Date: 2009-04-02
To: Prep #11
Miles today: 0.0

Warning! Pack Explosion Below!OK, I'm done. There is nothing more I need to get until I arrive in Georgia where Bon Bon and I will go shopping for food and get water on Sunday. I just loaded up my pack and weighed it. It weighs 15 pounds without food and water. Allowing for 1.5 pounds of food per day and four days between resupply points, the average food weight will be 1.5x4/2 = 3 pounds. I'll have 0 to 4 pounds of water with me as I move along, averaging 2 pounds. Adding it up, 15 + 3 + 2 = 20 pounds on average on my back!I also will have 6 pounds of other gear I will be wearing or carrying.The sidebar on the left of the screen has a gear section, but I found it difficult to use. All I have shown there are photos of my "Big Four" ... pack, sleeping bag, air mattress and tent. They come in at just under 5 pounds total.I thought it would be easier to show a good percentage of my gear by taking some photos as I dismantled my pack for shipping everything to Atlanta in a cardboard box.So here goes ...This is the back of my pack, fully loaded (I used a pillow to fill up the space where the food will be later).This is the other side of the pack.These are the things in the four pockets you can see in the previous photo. Upper left is the stuff in the pocket on the pack strap ... my daily log, a guide book page, a packet of other trail info, and my cell phone. The lower left is gear kept in a bag in one of the belt pockets. This is stuff I will be using quite often as I hike along ... a minor wound kit, spare camera batteries, a water purification kit, SportSlick (a chafing/blister prevention cream a bit like chapstick), sun block, hand sanitizer, and Ibuprofin. To the right of those things are items in the other belt pocket ... a 20x48" piece of Tyvek, a selection of plastic bags and clip-on sunglasses. Not shown are snacks and lunch which will be carried in this pocket as well. At the upper right is the foam pad that serves as a pack stiffener. It also sees duty as a seat when resting and is part of my pillow system at night. Between the pad and the pack I store a hitch-hiking sign (the other side says "Hiker to Trail"), and a flyswatter to use in the tent if needed after zipping the door shut. It is very hard to swat flies or mosquitos by hand against a tent wall.These are the items in the two side pockets of the pack. On the left are a one-liter water bottle, my alcohol fuel bottle, which also holds my drinking cup, and a "ditty box." This box has various types of tape and rubber bands wrapped around it (one piece of tape can be used to seal the box so it is totally waterproof when crossing streams). Inside are many, many little, things ... some small tools, a sewing kit, spare glasses, electronic stuff, batteries, phone charger, spare phone battery, air mattress patch kit, and on and on. On the other side is another water bottle, a 2.5 liter collapsible water bag, my foot care kit, a light-weight windbreaker and my toiletries ... toothbrush, soap, razor, vitamins, etc.These things are on the back of the pack ... a zip lock bag with maps, guide book pages, and other info I'll need as hike along, a tiny pot scrub and towel for my kitchen and a tiny wash cloth and pack towel for washing up (these things need to ride outside the pack to dry, rather than being inside the pack). Also shown are my "Crocs," used in camp to rest my feet and when fording creeks, and a pack cover to use on rainy days.Oddly enough, there are far more things outside the pack than inside its main body. Inside are just eight bags ... at the top is the food bag (currently empty) in which I also keep my kit for hanging the food bag in trees, away from bears, at night, and a small bag of more serious meds which might attract bears. It will also be kept in the food bag and hung in the trees with the food at night. In the center row, from left, are my air mattress, extra clothing (altogether I have enough clothing to provide, if needed, five layers on my upper body, four on my legs, three on my head, and two on my hands), rain gear, and a thin foam pad that goes under the air mattress to provide more insulation from the cold ground and also protects the air mattress from thorns. On the far right is my tent. At the bottom are my cook kit and sleeping bag.Last, but not least, are the 6 pounds of gear I will be wearing and carrying ... A fleece jacket, and hiking poles are on the left At the top are a handkerchief, my running shoes, a bandana, a lanyard with a whistle and a small but very powerful flashlight, some emergency gear to use in case I ever get separated from my pack ... a fire starting kit, a few water purification pills, a zip lock bag to hold water, some rope, etc. ... Just to the left of the shoes are two small "wallets" containing all my contact info, ID, credit cards, etc.In the next row are cash, an emergency plastic bivy, a small Swiss Army knife, a watch/thermometer, a small Bic lighter, and toilet paper.Below that is the rest of the clothing I will normally be wearing ... underpants, socks, a thin, long sleeve knit wool shirt, and hiking shorts with lower legs zipped off.