Date: 2002-12-18
To: Gear and such
Miles today: 0.0

I "think" I have all the items I'll need, and most are all together in one place. I adopted a whole closet for my beloved backpacking equipment. After my shakedown hike, I added a folding/rubberized water 'bucket' from REI. I saw several people sitting comfortably, filtering their water at a picnic table, while I was perched uncomfortably on slippery rocks or squatted with my heiney tottering just inches above a cold muddy bank. I also think I will wash my hair more frequently if I have a nice bucket of water available. In addition, I got a semi-real (inflatable) pillow and a thicker/longer sleeping mat. I never slept well on my section hike. Another gear change was trading my wool/leather gloves for some synthetic water-resistant cycling gloves from Campmor. There were chilly mornings when I only wore shorts, T-shirt and gloves, and wool was too warm for these times. Luckily, I never got a blister with my Vasque boots; I always wore thin liner sox and a pair of hiking sox purchased from Sports Authority for about 1/2 the cost of the popular brand. I used knee-high gaiters quite a bit. I never used my rainpants, but hypothermia scaresthehell out of me, so I will continue to carry them. I didn't use any maps - the AT is marked well with white blazes. I carry a compass and I hope the only time I NEED a trailmap is in the big three parks, where the AT may blend in and out of the local trails. In that case I will pick up a park map as I enter the area. I never needed to go outside in the woods after dark thanx to quart-size Ziploc EZ-fill bags (a tip for you girls). A gear change I made was from a Tyvek groundsheet to the official footprint sold by Sierra Designs to fit my tent. I thought I would save a buck or two, but leaves and twigs stick to the Tyvek like crazy and it takes forEVER to dry out. I didn't appreciate carrying all that wet vegetation up and down 3-4 mountains a day. I definitely need a journal - pen & pad the first time around, but my fiance and I are experimenting with a Palm computer with 'mailable' memory cards to save him having to spend hours transcribing my journal (hunt & peck method) onto TrailJournals.   I have decided to start again in Georgia. Lots of people have asked me why I don't just pick up where I left off. As far as I know I'm not a purist, but it would seem wrong to end up in Maine having skipped the first 100 miles or so and calling myself a thru-hiker. Besides, the trails are maintained great - I don't mind doing them over again. There has been a lot of work done on the Georgia AT - there are countless places where the water has been routed down the mountain, instead of down the trail. Blow-downs are cleared and there are plenty of footbridges for crossing streams. The Georgia trail is in excellent condition.I was happy to learn at Thanksgiving that a good friend of my sister's who lives just a few miles away from me is planning to thru-hike in 2003 also. What a nice surprise!!! If she should decide to begin near April 1st, Cornelius and I will be happy to give her a ride up USFS 42 to the terminus. I perceive she would like a hiking partner, but I warned her how incredibly slow I am. I hope we will be able to 'cross paths'.