/out/ - Outdoors » Thread #117961

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 21:43:08 No.117961 View View Reply Original Report

If anyone remembers, I was the guy with a couple threads looking for a hiking partner.

I just got back from a week hiking the MA portion of the Appalachian Trail. I hiked 50ish miles of rugged mountainous terrain in 6 days, only four of them were hiking. I had to spend two days in Dalton, MA as a guest of a real legend of the trail, a guy by the name of Tom, because I missed my maildrop by 15 minutes.

I'll be trying to go through this on a day by day basis to give you a taste of what it was like

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 21:46:01 No.117963 Report

Quoted By: >>117965

>>117961
Op is from the future.
>pic unrelated

Anonymous

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Day 1, Tyringham to Upper Goose Pond

Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 21:46:40 No.117964 Report

Quoted By:

I had a hard time sleeping the night before I left. No matter what I tried I could not help but going over my gear list in my brain, over and over and over. Had I forgotten anything? Had I overlooked some critical item? Was my body going to hold up to the strain? 0530 came faster than I had hoped, and my lovely Girlfriend slept in the car for the 2 hour ride to the trailhead.

I got out of the car, did a final check of my pack, drank 1/2 Liter of water, and started hiking. Immediately I hit a large hill, and I noticed the trail was nothing like I had expected. I knew that the AT was not a well cleared and smoothly surfaced hiking path, but I had no idea that it was as hard, rocky, and demanding as it is. By the time I got to the top of the first of many hills, I was already wondering why I decided to do this. A light rain had been falling all morning, and the sky looked like it was going to be coming down heavier, so I quickened my pace in spite of my already sore legs and panting breath.

On the AT you are rarely on flat ground, you are usually going steeply uphill, or steeply downhill, and they are both equally bad. The trail itself is rooty, covered in boulders and rocks, steep, usually muddy, and unyieldingly hard to hike on. Every step requires careful placement, or you will be going down. And in some places, a fall means bouncing from rock to rock down a steep hillside, or worse, right off a ridge.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 21:47:31 No.117965 Report

Quoted By: >>121729

>>117963
yea, set my camera incorrectly.

hese little orange geckos were everywhere underfoot. I tried to step lightly so as not to trod on any of them. They were just out having a lark, being crushed under the boot of a tired and sore hiker and his 25lbs of gear is a much too ignoble end for such a pretty creature

molot0v !CocKTAILBg

molot0v !CocKTAILBg Sat 18 May 2013 21:48:32 No.117966 Report

Quoted By:

Monitoring this, very interested as you always hear about people hiking the AT but not a ton of details unless you really start researching.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 21:49:09 No.117967 Report

Quoted By:

Soon enough it was Lunchtime. I stopped briefly in a little glade next to Goose Pond. Every so often, usually in the saddles between peaks, you get these beautiful, quiet areas of pines, clear of underbrush. I took to calling these areas "Sanctuaries". They often had a cooling breeze and the wonderfully clean smell of Juniper, perfect for resting a while before the next sharp uphill climb to the ridgeline.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 21:50:33 No.117969 Report

Quoted By:

I arrived at Upper Goose Pond cabin at around 1400. I had not seen anyone else on the trail all day, and was enjoying being alone. The Cabin is not road accessible, but is a very popular spot with hikers when it is open after Memorial Day, they are widely known for their pancakes. They allow hikers to camp out on their porch when they are closed, and with the constant threat of storms, I decided to take them up on this offer.

After I had aired out my feet and cooked up some rice, I heard voices on the half-mile approach trail to the cabin, sure enough a group of four hikers, looking very wet from the rainstorm that had blown in, came into view. They were college kids from Chicago, and by the shape of their gear it looked like they were new to hiking. One of them even was using an External Frame pack that his dad bought in 1965. I was initially wary, but soon found them utterly hilarious to be around, and hiked with them for the next two days. Turned out they were all Cross Country runners of some renown, and inspite of their huge packs and lack of experience, could pound out many, many more miles on trail than I could ever hope to. This trip was their first time out on trail, and they were loving it in only the way the new and young can love being wet, cold, muddy, and hungry.

We made a little cabin of the porch using our rainflies, and told jokes and drank a little whiskey as a storm rolled through. I slept very well the first night.

