Date: 2010-03-12
To: Gravity sucks ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ fight back.
Miles today: 0.0

That picture on the left was me back in 2003. Thought I¢d go for my first ever backpacking trip, which in my case was a thru-hike. Never had a practice hike, never had a short overnighter, never carried a backpack anywhere near a mountain. I schlepped that coffee table around Chicago for two hours thinking that I was getting in shape. You ever see Chicago? Flat as a Denny¢s pancake, I tell you. You ever see the AT in Georgia? You might use a lot of words to describe it, and some expletives, but flat wouldn¢t be one of them.My FIFTY-FOUR pound coffee table load and me started a thru-hike and we quickly decided that we were through hiking. I believe I got to that decision before my pack did, smartest about-face I ever made. I didn¢t know what I didn¢t know. Since I wanted to hike rather than have a tryout for Mayflower movers, I quickly decided that carrying a steamer trunk on my back wasn¢t exactly quenching my desire for adventure, especially during those wet days when it weighed closer to 58. The picture on the right is also me on the AT back in 2004 & 2006. Vastly improved don¢t you think? On my ¢04 thru-hike, I started with my pack weighing in at 34 pounds (four days of food and water included). In ¢06, now with a great deal more knowledge, my starting pack weight was down to 28 pounds. In two weeks when I start my section hike to Harpers Ferry, my pack comes in now at 24 pounds with four days of food and water ¢ more than half the weight from that first na ve foray. And that¢s the heavy point ¢ every Frito eaten or Cinnabon bar swallowed will make it lighter ¢ Yahooooo. I¢m actually a bit shocked at how little it weighs, had to double check if everything was in it. Yep, the floor was empty. All my luxuries were inside the pack. My two food bags loaded come in at 5 lbs 12 ounces. I¢ll be carrying a liter and a half since water is so available on the AT ¢ used to always carry 2 liters, so that¢s a touch different. That gave me a total base weight of everything other than food and water at 15.8 pounds. No that doesn¢t include snowshoes ¢ don¢t want any, not renting any. That¢s why I¢m waiting for the Smoky¢s to continue to melt away, and indeed they are. The levels at the NOAA Smoky¢s snow depths show nearly a 50% melt off in many areas. Newfound Gap just last week was at 30 inches; it¢s now at 12 ¢ A very good thing. I really shouldn¢t be so surprised about this hikes pack weight; it¢s been a source of constant tweaking for a while now. It¢s just gratifying to see that those small adjustments have added up, hmm¢¦ added down! Anyway, other than the occasional ¢mileage boasters¢ out on the trail, you¢ll also meet some real ¢base weight braggers,¢ Oh how they love to tell everyone how little they¢re carrying. A big mileage accomplishment or an engineered low base weight is something to be proud of indeed, but you're the only one who cares ¢ especially when the other guy is dealing with making ten miles or is hoisting 40 pounds onto his achein' back. Other than having something on our backs, no all of us have the same gear wants/needs ¢ some carry no real shelter, maybe a tarp the size of a pillow they don¢t plan on using, wrongly thinking that they¢ll just use the AT Shelters exclusively. The AT shelter system is a blessing, but relying on them is risky for a whole host of reasons (injury keeping you from reaching one, odd strangers, being full due to weather, unwanted inhabitants such as bees, snakes, mice or skunks), a thru-hiker, like the Boy Scouts, benefits by having a viable option. Or they have a headlamp the size of a Q-tip that only shines 4 inches so you can¢t actually use it for much. These examples definitely will keep your pack weight down, only they count on everything going right out there ¢ a calculated risk I feel is unnecessary. Me, I don¢t like my hike to be one of deprivation, I want goodies like music for bedtime and of course my drawing and writing pad. And I like a full, bonafide tent with floor, mosquito netting that¢s tall enough to sit up in. Not exactly the Ritz-Carlton, but a luxury in a wilderness journey. The point is, not sure why they brag so much? There¢s always someone with a lighter load, always someone with the newest gadget, always someone with a bigger mileage day or someone with a bigger blister ¢ get over yourself. ¢I¢m carrying a base weight of only 1 pound 3 ounces ¢ My can of Deet, this dental floss and some cheese sticks.¢ Whatever. Moving on. Not factored in my gear weigh-in today was the huge difference in my footwear choices from that very first time. Wore some very comfortable Salomon boots back then, leather and high and bomb proof. Those beasts weighed about 3 pounds each. Today and my most recent hikes, I opt for Trail Runners. There¢s just a ton of choices out there too, I¢ve tried lots ¢ Vasgue, Montrail, Asics and New Balance. Really depends on your foot shape, yea, shape. Most measure length while standing and sitting to get your measurement. Funny thing happens when you walk a huge amount of miles though, your feet not only get longer, but wider, or at least mine have. Used to wear 10 D¢s. Now I¢m at 11 12 4E¢s ¢ nutty. (Yes, ladies, and that means big... shoes.) Having hiked on the heavy side and discovered how to avoid doing so again, I have to say I appreciate the vistas and journey all the more with a lighter load. Joy seems to find me more easily when my load isn¢t forcing me to stare down and grind it out ¢ the climbs are there to do that, not my pack weight. Since gravity sucks you down toward the ground while the mountain elevations push you up ¢ you¢re literally getting smooshed in between the two as they battle. Wonderfully, those out there who didn¢t know how to decide on their gear before starting are quickly teaching themselves. That¢s part of it, adjusting your load to what you need rather than what you think you want is normal, which does typically mean pulling out your wallet unfortunately. Walk and learn.