Date: 2006-09-17
From: Williamstown, MA

To: Home
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: few clouds

It was a 37 hour bus ride home with 3 transfers and many stops. All in all, it wasn't too bad other than the lack of sleep. Here is a bit of gear review.GoLite Infinity Pack: Bad choice. It has very little suspension and I found it not durable at all. With one fall, items inside caused the top lid to rip. There is no padding to speak of on the waist belt and toward the end of the trip it would not hold in the same spot causing the weight to transfer mostly to my shoulders. The waist is pulling out of the pack and the stitching on the back / side seams is also giving way. By the way, this was the 2nd pack. The first Infinity lasted less than 30 days before the seams opened up along the back.Mountain Hardware Phantom 32 Sleeping bag: No complaints. It kept me warm on the really cold nights. Hindsite has me wishing for a full zip as it was used as a quilt over my liner on the warmer nights.3/4 length Thermarest Pad: Great! I am short enough that when I curl up I am entirely on the pad. The full length pad would have been overkill, not to mention heavier.Henry Shires Tarptent-Squall 2: Performed well. I liked the fact that I, and my pack could spread out inside. Some condensation on cooler, still nights but no dripping or spraying.Marmot Dri-clime Windstopper 1/2 zip jacket: Best purchase made. I wore this EVERY day of the hike. It looks like new and did not absorb odors. It was light enough to buffer a cool evening breeze and warm enough to begin my 40 degree mornings.Marmot PreCip Jacket: Worked well. While there is no escaping sweating in the rain going up a good sized hill, it kept me dry. I was very pleased that as clumsy as I can be running in to broken limbs on trees beside the trail, it did not puncture, even when I was caught on a limb. My only regret is that I got a light cream color (all that was on sale at the time). It does show a slight discoloration on the back where the pack rested.Rain Pants: REI These were admittedly old (15-20 years) and of an outdated technology but they performed well in the few times worn in the rain. Mostly they were used as camp pants in the evening and wind pants on Katahdin and the Presidentials.Stove: Vargo titaniam: Small alcohol stove that worked well. Light weight. No fuss, no muss design. Good for one person not in a hurry. If I wanted to speed up my cooking, or cooked for more than myself, I would seriously look in to the Jet Boil systems.Shorts: REI The shorts were good and the stuff used to repel water works. It was nice for the shorts not to be soaked right away and they dried relatively quickly. I especially like the pockets.Shirt: HIND brand. This is a running shirt. Lightweight. Did not absorb stains, even blood. Dried quickly. Only complaint, got a bit too hot in the dryer and puckered in a couple of places.Shoes/boots: New Balance Country Walker (leather mid-boot) Worked reasonably well with few blisters. The soles did not wear as well as I would like but lasted at least 700 miles.Vasque Velocity trail runners: Almost 800 miles before they wore out. Again with very few rubbing spots/blisters.I prefer my Bridgedale socks over my SmartWools and Wigwam Socks. The Bridgedales hug my feet (more stretch?) and last longer. They also don't snag and look ragged. The new SmartWools sagged after the first day whereas the Bridgedales didn't sag for over a year. The SmartWools stretched when wet and bunched more inside the boot. Wigwams make great mittens.My thanks to all who have taken an interest in my hike. It was truly an adventure and lots of fun. The people I met and those who extended kindness to me have a special place in my heart and thoughts. For those who hike and for those who are true trail angels, I can never forget you. I do plan to finish, hopefully in April 2007. In the interim, I'll watch, walk and dream.