Excuse the goofy grin, I was pretty tired.

Anonymous

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Day 2: Upper Goose Pond to October Mountain Shelter

Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 21:51:50 No.117970 Report

Quoted By:

I woke up to the sound of hikers getting ready at 0800 after a comfortable night of sleep. I packed quickly, had a cup of coffee and some oatmeal, and hit the trail, having no idea how hard of a day I was in for. At around 0830, I said goodbye to the Students, knowing I would run into them again soon as we were all headed to October Mountain for the night.

A steep upward hike followed by a steep downhill brought me to I-90. The AT crosses the highway via a footbridge, and I took great delight at taking a break right in the middle and waving at the stopped traffic that stretched for miles in either direction

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 21:52:41 No.117972 Report

Quoted By:

Immediately after the I-90 I came to a pond and filtered some more water, immediately chugging 1/2 Liter and storing the rest. Water is heavy, so I only carried around 1/2L at a time, and usually less than that if I knew there was a water source on the trail. The pond was surrounded by summer houses of the decently wealthy, and the few that were out and about eyed me with suspicion as I pumped my filter and stole water from their no doubt very expensive pond. Still, the sun was shining, it was a lovely day, and I was feeling strong and ready for more... Until I hit the first of three Mountains I would summit that day.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 21:53:54 No.117973 Report

Quoted By:

I left about an hour before the Students, but their young legs and boundless enthusiasm meant that immediately after stopping to filter my water, I heard them laughing and gallivanting as they crossed the footbridge. We hiked together for a while telling jokes, but soon I realized there was no way I could maintain their uphill pace and bowed out. I would catch up, hike with them a while, and then stop and rest all day.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 21:54:49 No.117974 Report

Quoted By:

I got my water from the innumerable streams and rivulets that cross the trail, they were all very picturesque, and most were brown with tannins, but my Katahdyn filter made all of them very drinkable.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 21:55:29 No.117976 Report

Quoted By: >>117980

After crossing three mountaintops, one of which looked like a warzone with tons of huge pine laying across the trail, I dragged my very sore and tired body into October Mountain Shelter for the night. All along the AT are hiker shelters, which differ in design and capacity, but generally are three sided lean-tos with a roof, they are helpful to stay in during the rain, but leave you at the mercy of the hundreds of mice that usually make them home, just waiting to get into your foodbag or scamper across your face. I usually preferred to Tent off to the side to avoid the critters and allow me some privacy.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 21:57:22 No.117977 Report

Quoted By: >>118555

This was home when I was in the woods. I found this tent to be watertight, comfortable, and best of all, acceptably light. It's a 1 man tent, but lacks the coffin like conditions of many tents that size.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 21:58:15 No.117978 Report

Quoted By:

cooked up a quick dinner of beans, rice, and tuna, and the rain started. So I spent the evening staring up at my tentfly and listening to the rain until darkness fell. It rained all night and for most of the next two days straight.

Anonymous

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Day 3: October Mtn. to Dalton, MA

Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 21:59:25 No.117979 Report

Quoted By:

t was Saturday, and I had to get into Dalton. To keep pack weight to a minimum (got it to 23lbs for 4 days, not including water) I had planned out a mail-drop resupply in Dalton. The only problem was I had left a few days earlier than planned, and it being saturday, the post office was closing at noon, and there was a lot of mileage to cover by then.

I started in the rain, quickly packing my tent, eating a quick breakfast, and getting out of camp before students had even woken up. Inevitably a few hours later they caught up, and we hiked together in the rain the entire day. This was the last day of their trip, and they were all very sullen to be going back to their normal lives. I have a feeling they will be back on the trail soon now that they got a taste of it.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 21:59:32 No.117980 Report

Quoted By:

>>117976
gee, I wonder why you chose that shelter.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:00:31 No.117981 Report

Quoted By:

After a few miles we stopped at a well known hiker destination... The cookie lady! For 20 years she has been giving any hiker who comes by free homemade cookies, and selling the eggs from her chicken coops for 35c a piece, hardboiled or fresh, they even provide the salt if you want to eat them there. I bought 5 dollars of the best tasting hardboiled eggs I've ever had and stuck them in every pocket I could manage, a can of ice cold Coke, and ate a half dozen oatmeal cookies before getting back on the trail in the rain. We were told we were the first group of hikers to stop by that year, which was a minor but uplifting accomplishment given we were all soaked to the skin.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:02:04 No.117982 Report

Quoted By:

I parted ways with the students a bit later at a road crossing, and continued my long, wet day. I knew at this point that I would not make the post-office in time, so I slowed my pace and resolved to figure things out once I got into Dalton.

