View Full Version : I Need Your Opinions (asking for trouble)
Hello everyone,
I am new to the site and have been planning a thru with my wife coming in 2012. We have tried to gather as much information as we can but have a few questions that we would like to have answered. We have not yet set foot on the AT, but we do go on one-two night trips in Indiana and Kentucky. We plan on hitting the AT in the Smokies this Turkey Day.
1). I am a cook and like to cook, so has anyone figured out a way to bring your kitchen to the trail without actually doing so?
2). We have gear and have gotten to a comfortable weight for our budget, but we have not looked too much into the right clothes. Does anyone have any opinions on how to layer correctly and with what materials?
3). What do we need to do that we have not thought of. We have:
A). Lost 25 to 30lbs each on us not the pack.
B). Collected gear that fits our budget
C). Started gathering information from forums and books.
Any information on this stuff will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
You have 4 years to get it right. Do as many backpacking trips as you can between now and then. Camp out in the back yard when its raining, and freezing, you'll learn pretty quick what works, and what doesn't. Indiana is kinda flat, I would get into workout routine, that involves climbing stairs everyday. AS far as how to dress. You want everything to be quick drying, no cotton. You want wicking material next to your skin, and water/wind resistent for the outer shell. everyting in the middle is for insulation.
bigcranky
09-16-2008, 18:51
1). I am a cook and like to cook, so has anyone figured out a way to bring your kitchen to the trail without actually doing so?
2). We have gear and have gotten to a comfortable weight for our budget, but we have not looked too much into the right clothes. Does anyone have any opinions on how to layer correctly and with what materials?
Cooking: I hiked for a few days with a guy who carried a huge kitchen set, fresh veggies, a wood stove, big fry pan, etc. He used the usual hiker food - Liptons, that sort of thing - but he made actual food out of it. (He was of Italian heritage, natch.) So yeah, it's possible.
I love to cook, too, but not on the trail. For sections and weekends I like the freezer bag cooking style. (http://www.freezerbagcooking.com) For longer hikes, you'll be resupplying in convenience stores and small groceries, so you'll have to be creative.
Clothing: layers is it. Check this site for a basic 4-layer system (http://www.promountainsports.com/clothing.shtml) that works well in varied weather. I could go on at some length about clothing for cold-weather hiking in the Southern mountains, but this gives you the basics.
I also love to cook, just not on the trail the added weight does not make up for the pleasure of cooking. Try cooking at home and dehydrating the food then all you have to do is add boiling water to a very light bag of food.
Congrats on loosing weight, but what does your pack weigh? Try to get the pack with all equipment (no food or water) to be no more than about 20-25lbs max, with a weeks worth of food that would put you at about 35-40lbs.
Hope that helps
take-a-knee
09-16-2008, 19:04
Underarmor boxer briefs
Visa Endurance Tee shirts
Smartwool socks
REI Sahara zipoff pants
Visa Endurance LS Tee shirt (or underarmor)
Patagonia fleece hoody (12oz)
Golite windshirt
Patagonia Puffball Vest and or hooded jacket
Marmot Precip Jacket and pants (get the ones with full side zips)
Integral Designs Event Thru-hiker jacket if your pockets are deep
Mountain Laurel Design Rain Mitts ($45 and worth every penny)
Thin Balaclava
Fleece stocking cap
Supplex ball cap (indispensible in the rain, esp if you wear glasses) With your hood up this helps keep some of the rain out of your face.
Blissful
09-16-2008, 21:52
My hubby loves fancy meals - and it's great for the weekend (he wants to plan our gourmet food for this weekend's trip) but on a thru it really isn't practical with the amount of hiking day in and day out, the weight you have to carry, etc. You are too tired most days for any gourmet cooking, all you want to do is cook something quick and fast and then hit the sack. But if you do want something for dinner that isn't just stuffing and Liptons, you can check out the Appalachian Trail Conservancy site for their trail cookbook, esp if you are figuring on some mail drops, which I advocate if you want some different kinds of dinners. We used it and found some good recipes that worked for us and made dinners more nutritious and interesting. Or you can make your own dehydrated concoctions for mail drops. Who knows - maybe you will develop your own cookbook!
As for clothes, convertible nylon pants work very well on the trail for changing conditions. Long underwear is relatively cheap at places like Sierra Trading post. In fact STP has some good deals on clothes and Smartwool socks. In fact, a Smartwool long sleeve shirt is good for cool weather hiking. I took a down jacket for a March start and switched to a Montbell jacket for later on. Hat and gloves are needed.
You are starting at a great time for planning. I did it 4 years out too. But gear changes year to year. New fabrics. New technology. Don't get too set on your gear just yet. I'd wait a bit on that.
Don't know where your from in In. but southern In. has some nice trail to do some weekends on. I'm hoping for a nice long weekend of hiking SOON.
rambunny
09-17-2008, 06:23
Hey fellow Hoosiers! I would get on Aswah's trailjournals.com journals. He's a 5 star chef. The idea of making an extra meal each night of what you're serving ,and then dehydrating is great. I did spaggetti sauce but added squash,ect. and that worked great. Also look at archived threads on this site and trailjournals for pack lists ect. Don't be like me and over plan. I could tell you what day i would be where and what i was eating each day-it made great fire starter. And by the way the Knobstone Trail in Southern Ind. is anything but flat!
NICKTHEGREEK
09-17-2008, 07:10
With 2 sharing the load carrying a decent kitchen isn't hard at all. Same goes for food. The one thing I've noticed is that good cooking needs to be done away from other hikers unless you plan on feeding the the folks who think ramen is food.
