Date: 2004-10-01
To: What's Left?
Miles today: 0.0

So in the end, what did I have in my four-pound backpack?Maps ¢ the last three.Wingfoot¢s guide - ripped to shreds. I think there were three pages of the trail guide left by the time I reached Katahdin Also within the pages is a four-leaf clover given to me by Spider Web in Virginia.I have nothing against the Hiker¢s Companion. In fact, I brought pieces of that along as well. But when I reached White House Landing, I tossed the section I was carrying. I also used to carry the Data Book, but liked the way Wingfoot gave me a cumulative mile count and I could read from left to right.Cell phone ¢ The most useless piece of equipment you can bring on the trail. I eventually bounced the recharger and pondered the idea of sending the cell phone home from Monson. I never got coverage in the towns or mountains of Maine. In the south, I was always ¢roaming¢ even though I had Verizon as a carrier. I ended up using calling cards all the time. So, why did I carry it? I was paying for it. What an incentive.Slackpack ¢ My sister lent this to me. It weighed nothing, really and I used it to carry stuff when in town. But I wouldn¢t recommend carrying a slackpack of sorts on your trip because most hostels had extras (reaking of the previous hikers¢ sweat, of course).Digital Camera (Cannon S45) - I would sometimes have an extra meg card too (see first aid kit). I¢m not sure if a 256 M weighs more than a 128 M. I also had a hand made fleece bag to hold it in since I have an uncanny tendency to drop things on rocks.Mini tripod ¢ I had a six-inch contraption with flexible legs that I would balance on rocks. Very cool.Plastic Wallet ¢ included stamps, AAA card, HCHP card, Mass ID, phone cards, bank card, and, of course, one credit card.Tiny, tiny Swiss Army Knife that included scissors, toothpick, tweezers, knife and file. I used the scissors all the time. The tweezers disappeared.Head lampMP3 player with headphones and extra SD card (TDK)Trail Drop ¢ compass, thermometer, date, time, and alarmSmall carabiner for holding Trail Drop to my packClothesRain jacket ¢ I used to carry a rain jacket and a wind breaker. In Damascus, Sun Dog convinced me I really only needed the rain jacket and the fleece. Sure enough, in the north, these two together were fine even though the rain jacket is practically made of cellophane.Convertible pants/shortsPurple t-shirt ¢ strangely, I started off with two t-shirts. But you eventually get used to feeling mucky and don¢t care if you don¢t have a change of clothes. I also interchanged this with my dress (in Virginia) and a bicycle shirt (below)3 pairs of hiking socks ¢ I started with liners but they just got annoying after the Smokies. One pair of socks I kept dry and wore in the evenings if it were cold. The other two were never dry because the AT is one of the wettest trails in the US.Tevas ¢ for river crossings. I only picked these up for Maine. I wore them in the beginning too until I bought some Crux plastic shoes in Damascus (blue, and matched my dress) which weighed nothing. Never thought I would say that Tevas are heavy. Tevas are also useful if you prefer to hike in sandles.2 Bandannas ¢ don¢t know where the third one went.Orange fleece ¢ loved it, loved it!MittensGlove liners ¢ torn to shreds from use.One long sleeve shirtZebra long underwear ¢ from New Zealand, no less.2 Scrungies for my hair - never lost them, amazing!2 Thin hair bands ¢ for my braids or for the water filter in a pinch.Sleeveless Bicycle Shirt ¢ bought in Harpers Ferry.Sundress ¢ yes, I brought a town dress, which, once again, weighed nothing and therefore covered practically nothing. I used this in every town visit while I did my laundry.Rain pants ¢ last worn on top of Mt. Washington.Ultralight pack towel ¢ the size of a piece of paper. I was more into drip-drying though.Wool hat ¢ this went home during the summerWater16 oz Nalgene bottle ¢ for those mixed drinks.2 Liter-size platypus sacks ¢ I had three but my friend Jon C borrowed one of them for our day hike and we discovered it leaked badly.Water filter ¢ Don¢t get me started! I am so glad I carried this contraption all the way. Nothing is more refreshing than fresh water without the taste of bleach or iodine or Aqua Mira. And it took seconds to use. I know you can drink straight from the streams in Maine but can you really? And would you really want to find out if you¢re wrong?Kitchen3 Stuff sacks for food ¢ I had to be organized, so I divided dinner, breakfast, and lunch.30 oz Titanium pot and cover ¢ my cereal bowl too.Denatured alcohol stove (Pepsi Stove)Butane Lighter ¢ the same one from the beginning of the tripWind Shield for the stove ¢ I bought one at the NOC in North Carolina. Thought I could do without a wind shield but ended up burning things.Burner rack ¢ made of rabbit cagePaper Towels ¢ for wiping out