Date: 2005-11-12
To: Lessons Learned - PART I
Miles today: 0.0

PART IThis entry will probably be rather long, and in two parts. It is going to include descriptions of my gear, what I did and did not take or need, and just some basic lessons learned.FOODI started the trail carrying 5-7 days worth of food. I quickly learned that hiking was far more enjoyable with 3-4 days. There are some instances where I had to carry more, but they were few and far between. I also really enjoyed my dehydrated meals. They were a little pricey, but I got many for Christmas gifts, and they were far less weight, and the preparation pretty simple. I had a variety, so I never got tired of the meals.I ate snacks constantly as I hiked (grazing), and found this helped me maintain my energy levels throughout the day better. I also made sure I ate well in town (proteins, vegetables, fruit, etc). This made a big difference in the energy levels while hiking. I lost my taste for candy bars quickly, and found the energy bursts were short lived anyway. Granola bars, dried fruits, bagels, peanut butter, etc., were the best thing for me. Breakfast also usually consisited of bagels or english muffins with peanut butter and honey.SHOES/BOOTSI started with boots, but switched to trail runners when I started having foot rubbing issues due to wet conditions. The trail runners were more breathable, but did not take the impact of the rocks and rooty trail as well. I stuck with trail runners over the course of the hike b/c I did like less weight and more freedom of movement. I also found that as my feet and legs toughened up and got stronger, boots were no longer as necessary. I will also say that I prefer goretex on the AT. There is lots of debate back and forth, but the wet conditions of the AT with snow, rain, humidity, morning dew, etc., definitely made goretex (for me) advantageous on this trail.HITCH HIKINGThis was not an issue for me. I had no problems hitching rides near the trail. I just used good judgement. Don't take ANY rides if you ever feel uncomfortable. Most people picking you up near the trailheads are quite familiar with hikers, and more than happy to help out. I often hitched with other hikers, or day hikers I met near these trail heads. I would not stress about hitching. PACKI used the ULA P2, and it lasted me the entire 6 months. This was an awesome pack! I kept my pack weight at about 30 lbs. I also used a compactor bag instead of a pack cover. I've used both, and the compactor bag did a far better job of keeping my bag and clothing perfectly dry. The P2 also dries quickly, so even with when it got wet (with a few exceptions), it was generally dry the following morning.SLEEPING BAGI've always used down bags, and never had problems with moisture. I used a fifteen degree Marmot Helium until Pearisburg, and then switched to a 45 degree mountain harware phantom which I used until NH. In hindsight though, I should have switched back to the helium in Woodstock, VT. I started getting chilly nights in VT, and I sleep cold.TENT/SHELTERSI generally stayed in my tent. I was not crazy about the shelters b/c I sleep very lightly. It was far more peaceful in my tent. I would often eat dinner at the shelters to socialize (and not eat where I sleep) and then move on for an hour or so to camp elsewhere. A lot of the shelters were very noisy, mouse infested, and not overly clean. I think I stayed in in them no more than 7-8 times.My tent was a Black Diamond Firstlight. It was an awesome little 3 lb, free standing tent that I could set up most anywhere. I had to keep it seam sealed regularly, but as long as I did that, it could stand up to most any conditions. It also had a ton of room since it was a two person. I'm tall and like lots of head room. It only had two poles, and was incredibly easy to set up very quickly. I started out using the ground cloth that came with the tent to protect the floor, but got rid of the ground cloth in VT and had no issues.More to follow.....