Date: 2012-02-14
To: last prep- gear info
Miles today: 0.0

Well this is the last Journal entry I will do until I am on the trail- 18 March.As time has gone on I think I have bought almost two of all the major items as I upgraded time and time again. my excuse is "i can use this when I ATV overnight". Camping stuff will be more expensive than the ATVs I have at the rate I'm going.I've bought my Airline Ticket, have hotel reservations for the night before the trek, and have set up a place to drink Coronas to ensure that all goes well.TRAIL GEAR:I tried a one-man tent and it drove me nuts as I figured it would, so I ended up with a 3-season REI- quarter dome 2-man tent. After some work it weighs in at 68 oz. I know that is a lot but the tent walls were just too close for me on one-man tents. In the summer I may switch out to a bivy sack.Sleeping bag is the Marmot Pinnacle long, 15 degree, 44oz. Love it!water filter is the Sawyer squeeze- 3.8 oz with three water bags included. Works great! fits on Coke/ Mt Dew bottles as well...failed on Corona bottles, damn!Ur-sack is the food bag with odor bag- 8.3 oz. easily holds 4-5+ days food and 7+pounds. I'm struggling with the food part- I've read and know all the varieties of the food- just not certain of what/how much I will eat in one day versus what I can carry. I think I'm carrying too much. Watch out towns with buffets, and if i see an unattended cow-BQ time may be the word of the day...just joking folks...trust me.Pocket Rocket and titanium cup and spoon for stove, heats things really quick.about four pounds of winter clothes- long sleeve-wicker Cabela's base wear, silk top and bot long unders, long pair of prago pants, smart wool socks-3 pr, and poly socks-which will become the summer socks. Columbia outershell- omni-tech fully seamed sealed jacket. With hikes in Wy and temps ranging from 1 below to 25 (not counting wind chill), I'm not worried about being cold hiking, and if I get cold after hiking with this stuff, I'm calling it a night in the bag, another reason for the two-man tent. The above combo is all I've worn on my pre-hikes. By Damascus all the winter stuff is out.Hiking clothes are wicker short sleeve and combo pants (zip on/off legs). spare shirt, shorts and silk unders...never thought I would say I am wearing silk unders but Armourall makes some pretty damn nice ones!I have one- MSR hiking pole- which I seem to carry in my hand more than I use, but time will tell on the steep slopes.Sea-Summit bags in various sizes for small, med, large items. Waterproofing stuff is good. rain gear is frogg toggs bottoms- still wondering on those as well...maybe at camp or if it is really a damp cold rain (???) and a West Wind rain top- which wicks really great- both are > or < 12 oz each.I also included a headlamp and a small flashlight, GPS and trail maps, tape,spare ziplocks, towel, evironment friendly soap..etec and a raincover for the backpack,The Backpack is another great story. I have an Osphrey Argon 85- a great pack, I don't know I have it on after 100 ft. The problem is it weighs in at 6 pounds 12 ounces. To me that is a lot of dead weight. So since the wife is traveling this week (thus the computer and access to sports stores was open)I got on the computer and ordered a GG Mariposa Plus which weighs in at 23 oz and has 3600 Cubic In of space... The challenge now will be to fit everything in and see if the seams do in fact expand without ripping. It had a ton of great reviews. With the old heavy bag- water, seven pounds of food, my bag comes in at 38-39 lbs. With the new one which I hope really works and fits right I'll be at 33 lbs 5 oz. once the winter clothes are gone- drop that 4.2 pounds to 29.3 total weight. As the food goes and I only need to carry 2-3 days food- my pack should be 23-26 pounds. Not ultra-light- but my hike- I'm good with it and if I throw stuff out on the way- folks will be getting some really nice stuff.In closing:Best of luck to those already on the trail- and those who will shortly be starting. It is a challenge to walk the whole trail- and granted not all that start will finish, but no one that tried needs to say he/she failed in their attempt. The very fact that you came out-and did what very few even try to do- makes everyone a winner in their own way. Granted, all of us are also probably a little loose in the head for doing this, but life is too short to not do something like this.As I go through each state I plan to find the right place, have my Coronas in hand and pay tribute to my friends- both living and dead. I will try and honor the few I call friends and make this hike one for the books. Or as one of my friends stated- "don't even think about quitting out there, JUST MAN UP". Yes she is a friend of mine- you ought to hear what the folks that don't like me said.As I go on with this journal you'll see my warped sense of humor come through. My wife for years has stated that "I live in my own warped world". As the years have gone on...I would agree with her, but that would make her right,,,,Thanks to all and good luck in whatever challenge you face- remember someone,somewhere is facing a much tougher situation than you are at this very moment..we are lucky to live where we live and do what we do everyday.