I recently experimented with a 9" fry pan with a fold in handle, weighs in at 9 0z. I used an aluminum take out container as a cover that also fit into the pan. It opened up a whole new menu for me from FF potatoes to CB hash and fresh eggs, the extra weight was well worth it. With 2 persons, carrying extra kitchen gear should not be a problem. I've never read Aswah's journal but have sampled his trail food and it was excellant. You're in the right place here.
Hey thank you everyone,
We are from central Indiana but we do frequent the southern half. If you have ever been here there is good hiking just not for miles in a straight line with the exception of the Knobstone and Techumsa (sp). We do plan to do as many trips as we can until 2012 and we appreciate the help. We will be trying new things out along the way and I will try to get on here and post anything good.
Thanks again for the help. Keep them coming
Alligator
09-17-2008, 10:06
If you each carry a pot and throw in a saute (fry) pan as mentioned, you can cook quite a variety of meals. Spices can go in straws or tiny ziplocks. Olive oil. Orikaso makes some lightweight plates/bowls that can double as a cutting board. I've got a folding spatula that I sometimes take. I used to have an extensive kitchen (and too heavy:D) but most of the time these days I bring home dehydrated meals. I might cook something up the first night out if I'm so inclined.
A fixed blade knife also is easier to use IMO for cutting things up and gets a little less funky.
Yeah, Southern Indiana AIN'T FLAT!!!
I am not a thru hiker, but I would echo that since you have 4 years to prepare for this, just go out as much as you possibly can.
Sometimes I think that my gear changes every time I hike, anyway. As far as clothing goes, take some layers, experiment with fabrics, and what's right for you may not be right for your hiking partner. Me & my SO have very different gear. He scours Goodwill for all the wool he can find, and I scour the net for discounted capilene. Change up your menu and see what you like to cook/cook with. Hike with boots. Hike with sandals.
Anyway, since you are in the KY/IN area, you have a lot of good places to explore, like LBL, Red River Gorge, River to River Trail in Shawnee Nat'l Forest, and there are 2 longish trails in the Hoosier Nat'l Forest (Knobstone being one of them...I can't remember the other one.)
I don't know if this is helpful, but good luck anyway.
This is just my 2 c about the Smokies in Nov---it'll be cold, it may snow on you, but it should be awesome. Also, don't limit yourself to just the AT. The Smokies have like 800 miles of trails, with lots of loops and figure 8's possible. But if you want to hike and camp with like 8,489,028 people stick with the AT.
Jack Tarlin
09-17-2008, 15:46
You might also want to check out this address: www.aldha.org
Every year in October, this organization, which is devoted to long-distance backpacking, holds a weekend long event called The Gathering; the event consists mainly of lectures, presentations, and workshops all devoted to long-distance trips. Every year, there are all sorts of presentations and events geared at people planing and preparing an A.T. thru-hike. If possible, you should try and attend this event as you'll learn a great deal, and have a really good time, too.
LIhikers
09-17-2008, 15:50
Hello everyone,
I am new to the site and have been planning a thru with my wife coming in 2012. We have tried to gather as much information as we can but have a few questions that we would like to have answered. We have not yet set foot on the AT, but we do go on one-two night trips in Indiana and Kentucky. We plan on hitting the AT in the Smokies this Turkey Day.
1). I am a cook and like to cook, so has anyone figured out a way to bring your kitchen to the trail without actually doing so?
Here's how my wife and I had a Thanksgiving day feast on the AT a couple of years ago. My wife made an entire Thanksgiving meal before hand and packed some of everything into seperate freezer baggies. We had Turkey, stuffing, sweat potatos, white potates, 2 or 3 kinds of vegetables and cranberry sause. We boiled up a large pot of water and put the baggies of the food into the water, making sure to keep the opening end out of the water. Then I let our stove simmer for a while until everything was good and hot. We sat in the Fingerboard shelter, in New York, on a cold and rainey Thanksgiving having our holiday feast and talking about things we really are thankful for.
john gault
09-17-2008, 16:06
2012 is a ways off, recommend you get in some practice hikes. That will answer many of your questions.
This is just my 2 c about the Smokies in Nov---it'll be cold, it may snow on you, but it should be awesome. Also, don't limit yourself to just the AT. The Smokies have like 800 miles of trails, with lots of loops and figure 8's possible. But if you want to hike and camp with like 8,489,028 people stick with the AT.
Yeah, We were thinking actually of doing a loop that started at Clingmans and was only 30 miles and take three days to do it. Should be fun. Thanks for the infor
I second (third, fourth, fifth) the idea of doing as much prep hiking as possible. Take a notebook and make notes of things you wish you had and things you brought along and didn't use. Check out other hikers' gear, food, etc. and you'll learn a lot.
A three day 30 mile RT from Clingman's may be a little too much for a first hike, IMHO. You may want to plan for shorter mileage days the first trip. You'll be amazed all the stuff you figure out those first three days!
ChinMusic
09-17-2008, 19:55
Pak-Man - Do plan a trip to Knobstone sometime. It is very AT-like, or as close as you are gonna get in Indiana. The Knobstone is rugged and will give you the feel of the GA-NC section of the AT. If you can hike the Knobstone you should be confident you are ready to start the AT. The Knobstone can be VERY dry, dry enough that you may have to cache water. There is a campsite at about mile 9.6 that has a GREAT view of Louisville at night after leaf-out. No water up there but it is worth it.