There is a very famous person among hikers in Dalton, a guy named Tom, who since 1979 has been feeding, housing, picking up, dropping off, and giving ice-cream to hikers. He has never accepted a dime from anyone for his services, and I can say that after spending two days with him, he is bar none the nicest, most genuine person I have ever met.

But before I knew him, he was just a name, and I had no idea what to expect, but figuring at the least I could pitch a tent in his backyard, I knocked on his door, which is right on the trail as it goes through town, adorned with hiking poles, and even has its own official AT register.

He answered with a somewhat skeptical look, I can understand that as at the time I was soaked to the bone and looked miserable. After about 5 seconds after I asked to tent on his lawn, he invited me in, made a huge meal, gave me ice cream, and pointed me in the direction of a lovely bed I could sleep in. He then dried all my clothes, and wouldn't even let me do dishes or sweep up.

He houses and feeds about 600 hikers a year, and had a never ending stream of hiking stories to tell, knowledge to share, and advice to give. He complemented me on my gear and packing skills, and I was glad to get the stamp of approval from an old pro.

Anonymous

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Day 4: Dalton MA to Cheshire, MA

Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:04:55 No.117984 Report

Quoted By:

Day 4 started as a good day, I was dry, well fed, and well rested, and itching to get back out there. While in Dalton I bought some knee braces, as my knees and legs were beginning to get stabbing pain with every step, they helped, but I would be dogged by that all the way into North Adams.

I did the short road-walk through Dalton, and got back on trail... The wrong trail. I wasted an hour hiking two more miles than I needed to hike, and in exasperation lit up a smoke once I got back to the proper trailhead... and then proceeded to accidentally leave my deck of Camels on the rock I was sitting on (I discovered this about three miles away), and then it started to rain.

The rain quickly cleared up, but the forecast was for below freezing temps overnight, so instead of pushing on to Mark Nopel shelter, halfway up Mt. Greylock, I elected to act on a tip Tom had given me. Apparently the Catholic Church has a few rooms they allow hikers to stay in during season.

When I arrived, I said hello to the priest and received the rules: no smoking, no drinking, no dope. He was a kind man, but this was a church and hikers are a notoriously rowdy bunch, so one cannot blame him for being a bit harsh when it comes to decorum. Soon after a group of very smelly college girls piled in, the smell no doubt from their cotton clothing (I was in all synthetic and smelled like roses no doubt) I gave them a few hard boiled eggs and made fast friend. Soon after another hiker named sparky came in...

Sparky was a USMC Scout Sniper and had worked for Triple Canopy for the last few years... He was out hiking with a large ALICE pack on his massive shoulders, and his stated reason for hiking was "so I don't sit at home and drink all day. We stayed up all night, drank plenty of whiskey that we had both smuggled in, and traded war stories.

Pic: very tired after a climb.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:06:02 No.117987 Report

Quoted By:

more day 4

Anonymous

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Day 5: Cheshire, MA to Wilbur Clearing Shelter

Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:07:19 No.117988 Report

Quoted By:

Day 5 was, bar none, the hardest day of hiking, there were four named summits to climb, all part of the Mt. Greylock massif, the highest points in Massachusetts, and the hardest part of the trail in New England until you get into the White Mountains in NH.

The climb out of Cheshire started hard and fast, rising 1800ft very quickly. I hiked the beginning of the day with the group of Girls and Sparky, the constant jokes and conversation really helps for a hard long climb. The night before was below freezing in Cheshire, so I was glad to have stayed in the Church, but it was a cold, brisk day with a threat of rain, so I wanted to get up and over Greylock before conditions worsened.

