Date: 2016-09-05
To: R & R In the Whites with family.
Miles today: 0.0

I rarely ever dreamt about hiking on the trail while I was out there in the woods. Many others said that they dreamed about it every night. Now that I'm home I think and dream about it constantly and have been waking up prepared to hike in the morning. Actually said out loud the other day as I was rising with the Sun, "I really don't feel like hiking today". Ha, ha. I had no idea where I was. Ok. Let's start this page with a complete list of what was in that little 22 pound pack.   6x4 Ground Tarp $15   Double wall tent. (North Face / featherweight) $175   Sea to Summit ultralight inflatable pad. $100   550 Fill down 20 degree sleeping bag. Sierra Designs $175 Silk Sleeping Bag Liner $10   Pocket Rocket Stove   Titanium pot   Small fuel canister   First aid and toiletries all in one sandwich bag   AT guide. Headlamp,AAA bateries, reading glasses (with hard case),small notebook, waterproof matches, small lighter, 2 pens. In a 1-gallon Ziploc in large front pocket with 2 panchos individually wrapped   A 20-ounce gatorade bottle in each side pocket along with two snacks in each side pocket   Phone in right front pocket and wallet in left front pocket of backpack   Tiny sitting pad   Sawyer water filter   Clothes included   One pair extra socks   Fleece jacket   One pair of pants   Winter hat   One short sleeve. One long sleeve townshirt.   One pair extra underwear     I did use a small deodorant and I'm happy with that choice. My toothbrushs were always cut in half. Never ended up using any first aid equipment. (Lucky). Food Bag weighed around 4 pounds, most others were double.   A few items that I discarded.   Sunglasses. ( unless you're trying to look cool in town these are completely useless and actually a liability with all the shadows and shade you are hiking in everyday)   Umbrella. (What was I thinking?)   Packtowl. (Never used it once.. Carried it almost the entire trip.) Bug head net.( used it one time and it was hot, hard to breathe and hard to see through. Better off just spraying yourself.   3rd pair of socks.You can usually get 2-3 days out of one pair. Also have lot of opportunities to rinse out second pair during the day   No bug spray needed until after Harpers Ferry (halfway point). This might vary with the rain each year.   TIPS FROM THE TRAIL.   #1 Most of the Church Hostels are a must stay. (all of them are donation based and usually 5 or 10 dollars does the trick. Often u sleep in the basement rec hall with plenty of space. T.V. laundry, shower, and internet r common with a great central location in town. They all have a no alcohol policy to ensure a good nights sleep.)   # 2 Buy a small Backpack.(This will force u to keep packweight down. I still maintain packweight was a main reason for my success.If you get a big pack u WILL fill it!)   #3 Triple check your entire pack before leaving town. (this is where I lost most of my stuff including my fleese jacket and hiking pants.)When in town keep all your things togeather or in a corner of a room. Once u start spreading things out u will lose them. I ALAWAYS checked my 2 side pockets whenever I went anywhere for my wallet and phone. Sometimes multiple times per day.   #4 A poncho worked much better for me than a rain jacket. (Not only can u save $100 but your goal is not to keep yourself dry but to keep your backpack and contents dry. Hikers started buying 1 dollar ponchos when they saw how efficient it was).   #5 Always insert a heavy duty trash bag inside your pack first. (Even if they say your pack is waterproof or water resistant. Never got my things wet the entire trip.)   #6 I cut socks in half and slipped the top half over my shoulder straps.(Was told many times how it was a great idea but never saw anyone do it. Some hikers had rashes, scrapes, and the pattern of the straps embedded into their skin. My homemade shoulder pads worked awesome for me. Its not a fashion show out there. Whatever gets you to Katahdin!)   #7 Truly believe jumping in water everyday and rinsing my shirt off everyday was a huge part of my good health on the trail. ( as we all know your skin is the largest organ of your body. Keeping it clean, free of the abrasive salt, cleansing those pores of dirt was huge. Not to mention feeling great during the day and when it was time to go to bed. Many hikers had rashes, clogged pores, sores, and used to brag about all the salt lines and holes on their shirts. Lots of young hikers went a week without any hygiene multiple times throughout their hike. I changed out my hiking shirt 3 times usually for $2 at a goodwill store or for free in a hiker box.) No Lyme disease, no giardia, no noro virus, not even a sniffle in 5 months. Not bad for the old man who saw hundreds of sick hikers on the trail.   Knees r at 70%. Both feet r still numb, middle toes.   Next Post @ the end of the month.