Date: 2016-01-28
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Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Continued...Other Gear & StuffSea to Summit Reactor Thermolite Mummy Bag Liner ¢ polyester, insulated sleeping bag liner will add up to 15 degrees of warmth to my sleeping bag and help keep it clean. It can also be used on its own as a warm weather sleeping bag.Therma-a-Rest NeoAir XTherm Sleeping Pad ¢ inflatable, soft, warm, and comfortable. Only complaint is that it¢s noisy when you move on it. The upside: when people hear ¢noises¢ in my tent I can blame it on the sleeping pad.Leki Corklight Trekking Poles ¢ adjustable, sturdy; anti-shock system; comfortable cork handles. Can be used to spear trout.Duct Tape ¢ Tim DeBoef, a friend of mine, once told me that success in life is mostly a result of ¢duct tape and prayer¢. I believe him. I¢ll have a few feet worth wrapped around my trekking poles.Black Diamond Spot Headlamp - lightweight, very bright, dimmable, multiple modes. Bring on the night hiking! A gift from my friend, John Walsh. Thanks, John!Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter ¢ light, compact, easy to use.Platypus Water Bladder (2 Liter) ¢ water reservoir, primarily for use in camp.Potable Aqua Chlorine Dioxide Water Purification Tablets ¢ Plan B in case water filter fails. Plan C involves an airdrop from a Charleston C-17.MSR Pocket Rocket with MSR IsoPro fuel ¢ simple, compact, and lightweight canister stove. Boils a liter of water in less than 4 minutes.Fire Starters ¢ Bic lighter, 24 matches in waterproof case, and a UST Mini-Flint Sparker. May be overkill, but I like having multiple ways of making fire that don¢t involve rubbing sticks together. Snowpeak Trek 900 Titanium Cookset - set includes a 30 fl. oz. titanium pot, a small titanium fry pan and a nylon mesh storage sack; fry pan doubles as a pot lid. Store stove and fuel inside it. Only complaint is that the pot lid/fry pan doesn¢t fit securely on the pot.Snowpeak Titanium Cup ¢ a man has got to have his coffee.Snowpeak Titanium Spork ¢ for eating; can also be used as a shank to kill wolverines.Classic SD Swiss Army Knife ¢ I resisted the urge to buy a big, cool, unnecessary hunting knife. This small, 7-function, lightweight knife has all that I¢ll need, including scissors. I can also use it to skin the wolverine that I shank with my spork.Rechargeable Stun Gun Flashlight ¢ Backup light source. Also, mess with me and I¢ll put 1 million volts of pure electricity through your veins. (Or, if used incorrectly, through my own veins¢¦which might reverse my sterilization procedure.)Glasses and sunglasses (both prescription) ¢ can hike without them, but prefer the 20/20 vision with them¢¦and not falling off a mountain. Will also bring some contact lenses and solution, although I suspect I will prefer the glasses or going with nothing.Triple-A Batteries ¢ extra for headlamp and flashlight.Shammy ¢ multi-use towel¢¦clean pots, wipe off tent, dry tears, etc.AWOL¢s Guide to the AT, by David Miller ¢ full of useful information on shelters, elevations, towns, water sources, etc. I have this in hard copy and another guide downloaded on my phone.Pen w/ small pen light ¢ for note-taking, writing in shelter journals, and writing sentimental heartfelt letters to my wife. 50¢ Utility Cord + Small Stuffsack + Carabiner ¢ used together, with a rock, to hang food bag (OPSAK Barrier Bag inside Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil 20L Drysack) on a high enough tree branch so bears won¢t get it.Trash Compactor Bag ¢ lines the backpack, providing an extra layer of water protection.Gold Bond Extra Strength Medicated Body Lotion ¢ this gets its own entry because I fear chafing more than I fear bears. This is a result of psychological trauma from literally chafing my nipples off during the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon. At the finish line, I was handed a medal and two Band-Aids. Fortunately, they regenerated like salamander legs. By that, I mean both processes involve regeneration¢¦not that salamander legs grew where my nipples once were. I¢ll move on.Toiletries ¢ small toothbrush and toothpaste, wet wipes, sanitizer, earplugs, toenail clippers, Chap Stick w/ SPF. In lieu of toilet paper, I¢ll be using wet wipes in conjunction with sage leaves and pinecones, a technique recommended by my friend Larry Alexander. He said I must learn this technique on my own, preferably in a quiet, wooded area far from camp, while listening to Pink Floyd¢s The Dark Side of the Moon. As for rookies prone to select the wrong type of pinecone, well, that¢s where the medicated Gold Bond comes in.First-Aid & Medicine ¢ Band-Aids, gauze pads, sterile bandage, moleskin, blister pads, athletic tape, Neosporin, DEET Insect Repellent, razor blade, needle (to pop blisters), tweezers (tic removal), Vitamin I (Ibuprofen), Tums, Imodium, antihistamine, sting and bite pad, acetaminophen, and Nexium (to be taken in Pennsylvania during the Half Gallon Ice Cream Challenge at Pine Grove Furnace General Store).To Be Continued...