As we quickly ascended, there were many portions where the trail took on a 45d or greater pitch, requiring very careful foot placement on slick boulders, with some sections being nearly vertical "stairs" formed by roots or boulders. The temps dropped rapidly as we ascended.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:08:17 No.117990 Report

Quoted By:

As we climbed, the deciduous trees thinned and disappeared, and morphed into a sub-alpine evergreen forest, which was all very beautiful to take in, and reminded me quite a bit of hiking in Western Washington. We passed an abandoned Cabin on a pond about 2/3 of the way up the mountain. It was very cold, very damp, and with the strenuous climb, sweating was inevitable, so we could not stop for long without getting very chilled very quickly.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:09:14 No.117992 Report

Quoted By:

Was very glad to have my Columbia Titanium 1/2 zip Fleece at these temps.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:10:13 No.117994 Report

Quoted By:

after hours of cold, hard climbing, we arrived at the Summit of the Greylock Massif, and it was lightly snowing and extremely windy. The MA state war memorial tops the Mountain, and from the top, you can see into 5 states.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:13:06 No.117995 Report

Quoted By:

The small town of Adams and surrounding Countryside, viewed from the top.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:14:20 No.117996 Report

Quoted By:

had a smoke at the top before heading into an abandoned ski-shack to cook a hot lunch and begin heading downhill.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:15:35 No.117997 Report

Quoted By:

Got sunnier on the way down the mountain so I stripped off some layers., had another 3 miles steeply downhill to the shelter. Downhill really put a hurting in my knees and legs, I'd rather climb all day than go steeply downhill.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:17:12 No.117998 Report

Quoted By:

I arrived at Wilber Clearing shelter at around 3pm and had it all to myself. Filled my water, built a fire, and set up my tent in the shelter to keep the bugs off me.

Managed to get only one blister the whole trip, due to the hard day climb up and downhill, the long steep downhill on the final day would be even harder on my feet, but due to good hiking boots, good socks, and judicious use of my hiking pole, I managed to keep blisters and foot pain to a minimum.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:17:57 No.117999 Report

Quoted By:

Cooked up some oatmeal for pre-dinner and to warm me up a bit, as it was still in the low 40s, and I was still at elevation. My home-made alcohol stove performed very well the entire trip.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:27:41 No.118002 Report

Quoted By:

at about 7pm, a group of college kids from Akron, OH showed up at the shelter on their first day out, they were all hopelessly overloaded with food, supplies, a hatchet, multiple changes of clothes, and all the rest of the things that the inexperienced hiker drags along with them. I had a little class on cutting weight, and since they were going to be out for two weeks, they resolved to follow my advice, sent many pounds per man home, and eat as much food as they could stomach that night.

Part of their food weight was 3lbs of smoked bacon from one of their fathers pig-farms... I was the recipient of many a thick chunk fried over the huge fire we built up. Life was good.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:28:30 No.118003 Report

Quoted By:

Caveman Television

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:29:32 No.118004 Report

Quoted By:

Woke up early the next day for the 5 mile steep downhill into North Adams, my finishing point. I had one more summit to hit that day, and then the trail shot straight down the side of the ridge with nary a switchback, worse was the heavy coating of fallen leaves on the trail which obscured rocks and made everything very slippery, I felt it was the most dangerous hiking I had done on this trip so far, and had many a near miss when my feet or hiking pole or both lost grip and I scrambled for purchase before bouncing down the mountain.

Pic: North Adams from I believe Mt. Williams

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:30:41 No.118005 Report

Quoted By:

The last summit of the trip.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:31:41 No.118006 Report

Quoted By:

The downhill was treacherous

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:32:39 No.118007 Report

Quoted By:

and continued to be treacherous until the bottom.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:33:39 No.118008 Report

Quoted By: >>118011

Well, there you go folks, 6 days out, 4 days of hiking, and 50 miles of hills and mountains, and I strolled into North Adams (and then hiked into neighboring Williamstown) for a hot meal, a beer, and waited for my lovely GF to come and fetch my tired self.

I had an amazing time, and all my gear performed to perfection. I seriously underestimated the difficulty of the trail, but the difficulty made the accomplishment even sweeter at the end.

If anyone has any questions, let me know. I will later on do a gear breakdown with comments on what worked, what didn't, and how everything functioned.

