Date: 2018-03-02
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Miles today: 0.0

I thought I would get our third entry done so the journalwill be up and running. We tied up a few more loose ends today, so that puts usa few steps closer to being ready. Good thing too, only 3 more days before wehead to Georgia.I figured I should cover some of the gear we will bebringing. I won¢t do a super detailed list, just most of the big items. First, adisclaimer. I am not an ultralight backpacker, I¢m not sure I could considermyself a lightweight backpacker. I just know I like to be warm and somewhatcomfortable, so I bring what I have found works for me.Tent ¢ I used an MSR Hubba on my 2011thru hike and loved it,but we need a tent for the two of us this time. We tried a Big Agnes CopperSpur 2 and liked it, but ultimately settled on a Big Agnes Copper Spur 3. Itgives us a little more wiggle room and allows us to bring our gear insidewithout too much of a weight penalty.Sleeping Bags ¢ I used a Marmot Helium bag the first timeand it worked well. I¢ll be using the same bag again, and Mary purchased one aswell. I think they are rated to 15° and are very warm. We will also be usingsea to summit cool max liners to keep some of the funk out of the bags. Linersseem to work well at keeping the bags clean, and they are easy to throw in thelaundry with your clothes when you are in town.Sleeping Pad ¢ Love my neo-air! It¢s still in good shape soit is what I¢ll be sleeping on. Mine is the old rectangular shaped on thatcrinkles quite a bit, and Mary has the more mummy shaped one. Bonus, this timeI made a pad inflator out of the contractor bag I use for my pack liner. It wassimple to do using the cut off neck of a soda bottle and a gasket from a gardenhose. It works well and should save some huffing and puffing when we get tocamp after a long day.Backpacks ¢ My Osprey Atmos 65 is quite worn and the strapsare stretched out. So, I¢ll be using a relatively new ULA Circuit. I love thelarge front stretch pocket along with the big hip belt pockets and sidepockets. I miss my brain though, so I¢ve adapted a SMD brain for the circuit. Whenit warms up and my cold weather gear goes home I may send it home as well, butI¢m not sure yet. Mary tried a Deuter 65-liter pack that seemed comfortable,but it was too much pack for her needs. She now is using the Osprey Exos 58.The pack seems very nice, but I wish they had kept the front zippered slashpockets. It probably wouldn¢t work for me, as I would overload it.Cook set ¢ MSR Pocket Rocket works well for us. We will alsobe using a GSI Dualist cook set minus a couple of the bowls/cups. I think onebowl each is fine.Filter ¢ Regular Sawyer Squeeze with various bags and Smartwaterbottles. Neither of us use a hydration bladder.  I tried a bladder, but it always seemed thebite valve was in the dirt or laying on a gross shelter floor.Shoes ¢ I¢ll be starting with some North Face Ultra 109¢sbefore switching to Vasque Constant Velocities. I¢ve never used the North Face,but they seem comfortable and I wanted something waterproof and with a littlestiffer sole at the start. Mary is using Merrell Mid Moab Ventilators and mayswitch out to some sort of trail runners depending on how she feels. We bothhave Crocs for around camp.Clothing ¢ I¢ll be wearing running shorts, an outdoorresearch shirt, and Darn Tough socks (the best). I also have a pair ofSmartwool long bottoms, some EMS zip-off pants, and EMS Power Stretch top. (Myfavorite, and the same one I wore on my thru hike 7 years ago). An EMS puffy,wool beanie, glove liners, waterproof mittens, buff, and face mask. That ispretty much the extent of my clothing. Mary has a Mountain Hardwear skirt, herfavorite hiking shirt (which she has had so long we don¢t even know what brandit is anymore), along with Darn Tough socks. She also has Smartwool long topand bottoms along with an EMS Power Stretch top. Wool hat, buff, glove liners,waterproof mittens, puffy coat, along with shorts and shirt for sleeping. Rain Gear ¢ We both will be carrying Marmot Minimalist raincoats along with rain pants. I think mine are Marmot Precips and Mary¢s are LLBean Gore Tex. Both are pants we¢ve had for several years. I also have a MarmotMica jacket that is quite light and packable, but I remember on my previoushike I wanted a more substantial rain jacket early on when the weather was coldand rainy. The Minimalist seems to fit that bill. I may switch out to theMica later in the hike.Misc. ¢ We also have a basic homemade first aid kit (Band-Aids,tape, meds), Neo Air repair kit, Leatherman micro knife, long handled spoons,tea mugs, Flip phones (yes, you read that correctly), camera, clip Mp3 playersand various chargers. We will also carry a Tyvek ground cloth, butt pads(chunks of an old Z-lite), and sections of Awol¢s guide.That is probably more than most of you wanted to know, butit gives you an idea of what we will be carrying. If anyone has specificquestions, feel free to ask and we will try to answer. Our next entry will befrom the trail, or at least when we are on our way. Pre-trail excitement ismaking it hard to finish all the last-minute details.Thanks for reading,Alan ¢Earl Grey¢ and Mary