Date: 2010-07-22
To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

~~~Reviewing the Gear~~~As I cannot let go of this journal under the false belief that if I keep adding to it each day, I would still be considered a member of the hiking community (can you do the Trail with crutches ??!?) I decided to at least prepare/educate/warn other "soon to be" hikers of the gear that I used, how much it was worth for the total hike and what I will not bring again. Let's start at the top of the list, shall we ?Buzz Off Ex Officio Survivor Cargo Pants - never had the chance to use these pants as they were going to be mailed up to Hanover for use in the White's and beyond. They have the pockets on the sides that I have come to rely on and are a heavier material. I believe that the pants would have been a perfect fit for the colder end of the hike. The only drawback was that there were no boot zippers and velcro on the bottom of the pants. I really appreciated that factor in my Trail pants as it allowed me to take care of my legs and feet without taking off the pants entirely.Buff - Rarely wore it. A waste of $20. 'Nuff said.Smartwool Socks - I was immensely disappointed that I got serious blisters, of which I am totally to blame. There were times I used the thicker pair as opposed the two thin pairs that I rotated everyday at lunchtime when I babied my feet ~ to no avail. Keep in mind when you purchase your boots/shoes to allow that your feet will swell during the hike and to also allow for the thicker sock. My show size was a 9, a 1/2 size bigger than my normal shoe size. I almost wonder if I should not have gone a full size larger.Go Lite Flow Jacket - At 8 ounces, worth its weight in titanium. Used for rain gear as well as keeping me warm at night in the Hammock. Venting under the arms allowed me to wear it without getting sopping wet due to my own perspiration. I wish Go Lite made a pair of pants to go with it. Patagonia Women's Alpine Wind Jacket - another piece of clothing that I did not have the chance to use, but at $50, half its cost, I'm sure it will work well when I actually get to hike north of New York.Ex Officio Underwear - I used two pair on the trail - one to wear, one as backup. With the exception of two nights and two nights only, one of them being at the Port Clinton pavilion, I made it a point to wash up when I made camp and to wash out my sports bra and knickers; sometimes also my hiking shirt depending on how much sunlight was left to dry it out. Ex Officio is a must for any outdoor activity and I cannot say enough good things about my knickers ~ HA.Marmot Fleece Vest - Used more as a pillow than a vest, I regret carrying it as long as I did. Used maybe twice to warm me; always there as a backup. Better use of the Go Lite Flow jacket should have been my plan. If I were cold, wearing all of my available shirts (3) plus the Go Lite was sufficient. There were only a few nights needed anyway as we were hiking during a drought.Marmot Lightweight Baselayer Crew Top - carried as a backup, used a few times for warmth. Actually, it was a tight fit and since I was wearing a sports bra (and I'm sure I'm showing my age here), I felt a little uncomfortable outlining ALL of my assets in camp. Yeah, yeah, I need to get over it.Patagonia Capilene 2 Pants - did the job, kept me warm. They were my camp pants. Torn in 4 separate areas due to nightly use and tree branches. Wish they held up a little better for the price ($40) and also wish the legs were a wee bit bigger. Capilene is must have, though.Bandana - I carried 3, lost one, found someone else's. I also bought, on trail, a package of 3 washcloths, one of which I lost. For me, the washcloth worked better as a towel and was just as light. Also used one for cooking as my alcohol stove flames came up the side of my pot and it was safer to use a thicker potholder than a bandana. I would carry at least one washcloth with 2 bandanas.REI Khaki Convertible Pants - The best thing I wore on the Trail. Lightweight, comfortable, practical. Quick to dry out, multiple pockets. My only suggestion is that the pockets on the side on the legs could have been a tad bigger to hold the various data books/maps. Had a clip on the front for weight loss and I do love those boot zippers on the bottom of the legs. Quick access to knees and feet without taking off the pants. Danskin Warm System Long Sleeve Tee - Actually turned out to be a pretty good hiking shirt. Thin, wicking, quick to wash and dry, covered my arms. Scoop neck gave me a burn but for 2 bucks, not a bad deal at all. Easy to pack and I bought several.White Sierra Woman's Blouse - Worked well. The material was thicker than the Danskin, so I rotated them out. Bug repellant, wicking and SPF 50, sometimes I used it for a camp shirt, sometimes I hiked in it. Has several snags in the material, but overall a good buy.MSR Insulated Stainless Steel Mug - mailed it home early. Never used it much and who needs the weight? Plus, it took up a bit of room due to its size. I used the tea kettle for cooking, eating and drinking.MSR Titanium Kettle - worked great. Lightweight, held my eBay bought pot stand and primer pan and can stove. Others used Jetboil or Whisperlite; I found that my needs were met with the lightest weight possible for cooking. My friends still tease me about the cost; I, however, can sleep knowing that it's the "metal" I'm paying for, not the pot itself. Worth every penny.Vasque Low Breeze - totally bummed. Shoes were broken it, but can you really break in a shoe for mountains when you have no mountains to practice on?? Yes, the blisters were my fault, though I have to say that one does not always have a hot spot before the blister occurs. Mine were found at night in camp, perhaps because my shoes and socks were just so totally fabulous. Hard to explain. Are there any others out there hiking that found blisters at chance without the pre-warned hot spot?? I am looking into a more open air shoe that can handle rain and swelling better than an enclosed trail shoe or boot, perhaps a type of hiking sandal with a toe ridge for protection to wear with socks (I stumbled every single day). Within two weeks, I felt nerve damage on my right foot just below my toes extending across my foot. Very, very painful, especially at night when I stretched. Re-lacing my shoes by eliminating the top crossover and lacing into a square as opposed to crossing the laces helped.Crocs - Yeah, they're ugly, they mark you as a hiker anywhere you go, they hooked onto my backpack with ease, they gave