For now, gonna go eat dinner.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:37:57 No.118011 Report

Quoted By: >>118012

>>118008
very well documented, I enjoyed the read

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:39:16 No.118012 Report

Quoted By:

>>118011

Thanks. I could have written much more. I left off many of the little details that I have in my personal journal, but didn't want to spend all night typing it up.

But thanks again.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:41:18 No.118013 Report

Quoted By: >>118017

It's too bad I don't live in your area OP, I would have joined you.

All in all though it looks like you had a blast, maybe some day you'll do the thru-hike?

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:46:05 No.118017 Report

Quoted By: >>118019 >>118030 >>118798

>>118013
>All in all though it looks like you had a blast, maybe some day you'll do the thru-hike?

Thinking really hard about it. As I said before, I severely underestimated the difficulty of the trail and my fitness for it. I am in good shape, but haven't done much serious hiking in two years, and it showed in my joints, feet, and shoulders.

The skills were still there, I didn't have any issues with gear or shelters or any of the skill based things, but the basic physicality of the trail was tough.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:51:24 No.118019 Report

Quoted By: >>118024

>>118017

As long as you keep motivated and have a level head you'll be OK.

The physical part is something you build up by hiking the many, many miles of the AT.

You could train everyday for the next year and be in great shape, but give up the thru-hike after a week because your heart isn't in it.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 22:55:47 No.118024 Report

Quoted By:

>>118019

Of course. It takes a while to get your trail legs, I've done plenty of long distance hiking, but never the AT. And you are very right, hiking is a mental game way more than it is a physical one.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 23:07:42 No.118028 Report

Quoted By:

Thanks for sharing OP.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 23:08:40 No.118030 Report

Quoted By: >>118034

>>118017
>shoulders
What?

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 18 May 2013 23:26:04 No.118034 Report

Quoted By: >>118045

>>118030

Even with a balanced and fitted pack, carrying 25ish lbs up and down mountains for 10-15mi a day on a rocky, rooty, uneven trail puts a certain amount of strain on the shoulders.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 19 May 2013 00:01:57 No.118045 Report

Quoted By: >>118047

>>118034
If you have a proper fitted pack set with 80% of the weight on the hips there's no reason for your shoulders to get sore on the AT.
The AT is a pretty luxurious trail nut I'll second the constant and often steep elevation changes are brutal. In my opinion going downhill with a pack is many times harder than the uphill.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 19 May 2013 00:13:44 No.118047 Report

Quoted By: >>118176

>>118045

Have you seen the pics in this thread? The AT may not be the hardest trail on earth, but calling a boulder strewn, rooty, steep, muddy path "luxurious" seems a bit iffy. It's substantually different trail conditions depending on where you are, but the New England portion of the AT is considered the "hard part" for a reason. MA is definitely not as hard as VT/NH/ME, but luxurious it is not.

And no matter how much weight you put on your hips, shoulder soreness is a given, no matter how well your pack fits, during a multi-day distance hike through varied terrain, especially on downhills, where you need to have the weight as close to your back and center of gravity as possible, 80% on your hips all the time is simply not possible.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 19 May 2013 04:26:26 No.118176 Report

Quoted By:

>>118047
I did not mean to imply that it isn't a hard trail but I do believe that the difficulty comes mostly from the elevation changes. Unless you are talking Lehigh gap that, the trail is well worn, well marked, doesn't have branches hitting you, there are the occasional downed trees across the trail but they're relatively rare, there are nice campsites all along the way with good water sources and there's just enough foot traffic so that you can be safe while having a real "out in the wilderness" feeling.

I've done multiple section hikes including the 3 ridges trail in West Virginia which loops off the AT. It's rated one of the more difficult trails to hike. I've hiked in several states. Now that I remember my shoulders got barely sore once, only once, when we did 16 miles of steep switchbacks one day in North Carolina but my legs hurt way way way more.
If your shoulders are sore enough to mention it I truly believe you have an ill fitting or adjusted pack.

For me, downhills are definitely a lot harder due to the extra shock on your feet and joints as you walk downhill with the weight of a pack only making it worse. I have an Osprey Aether 60 with a large hip belt and the shoulder straps velcro'd into the proper place. I tighten and loosen the adjustment straps on the top as I go to suit comfort, usually they're cinched up tight to my body but not always.

