Date: 2008-03-15
From: It's a Weekend...

To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It¢s Saturday and Son Number Two and I will be driving down to Chesapeake, Virginia to visit Son Number One, who is in Intensive Care after his spinal surgery. The plan, which is working from what I can see, is for my Wife to be down with him until he¢s released and for me to ¢supervise¢ the Contractors as they remodel three bathrooms¢¦ No Contractors are planning to work this weekend. I¢ll probably be able to do a short conditioning hike tomorrow afternoon (in the rain, of course).VERSE:I¢m sending home some stuff, you see,        To heal my back, to save my kneeThis lighter load feels great, you know,        In every town it tends to grow¢¦REFRAIN:A North-Bound hike is painless        It brings on many changesAnd I can take what comes for six more monthsThis verse is about the constant evaluation and re-evaluation of the gear, clothing, and food the Appalachian Trail Trekker is carrying. Issues:¢¢        Gravity, although considered one of the weaker forces in our Universe, still reminds us that it¢s there every time we throw on the ole¢ backpack¢¢        There is Risk associated with both that which one chooses to carry and especially with the gear, food, and clothing left behind¢¢        The weather at altitude in the Appalachians is variable and it can be cold in summer as well as hot in winter even though this doesn¢t really seem fair¢¦¢¢        The hiker¢s attitudes toward his/her particular trek and the Appalachian Trail in general can be influenced by the gear, food, and clothing chosen¢¢        Peer Pressure can sometimes come into play with these decisions (¢We don¢t need no stinkin¢ sleeping bags¢¦¢) There¢s a term for folks who try to sleep without sleeping bags on the Early Spring Trail: ¢Prospective Buyer at the Local Outfitter¢¢¢        One¢s budget can greatly influence the gear, food, and clothing chosen¢¢        ¢The gear doesn¢t get you to Katahdin, but the lack thereof can truly slow you down¢¦¢¢¢        The way in which one packs the gear, food and clothing can also either expedite or hinder progress toward the goal¢¢        The amount and placement of off-Trail support can greatly influence that which needs to be carried (i.e. if your spouse is following your journey in a motor home or you have thousands of friends living near the Trail from Georgia to Maine)¢¢        Every mile hiked will cost at least $2.00. If your strategy includes less gear, food, and clothing, this can jump to between $5.00 and $10.00 per mile [motels, restaurant meals, etc.]. Please also factor-in inflation¢¦¢¢        Every visit to town, although probably necessary for a range of issues, will increase the drain on one¢s overall budget¢¢        Medical issues can influence the gear, food, and clothing (knee braces, Diabetes test kit, daily medicine, thicker air mattress for bad back, etc.)¢¢        Trekking with a partner might also mandate different gear, food, and clothing than one might otherwise carry as an individual¢¢        Trekking with a dog is like trekking with a five-year-old (yes, this is my opinion). From what I¢ve seen, the great Trail Dogs would also walk with their partners through bad neighborhoods in New York City, and this might be safer for them¢¦¢¢        Perceived gear, food, and clothing requirements can change over time (Winter Kit, amount of food for the 100 Mile Wilderness, etc.)My personal Base Pack Weight is about 20 pounds [Early Spring Kit included]. I¢m a big man and my clothing tends to weigh more than that for a slender teenager. I also prefer not to be wet; cold; dirty; unshaven; and I spend half of my time asleep out there so my sleep system has to be comfortable. ¢¦and no, I don¢t carry a can of shaving cream ¢ they sell little blocks of shaving soap and a quarter of one of these along with a disposable Bic razor weighs mere ounces¢¦With additional dollars in the personal budget, I could probably trim this base pack weight by a couple of pounds, but this will not happen until we finish the upgrades to the house *looking over my shoulder* ¢¦it probably will not happen until after I¢ve taken her to some exotic get-away, either¢¦LATE BREAKING NEWS: I¢ve been trying to convince a nice lady in Colorado to sell me the reasonably priced pair of used/good condition Leki Cor Tec Positive Angle Trekking Poles she had listed on Craigslist. Craigslist is sort of the ¢Wild West¢ of the Internet, and she¢s been burned trying to sell to buyers outside of her local area. At any rate, she¢s now convinced and I¢m hoping to have these long-sought-after poles in-hand by around 19 March! It looks as though the old LekiSports will be staying home on ¢stand-by¢ for my upcoming trek¢¦Just think, I¢ll be able to hold my head up high when I ask the Leki Tech to service these at his Trail Days booth this year¢¦ *lol* They ¢service¢ all brands of trekking pole, within their limit of spares, etc. They ¢rebuild,¢ in some cases, Leki poles¢¦ I¢d like to personally thank Leki and others for the great services they provide to poor; weary; and disheveled trekkers at this annual event. Good show, folks.More Appalachian Trial Corollaries to Murphy¢s Law:- One finds the best (heavy) items in the Hiker Box on days the local Post Office is closed.- The propensity of gear to fail is in direct relation to both the weather and one¢s distance from the next road crossing.- Sign on the fence of the National Zoological Park just past the road to Front Royal: ¢No Trespassing. Survivors Will be Eaten¢.- Blow-downs happen.- That¢s no stream, it¢s the trailbed¢¦