me relief at night. As an alternative hiking shoe, they failed. They are not designed as a backup shoe and if I can get the type of hiking shoe that I am researching, they will not be needed ever again. I will, instead, carry a very lightweight pair of flip flops, only to use in community showers.AWOL's Guide - I made the fatal, I do mean this with complete sincerity, that I botched my own hike by cutting up this book. NEVER SEPARATE YOUR DATA BOOK. The weight is not the issue, the information is. I cut up this book and mailed the sections in my drop boxes and was missing vital information that I needed. What if, perchance, you skip a mail drop? Guess what? Your DATA BOOK INFO is now held hostage and is worth NOTHING if it's not with you. Take some duct tape, tape up the spine because you will be opening it several times daily and CARRY THE WHOLE BOOK. Same with your ATC data book. Put one book in your right pocket, another in your left, because you are screwed if you lack one or the other. Sometimes, its not Trail info that you need, but what's OFF the Trail that is critical. Carry a mechanical pencil; it won't leak, it won't stop working and you WILL need a writing utensil to write down critical data, such as, "Exactly what time IS that pizza/pub/shower/laundry place open 'til ??"Hong Kong Extra Long Trekking Pole - I actually loved my single staff and at $14, it was pretty cheap. But, I did replace it at the Cabela's Store near Port Clinton with a pair of their store hiking poles and OMG - why did I not start with these poles to begin with ????? They made my hike so much easier, especially gaining leverage up the inclines and giving me balance on the rock edges. I know people who hike without the use of poles and that's great, but for me, the poles are an essential piece of equipment. My single staff might still be available to a loving home and is probably still in the umbrella rack by the service counter.Aqua Mira - Not once did I drink untreated water. Only those with a fondness for loose stools imbibe in that cocktail, Thank you very much. With that, I found Aqua Mira to be cheap, easy and reliable. However, after watching several hiker's drink that cold, clear mountain water that's been zapped with a Steripen, I regret not buying one for myself. There is a residue taste with Aqua Mira that I hid with Crystal Light or, better choice, Propel drink mixes. I do wish, though, that I could have just drank that mountain water; crisp and clear and free of micro buggies. There will be a Steripen in my future.Leatherman Squirt S4 - The scissors were poor and I used the knife to cut up my various yards of moleskin that I used. Lorod had a much smaller tool that worked way better. Plus, the Leatherman, while it was mailed ahead to Harper's Ferry, failed to escape the TSA. It was left at the airport in NY. No loss.Rite in the Rain All Weather Cruisers Transit # 341 - I used this as my major notebook and taped a ziplock bag in the back cover to use as a wallet. If the side pockets of my REI pants had been a tad bigger, this size book would have been perfect. But, having it in another ziplock bag to protect it made it hard to shove into my pockets. My next version will be the smaller flip top size.pStyle Urintation System - Great to use when traveling abroad; it worked fine on the Trail but the truth is, when I had to pee, I took my backpack off anyway to have better balance and give my back a break. It's just as easy to squat and grab your pants so you don't pee on them as to use this item. Or, sit on a rock and do your business (the one's with the soft green algae were "my" favorite).Granite Gear Vapor Ki Backpack - Without a thing in it, lightweight. Single entry on top. Not too big, not too small. I will not use it again on a long distance hike. The back stuck to me like Saran Wrap and every time I took it off, the back of my shirt and the top part of my pants were completely wet from sweat., causing a rash that is just now gone away. The two small pockets on top barely held anything (for me, one side was Aqua Mira and a ziploc bag for getting water, the other side held my bag of TP and pStyle system and a small bottle of Puril). This pack has only two side stretch pockets for water bottles; you have to pack your water first BEFORE you pack your pack, or there won't be enough room to shove the bottles in. Even with a compression sack for my sleeping bag, it took effort to re-pack every morning. There is another hiker on Trail that has the same pack, BUT, she has several add- on's hanging from all over the pack to make up for the lack of function. I tried to keep my weight, total with food and water, under 30 pounds, with the exception of Palmerton where I carried 4.5 liters of water and a mail drop walking out of town. For me, this pack did not work. Researching Gossarmer Gear or Go Lite for my next backpack.MontBell Super Stretch 30 Degree Bag - Loved it, but I believe it was overkill for most of my hike. With the exception of a few cold nights, I could have just used a lighter quilt and saved the weight or used a bag liner as several hikers did. When it's hot out, you don't need a lot.ThermaRest Neo - I regret this purchase. It is only a 2/3's length and even with my backpack at the foot, it was never that comfortable for me. I would rather carry the extra ounces and have a good nights sleep. Your sleeping status is so important on the Trail. It's the only time you really have to truly rest, relax and restore your body for the next day. Do not skimp on weight and cost for your sleeping system (and always carry earplugs as you never know when you have to sleep in a shelter).Hennessey Hammock - If I wanted a really good nights sleep, it was in my Hammock. If it was going to rain, I slept in a shelter. My Hammock was the best. Easy to set up, netting to keep the bugs out and I could adjust to raise my feet to get some of the swelling down at the end of the day. I bought the extra tarp that converts to a poncho; for me, it was overkill. the poncho really works better for someone who is taller as the corners kept dragging and even stuffing them in my pants pockets didn't keep them there. Also, instead of being able to keep the tarp attached and just stuffing it in the snake skins along with the Hammock, I had to separate it to keep out to use in case it rains. In the future, I will use my Go Lite Flow jacket and get a pair of rain pants and a pack cover. Ponchos are a drag ~ for me.More tomorrow ~~~ because after five glorious weeks, I have SO MUCH to offer ~~~ lol.