my dinner pot. Actually, I would wash out breakfast with dinner and wash out dinner with breakfast. Such is the cleanliness of a thru-hiker.8 oz bottle of denatured alcohol ¢ half full.SpoonProtection against the ElementsSunglassesSunscreen Lotion - hardly used, believe it or not.Insect repellent ¢ 20 oz Repel that I bought in Vernon, NJ and first used after Kent, CT. I last used it at Abol Bridge (15 miles south of Baxter Peak).2 trash compactor bags for lining the backpackPack Rain CoverBedroomHenry Shire Virga Tarp Tent with one pole and six titanium tent stakes.Prolite 3 Thermarest ¢ bought this in Damascus after using a heavier version of the ThermarestWestern Mountaineering 20 degree sleeping bag (lighter than my 50 degree Marmot bag I used during the summer)Polypro pillow case ¢ Stuffed it with any clothes I wouldn¢t be wearing that evening.Toiletries and suchMotrin ¢ I had twelve tablets left after buying a box of 500 in Pearisburg, VA and another 200 in Kent, CT.Toothbrush ¢ NOT cut in half.Toothpaste ¢ small travel tubeSome body/facial cleaning towelettesHair Brush ¢ What a refreshing notion to wake up and not have to worry about one¢s hair. If I braided my hair, I wouldn¢t worry about it for days (a fact I¢m sure you could see in the pictures).¢First Aid Kit¢ ¢ included alcohol swabs, lubricant for water filter, lip balm, 5 feet of duct tape, AAA battery, 2 safety pins, Pass the Pigs (two pigs and rules of the game), extra meg card, elastic bands, extra camera battery, 6 bismal tablets, 10 bandaids, hydrocortisone, 1 oz bottle of Purell, 2 Imetrex tabletsToilet paper (half a roll)Book ¢ Gray¢s Anatomy (just kidding).Pen and small notebook.A few mementos including the bottle cap from my beer in Cornwall Bridge, CT.Hordes of Ziplock, Glad, and other plastic bags.On the SideI used two pairs of hiking boots. LL Bean Dayhikers and Merrills (discontinued brand). I made a disastrous attempt at breaking some Chaco boots in so those were returned shortly after Pearisburg, VA.I sent the bear rope and carabiners home when I started sleeping with my food. Never had a problem even in the Shenandoahs.If you noticed my vocabulary diminishing with the miles, it is because I sent a small Thesaurus home as well. I missed it tremendously especially when my brain went to mush.Pocketmail was finally sent home from Monson after many frustrated attempts at editing my journals on a botched screen. Oddly enough, I believe the problem with the screen began before the trip started when I spilled applesauce on it. Attempts to have it replaced were futile. I am glad I had the device though. It held telephone numbers, addresses, and instructions on how to set my Trail Drop. I also threw in a couple of one-pot recipes and descriptions of clouds and weather signs. I bought it used for $50. I got a six-month subscription to Pocketmail.com, which ended on September 16th¢talk about timing. I received some great e-mails from people, arranged a flight to New Orleans and a ride to Newark Airport, organized mail drops with my Mom, and wrote these journals. It weighed 6 oz. Everyone, who was anyone on the Trail, had one of these it seemed. We all joked about them and provided technical support advice for each other. The general consensus was that we were glad we had our pocketmails.Still, I have to admit that free writing seemed so much easier because typing on the tiny keyboard was difficult and slowed down the thought processes.I gave up on earplugs somewhere in the south. Most of the snorers dropped out in the first third of the Trail or I just slept so well I never noticed.The pack is a Deep Trance produced by Mystery Ranch. Enticed by the colors and the clever use of sail clothe, it did not take me long to choose this pack from the many hanging on the wall at Sundogs in Damascus, VA. Actually, it was the comfort level that spurred me to purchasing it. I did not feel bruised or sore while wearing it. I don¢t believe I can say that about any other pack I own. I never noticed a weight difference when I used this pack either. I could sit on it, throw it on trucks, and drop it off cliffs. I did, though, pack the extra detachable pockets inside the pack during downpours and when weaving through the Mahoosuc Notch. And I just noticed from the Web site that I can pack my skis in the sides. Tuckerman Ravine next May¢woo hoo!The Trekking Poles were from EMS. They only started to fall apart in the Wilderness. I have no complaints. They say they are specifically built for women but I find absolutely nothing gender related in their design. They are also good for digging cat holes and I used one for holding up the door to my tent.And yes, I wore a watch on my wrist. Timing your mileage is one form of pleasure thru-hikers have.The moral to the story¢¦don¢t stop in Damascus, VA if you don¢t have money and have shoddy equipment.More to come...