Date: 2015-04-20
From: Newfound Gap

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.5
Weather: scattered clouds

Today was a relaxing zero day and there isn't a whole lot to report about it, so I thought I'd answer some of the questions people have posted in the guest book.1. The spiffy mapThis is something Gary wrote himself and not a feature of Trailjournals. But if you look now, he added a link to instructions if you want to add a similar thing to your page. As he points out, this would probably be way too much trouble to do from a phone while hiking, but if you have a somewhat savvy Web Master managing the journal, it is quite doable. I think it looks super fun and professional myself! 2. The gearToday is the start of week 4, so it is a bit premature to talk about how well my gear is or isn't holding up. That said, I have not had any 'why the hell did I bring that' moments, nor have I missed something I didn't bring. Other than the exchange of my bag liner and a new shirt, I haven't changed anything. I'll give a bit more detail on some of the more important gear items, though part of this information is probably in the prep entries as well.A) the packZpacks arc blast 52. Love it. It is light, holds all my stuff and is waterproof. I do have a liner inside to make it totally bombproof but I leave my pack out every night with the top rolled down and closed and the few things that remain inside stay dry. And in case you did not notice, it has rained a little here and there. Most of my stuff is inside the tent with me though. I got one belt pocket where I store phone and snacks and I use it roughly 96 times a day. Clean Water bottle on right side pocket, dirty water bottle and toilet paper on left and everything else is inside the pack. I love not having stuff hanging off my pack all over the place. Apparently I am anti clutter even when it comes to packs. B. The tentZpacks solplex. Love it. Condensation has been an issue but I don't think that's the fault of the tent. And because the cuben fiber does not absorb water, carrying a wet tent isn't any more cumbersome than carrying a dry one. It is small and if I were taller (I'm 5' 5") or wider I'd want a bigger tent. Fellow hiker Prefontaine has a very similar tent from zpacks called the ultaplex (I think) that works well for tall people.C. The miracle fiber I have a number of cuben fiber stuff sacks and I love every single one of them. Mine are all from Zpacks but there are certainly other places you can get them. The cuben fiber is super light and waterproof. What more would you like? It is said to not be as durable as more traditional materials so we'll see how it holds up. One drawback is that it is very expensive. I have told people more than once that if Zpacks ever goes public, I'm buying stock, because I have sent them so much money already. D. Sleeping bagNow that I have gotten used to it, I like it fine, but I'm not as enamored with it as the other Zpacks stuff. It is super light and super easy to stuff, which is nice.E. PadNeoAir whatever whatever, the yellow one. It's very narrow but otherwise quite comfortable. Blowing it up every night is not the highlight of my day though.F. Miscellaneous Love the stove (mar pocket rocket), but the lighter doesn't work that well. Very quick to boil water which is really all I do. All clothes and my shoes are good. I did just buy new insoles for the shoes because the standard ones were shot but I do have about 350 or so miles on the shoes. Btw, Moab ventilator low version without waterproofing. Waterproof would have been nice this past week but in general I prefer regular.3. The body For the most part, my body is holding up pretty well. The itb issue was gone the next day, possibly because we mostly went up that day. If I get through the exit of the smokies (a very long downhill) without further ITB issues, I will be very pleased. The feet have been very well throughout but did get a beating the last few days in the rain. The rest has done them good and I also hope the new insoles will help prevent foot soreness ( or at least delay it till as late in the day as possible). I am not aware of any other body parts which means they aren't bothering me.4. The Overall Still having a great time! Open map in new windowWant to add a map to your journal?