I wouldn't have said anything but I thought it might be helpful to mention because I don't believe your shoulders should be getting sore. Looks like you had a really awesome trip, I'm a little jealous and I hope you go a lot more.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 19 May 2013 18:12:03 No.118521 Report

Quoted By:

Bump

Anonymous

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Gear I used.

Anonymous Sun 19 May 2013 19:43:49 No.118551 Report

Quoted By: >>118798

for boots, I used the Montrail AT Plus. I found them very comfortable and stable, the rigid arch and stiff sole really helps maintain stability on rocks and boulders, and the aggressive tread was extremely helpful on slippery sections and creek crossings.

I would recommend them.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sun 19 May 2013 19:47:12 No.118552 Report

Quoted By:

For a cook-kit I used the GSI Halulite Kettle, and a homemade "penny" stove. The kettle and included insulated mug and collapsable spork were very lightweight and easily packed, and 1l of water boiled in about 4min with 1.3oz of fuel use.

Both stove and cook kit are recommended, however I would recommend going with the GSI pinnacle Soloist or Dualist if you plan on cooking in the vessel instead of just boiling water.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sun 19 May 2013 19:50:08 No.118555 Report

Quoted By:

>>117977

For shelter I used the REI Passage 1, a one person freestanding tent. I found it very quick to set up, acceptably light, very waterproof in heavy downpours, well ventilated, and overall a great value for money. Only gripe is that the top vent is not accessible from inside the tent, however I left it open in heavy downpours and no water entered through it, so had no actual issues with the tent.

Having a tent is very useful during black-fly season

Anonymous

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Anonymous Sun 19 May 2013 19:55:24 No.118559 Report

Quoted By: >>118798

For pack I used the REI Lookout 40, my weight (without water) was 23lbs, tent and sleeping bag were carried internally. I found the bag tough, well fitting, comfortable, easily loaded and easy to organize. I would totally recommend this pack as a daypack for most people and as a main pack for the lightweight crowd. at 70usd I found it extremely good value for money. Only slight critiques are the lack of lower pack compression straps, a slight predilection toward zipper snags, and a bombproof but heavy weight of 3.3lbs

For sleeping pad I used the ALPS .4in closed cell pad, which I found provided great insulation from the ground, but was much too thin for comfort and was totally incompatible with side sleeping, I would not recommend the sleeping pad.

Anonymous

The rest of the gear with mini reviews.

Anonymous Sun 19 May 2013 20:06:44 No.118572 Report

Quoted By:

Shelter:

REI Passage 1 Tent - Great
Sleeping Pad (ALPS ULtralight Closed Cell) - Would not recommend
65ft Cordage (550 III)
Aluminum Stakes (8)
ALPS Diamondback +30 (Sleeping bag) - Warm, quick to dry, extremely compressible

Prep:
Pot (GSI Halite Kettle) - Excellent
Stove (Home-made Penny Alcohol Stove) - Initially finicky but once figured out, extremely good and nearly free

Gear:
Ruck (REI Lookout 40L) - Excellent
Knife (SAK Soldier) - Been using for years, excellent
Boots (Montrail AT Plus) - Excellent
Rain Gear (TAD Stealth Hoodie, doubles as mid-weight cold weather gear) - at $450, my most expensive piece of gear, but well worth the cost, the jacket is extremely rugged, extremely waterproof, and adapts well to any tempature, highly recommended

Water Filter (Katadyn Hiker) - Quick to fill, easy to use, would reccomend spending 20 more on the Pro version however/
2l Water storage (Nalgene WM) - Its a Nalgene, not much more needs to be said.
Watch (Seiko SNK805 Automatic) - Rugged, accurate, no batteries required, long lasting glow markers

Shemagh - Highly useful and highly recommended

Clothes:
City Sports Synthetic Running pants - Warm enough, very light, very quick to dry, acceptably rugged
Franklin Synthetic Compression Shorts (underwear) - Did not smell, prevented chafing, will never use anything else
2x Columbia Omni-Dry Merino Wool Hiking Socks - Kept feet warm when cold, cool when warm, and very dry.
Columbia Titanium 1/2 zip Fleece - Had for years, still the gold-standard of fleece.
City Sports Synthetic running T-shirt - Quick to dry, wicked away moisture, did not smell, highly recommended

