Date: 2014-08-23
From: Abol Bridge (Motel)

To: Abol Bridge (Motel)
Miles today: 0.0

Day 175, August 23, 2014 Zero. I have ants in my pants and can't wait to get my waddle on again!! Mom and Uncle Sparky are here. YAY!!!!!!! They got in mid afternoon. Mom took me and U-haul and Dozer to do laundry. Then we went and grabbed some dinner. I thought I could talk about gear today. I am by no means a gear expert but can at least share what gear I used for my hike. Tent: Big Agnus Fly Creek UL1. I love this little tent. It weighs in at 1 lb 11 ozs. Some hikers don't even carry a tent. But hop from shelter to shelter. I loved both the freedom of being able to camp where I wanted and also the privacy. Also with TLM it was best to tent. Pack: Osprey 65. Weight 3 lbs 9 ozs. The one thing I can say about this pack is it was comfortable. I never had rub marks. And its made for women. Sleeping pad: Big Agnus Q-Core - 66"x20"x3 1/2" weight 1 lb. One of my luxury items. It was so comfortable. I spent a lot of time in my tent so I figured I should be comfortable. I did have the huge issue of it losing air at the vavle at about 700 miles, but Big Agnes did replace it. I tried lighter pads but they all just made my hips hurt. I will stick with this heavier item. Sleeping bag: Hard Wear Phantom 32 degree bag (1 lb 6 ozs) and a GoLite Zero degree bag (3 lbs 3 ozs) And I carried a liner Sea To Summit Thermolite Reactor (9 ozs that added up to 15 degrees of warmth). The winter bag was very bulky but let me tell you this, I was never cold on the trail. Even on the coldest nights down south I burrowed in and stayed warm. Hiking Poles - Leki Makalu. I loved my walking sticks. They kept me from falling many time and also took a lot of pressure of my knees going down hill. I would suggest that the makers should consider putting a LED clock on tip of one grip and a compass on the other. Stove - Jet Boil Sol (10.5 ozs without fuel canister). It heats up water fast! And I found it to be cleaner and easier to pack then an alcohol stove system. I sent it home a couple of months ago and just ate cold food for the rest of the trail. Socks. I prefer smartwool with a cushion. Shoes. I ended with the Patagonia Drift. A half size bigger then I usually buy. I started with Ariat Wilderness because over the years it was the only boot that didn't make my feet hurt. I realize now it was probably a size issue. I had a few blisters early on. But today my feet are doing great. Blister free for months and I have all my toe nails! Pants and Shirts. I prefer pants to shorts and long sleeve shirts with pockets. I like the protection they offered from the sun, scraps, and bugs. My purple shirt was a quick dry light weight shirt made by Exofficio. My first pants were men's Kuhls. The ones I am currently wearing are women's from Eastern Montain Sports wear. I liked them both. Again pocket placement was important to me. External cell phone battery charger - Anker Astro Pro Series (1 lb 1 oz) Huge heavy luxury item. But I used my phone for everything - calls, texts, social media, camera, GPS. I liked the peace of mind this brought me and would carry it again. Water filter - I started with a pump but switched to the Sawyer mini. I had a Platypus for dirty water and filtered that to my clean Platypus. What would I change? I am not certain but here are things I will consider should I decide to walk the PCT: Look into Cuben Fiber products. Tent and pack. I might be able to shave a little weight. Filter - As I understand it, the first several hundred miles of the PCT bring many water challenges. I might start with the pump. Food - for the PCT I would need to plan food and food drops much better. The trail towns are much further apart. I plan to research dehydrating and preparing meals. TLM - He did great and I do not regret for a minute bringing him on this journey. But bringing a dog does present some obstacles. Places to stay. Food. Sickness. Tics. Rock scrambles. Running away. Also he is almost 8. I think he might have to stay with a friend or Aunt Bev. Or maybe not He does like to hike. I would also appreciate any suggestions or insight to other gear I might not know about or not have considered. You don't know what you don't know. On to Katahdin, Cowgirl and Cooper Hiked today: 0.0 Completed: 2170.2 Remaining: 15.1 Start Point: Abol Bridge End point: Abol Bridge (Motel) States Completed: 13 GA (76.4), NC (95.5), TN (287.9), VA (550.3), WV (4), MD (40.9), PA (229.6), NJ (72.2), NY (88.4), CT (51.6), MA (90.2), VT (149.9), NH (160.9), States Remaining: 1 ME (281.4), ¢ with Linda Simondi.