp Shoes
Bandanna
2 t-shirts
1 long sleeve shirt
1 Fleece
3 heavy duty socks
2 liner socks
1 Pair of pant/shorts (legs zip off to make shorts)
Data book
Ziplocks
Blister prevention/treatment (second skin)
Toothbrush
Tweezers
Toothpaste
Bug
Sun
Glide (anti-chafe)
Soap
Ibuprofen
TP
Sanitizer
P38 can opener
Goddess pendants:)
Phone
Camera
Zen mp3 player
Charger (one for both phone and mp3 player)
House keys
Debit card
Drivers license
Plastic bags (for hauling out garbage)

Technology

June 10, 2010 10:53 pm

While today’s camera phones are getting better I have higher standards, especially for a trip like this. So I have to bring a good point & shoot camera. One of my main concerns was how to get the photos from my point and shoot up to this site.

My droid uses micro SD cards. My camera standard SD cards. I found a adapter that will now let me take pictures using the point and shoot and save them to a micro SD card. I can then take the micro card, insert it into my Droid phone and viola! 12 mega pixel image stabilized photos uploaded to this site via my phone but shot with the camera! I am sooo very happy this worked out. Hope you enjoy the photos!!!:)

P38 Can Opener

June 10, 2010 10:53 pm

I’m not to big on canned food (preservatives and chemicals yuk!!!) and I’m sure they won’t have Whole Foods Wild Caught Salmon at a small grocery store in the woods, but inevitably I will at some point have to eat canned food.

So I picked up a couple of these P38 can openers. They were developed by the military during WWII. Super light and tiny:)