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO c3c1a96b-e563-43ee-bbda-9aebca3f (...).jpg, 910KiB, 1474x1883

Anonymous Mon 20 May 2013 00:14:02 No.118798 Report

Quoted By: >>118811 >>118899

>>118551
Boot = Protective footgear, as of leather or rubber, covering the foot and part or all of the leg.
>covering the foot and part or all of the leg.
>covering and part or all of the leg
>covering part or all of the leg
>covering part of the leg
So you used shoes for boots. This is definitely the trend these days and I do not understand it at all. I guess if you are careful on the downhills and able to keep such a light pack it would be a good way to go?

>>118559
>I found the bag tough, well fitting, comfortable
>>118017
>haven't done much serious hiking in two years, and it showed in my joints, feet, and shoulders.
>shoulders
but... your shoulders were sore. Picture related, it's a day pack and you can't adjust the height of the shoulder straps.

I think your trip and the rest of your gear is awesome. A shemagh or a kerchief either one is essential gear. We use the same water filter. You aren't carrying some retarded big knife. The jacket looks cool, wish I had one. You went alone and did well and had a good trip, very nice op.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO tactical elite operator low drag (...).jpg, 98KiB, 640x480

Anonymous Mon 20 May 2013 00:33:01 No.118811 Report

Quoted By:

>>118798

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 May 2013 00:54:10 No.118836 Report

Quoted By:

>>117961
Nice job OP.
I'm wanting to get out and start running some sections of the AT, been putting it off for years though due to Military and lack of free time. Just sucks because I'd be taking my pooch and the sections I want to start Tenn-N Carolina don't allow dogs.
My Grandpa has done over 80% of the trail and he still wants to finish the rest. Hes 65 but hes in better shape than most of my friends in their 20's. He told me allot of stories ranging from Grueling what the hell did I get myself into, to pretty amazing. He met a lot of characters on the trail and made a few good friends. I just want to follow in his foot steps.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 May 2013 01:08:53 No.118853 Report

Quoted By:

>tfw the trail goes right through my back yard, literally it is within 300 feet of me right now.
>tfw too lazy to do anymore then a day hike on it

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 May 2013 01:57:17 No.118899 Report

Quoted By: >>118998

>>118798
Sure, technically they are shoes as they don't go past the ankle, i believe they call them "trail runners" or "fast hikers". That being said niggling over the semantics of boots vs. shoes is a bit silly.

The idea is that this kind of footwear is much lighter, dries much faster, requires less breakin time, and allows for better feel of the trail. Neither party has a monopoly on the best footwear for the job, depends on your hiking style.

As to the pack, the shoulder soreness, as I said before, is the fault of me and not the pack. It fit well once I got it figured out, but that took a couple of miles of trail to really figure how to pack it, balance it, and properly adjust it.

My sore shoulders are operator error, not a fault of the pack itself.

Anonymous

View Same Google ImgOps iqdb SauceNAO 0503849585.gif, 2MiB, 300x225

Anonymous Mon 20 May 2013 03:31:36 No.118998 Report

Quoted By:

>>118899
Dude, nice triple dubs but stop liking your backpack.

Anonymous

Anonymous Mon 20 May 2013 19:19:39 No.119497 Report

Quoted By:

bump

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 22 May 2013 06:41:38 No.120916 Report

Quoted By:

one more bump for OP

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 22 May 2013 07:56:10 No.120944 Report

Quoted By:

Great thread, thanks OP.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 23 May 2013 06:50:56 No.121721 Report

Quoted By:

One last bump, lots of good info in this thread, thanks OP for sharing.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 23 May 2013 07:05:16 No.121729 Report

Quoted By: >>121750

>>117965
These are actually baby newts.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 23 May 2013 07:54:48 No.121750 Report

Quoted By:

>>121729
someone pointed this out to me also, something called a Red Ent, the terrestrial phase of the Eastern Brown Newt or something to that effect

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 23 May 2013 19:02:12 No.121976 Report

Quoted By:

great thread!

Thanks for sharing.
Hope to see a report from your next walk.
I'll see if I can do something like that too when I get /out/ some time.

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