Date: 2014-12-11
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: broken clouds

Alright, 108 days until Amicalola and 99 days until my last one at work. And how about this 3rd journal entry? I guess that means it's finally Trail Journals official. No turning back now. I've already wasted so much money on gear my Wife would probably be a little ticked if the only step I made on my little adventure was to go shopping.Speaking of shopping, let's talk about gear. I'm very interested to see what will change as I go and what the list will look like when I'm done. I really don't consider myself a gear nut but I do like to do research. So here's the current list. I haven't bought clothes yet but will as I get closer to leaving. Big 3:Backpack - Osprey Exos 58 - I know Osprey is a popular choice and people have varying opinions. I love Osprey and have for years. I've taken a couple of trips with the Exos and it's perfect. It weighs nothing and has all the features I need.Shelter - Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 - Again, another popular choice and from all my research it was the best option for me. 31 Oz? Yup. Goes up quick and has proven to keep me out of some harsh elements a couple of times.Sleeping - Bag - Western Mountaineering Alpinlite (20 degrees). I love this thing. It feels really great and it's crazy warm. I've thought about a liner but I sleep hot as it is. This is easily my favorite piece of gear. I have a Jacks-R-Better quilt for when the weather gets warmer.Sleeping - Pad - NeoAir XLite. I've been iffy on this. I've slept on it a couple of times to varying results and even picked up a Z-Lite to try out. I'm going to start with the XLite really for warmth. We'll see how it goes. I'm not a good sleeper so it's probably my fault anyway. Everything else:Stove - Jetboil Sol - Yes, I could have gone with a cat food stove or used a coke can. I'm not into that. When I get done hiking I want to eat. Boiling water in 2 minutes accomplishes that goal. I love this thing and feel really comfortable using it.Trekking Poles - Black Diamond Ergo Cork - So cork handles are great. I really hadn't used poles when I was younger but wish I had. The one variable I have is a historically bad knee. These poles really alleviate a lot of fears I have about it. Not to mention they've been awesome every time I've used them.Water Purification - Sawyer Squeeze - Aquamira is nice and I see the benefits but I just love the Sawyer. I carry a 2-liter platypus in my pack and can fill it using the Sawyer (with an adapter on the hose) without taking the platypus out. Huge. On my first shakedown hike I had to remove the platypus from my bag which typically meant removing a lot of other things. Not having to do that anymore has made me a lot happier.Stuff sacks - I have a few Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil sacks. One is a stuff sack to keep my sleeping bag dry and the other two are for smaller items. .7 of an oz means I don't really even notice them in my pack.Food/bear bag - Zpacks - Not much to say here. This took a while to find when I began planning but I couldn't be happier. Very well made and comes with everything you need for hanging.Electronics - I have my current Droid and an iPod Nano. Nothing special but it does the job. I'm starting out with an Anker Astro 6000mAh portable charger as well. I've used it out on trips previously and I like having it even though it's got some heft. I'm curious if it will make it all the way but it's really more of security blanket.Shoes - New Balance MT810v2 Trail Runners - My feet suck. Not in the broken or sprained sense but in the....holy crap why does a 5'10 guy have 4E feet? I made fun of my Dad's wide feet as a kid and, well, look at me now! All of my shoes are New Balance because they fully understand the wide-footed gentleman.Alright, obviously there's a few other little items but this is the bulk. With all of the security equipment that others have recommended my pack should come in around 60 lbs. On that note, it's been surprising how many people think I should carry a gun. I don't even own a gun. It would be like Barney Fife traipsing through the woods shooting holes in my pack because I didn't remember to put the safety on. I think I'll stick to the full-proof "put up your dukes" method. Or just run like the wide-footed wind that I am.Seriously though, I'm hoping to come in around 25 lbs fully loaded. Everything currently without food and water is right under 12 so I think it will be a feasible goal.