Date: 2006-08-31
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

I'm going to use this "Conclusion" page to post a few gear notes. Several guestbook signers have asked me general questions about my gear and suggestions for future thru-hikers. If you don't see the answer to your question, please e-mail me or sign the guest book and I'll try to respond directly.If you read this journal while I was hiking, you know that I had a probelm with grommets pulling out of my Garmont boots. Since I've been home, John, the boot guy at my local outfitter (Mahoney's) contacted Garmont and explained my problem. The company is going to repair my last pair at no charge and also give me credit for a new pair. Apparently someone at Garmont is listening to their dealers and understand the impact that thru-hikers can have with word-of-mouth advertising, both good and bad. So, it looks like Garmont is aware of its grommet problem and is ready to make good on defective boots. I give them credit for that. If you have had a similar problem, feel free to use me as a example of how they ought to respond.Also, my Leki poles came home in bad shape - bent, grip slipping down, and not staying tight at the telescoping joints. Again, thanks to John at Mahoney's, Leki has sent me a new pair, at no charge. Why Lahouts in Lincoln, NH wouldn't stand behind the Leki guarantee, I don't know, but they wouldn't.Stove - I used an old Svea 123 white gas stove. If I ever did the Trail again, which I won't, I'd use alcohol in a pepsi stove until it warmed up, then go cold. You won't cook breakfast anyway, and dinner can be rehydrated with cold water and eaten cold. Or eat summer sausage, pepperoni, cheese, peanut butter, gorp, bagels, honey, etc. on the Trail and stoke up on hot food and veggies in town. Any extra weight is too much.Water bottles - I used one Nalgene and one washed-out Power Aid bottle the whole trip. Both were water-tight, but the Nalgene weighed more.Water treatment - Iodine tabs mostly, with some Micropur chlorine dioxide tabs at night. I would do this again due to weight. Vitamin C pills ground up to a powder make a great agent to neutralize the taste and color of iodine-treated water (wait 20 minutes before adding the Vit. C). Using two methods, along with tap water from a third to one half of the time, avoids overexposure to any one type of chemical treatment. For the record, I never had an upset stomach, nausea, or diarrhea the entire trip, and I treated water from every non-tap source.Sleeping bag - 25 degree down from Western Mountaineering, and it was plenty warm with my long johns and extra clothes. A "long" Thermarest sleeping pad helps keep your feet and toes warm. Tent - Mine was a 2R Warmlite from Stephenson. It is a great tent, weighs about 3 #, and big enough for two people or plenty big for one with pack and other gear inside. It's expensive, and Stephenson must train their employees to be arrogant and non-customer oriented. Nevertheless, I'd recommend it and would carry it on the Trail again. I also carried a cut-to-fit Tyvek sheet as a ground cloth. The Tyvek also came in handy in certain extra-dirty shelters and as a pad to sit on when stopping for lunch along the Trail.A camp towel came in handy just about every day for something or other. You don't need a big one, though. Cut it in thirds and use one section till it wears out.Camera - Canon Powershot SD400. Very small and light; 5.1 megapixels. Most of the time I kept it in the pants' cargo pocket for easy access. It allowed even someone like me to take great pictures. I carried extra memory disks (at least half a gig) and extra batteries. The batteries are VERY light. I kept a battery charger in a bounce box and never was out of a charged battery or memory storage. Next time, clothes.PS - The calluses on my feet are still hard and thick. I'm trying the rasp and sandpaper treatment on them. Also, my toes and balls of my feet are still numb. When does feeling fully return?