Date: 2012-12-12
To: Testing the Tent
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

As I evaluated my gear in preparation for my attempt at a 2013 thru hike of the Appalachian Trail, the one piece of equipment that I intended to continue using was my tent. At least up until this morning, that¢s what I intended. Since there was rain in the forecast yesterday, I decided to set up the tent to check out its worthiness. The old 2 man Eureka Zeus Exo had served me well for ten years. It had even travelled to Alaska with me and my hiking buddies back in 2003 for a hike in Denali State Park. With the roomy interior capable of comfortably housing all my gear, the reliable Eureka had indeed been my ¢home away from home.¢So this morning when I opened the fly to access how the tent had fared after a rainy afternoon and evening, disappointment awaited. In addition to a small coffee cup size puddle of water along the tent¢s right edge, there were several other moist spots on its floor. This tent has always retained a bit of condensation; however, the water was quite obviously from a minor leak. Whatever the reason, I don¢t see myself beginning a thru hike of the AT with a potentially damaged tent. I have already thought about sealing the seams and re-testing the tent during the next rain, which I may. Still sound logic leads me to the decision to go ahead and replace the old friend.Even though the word ¢comfort¢ doesn¢t necessarily equate with a backpacking trip along the Appalachian Trail, I plan to try to be as comfortable as is possible on my journey north. For that reason, a part of me wants to again shop for a 2 man tent. Another part keeps reminding me that I¢ll be carrying my gear for over five months rather than for two weeks. This part realizes that a smaller and lighter tent, or even a tarp that can be assembled using my hiking poles, is the more practical choice. Whether I opt for comfort or choose based on the tent¢s weight, I¢ll still have to add a new tent to my list of gear to be purchased. In a way, I¢m thinking that the demise of my old tent might actually be prophetic. Perhaps I¢m being led to the more sensible lighter shelter.Indeed, choices abound when one is preparing to undertake the arduous task of a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail. Sometimes I just wish that the best gear selections could be made for me. It would be nice if I could just write a letter to Santa, asking him to bring me whatever he deemed I would need for my journey. Even though I realize that gear is not the main concern for a hike to be successful, I also realize that what gear I do choose will go a long way to ensuring how the adventure unfolds. I sigh, thinking about choices. Just as we have to make choices in life, so too do we have to make them in preparation for and during a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail. We hope that those we make are the best ones, yet at times we still wonder. There may be uncertainty in gear selection just as there is uncertainty in what may transpire during any given day¢s hike. I doubt if anyone has ever departed from Springer feeling like he or she was fully prepared for what lay ahead. So as I shop for a new pack, a new sleeping bag, and now a new tent, I¢ll do so with confidence. Hopefully, whatever equipment I finally select will indeed be exactly what I need. After all, I will expect my gear to become my friend as we travel northward along the Appalachian Trail.