Newspaper writer heads to the smokies for less than a week; fancies herself an expert

[Alli]

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/travel/stories/2009/05/03/NEWBIE.ART_ART_05-03-09_F1_02DLJ1K.html?sid=


What you need

Pack

There are many types of packs. Some are designed for short day trips, some for long trips. Some have an external frame, others internal. Make sure that your pack is adjusted to fit snugly and comfortably on your back. You will need to be able to balance with your pack full to make it down rocky trails or cross slippery rocks in streams and rivers.
Water filter and sterilization method

There are many ways to treat water: iodine, boiling, water purification tablets and ultraviolet devices (think mini light sabers that use UV light to kill germs in clear water). You'll need a filter to remove sediment from the water before you sterilize and drink it.
Because of the drought in the Smokies, water sources at some campsites were so low that backpackers scooped water out of inch-deep divots in the ground lined with sediment and leaves. Pump systems are available that make extracting water from puddles easier. Check conditions at a ranger station before you hike.
Water bladder

You'll be thirsty, and not always sure how thirsty you'll get, before you reach the next campsite or water source. Stock up before you leave a campsite in the morning. You'll be glad to have water once the sun gets high.
Food and cookstove

If you're heading into the backcountry, you want to pack light -- but you also want to make sure that the food you bring is nutritious and balanced. Dried fruits, nuts, energy bars, dense breads and crackers are good.
There is also an amazing selection of freeze-dried foods available at camping retailers. I liked Mountain House and Backpackers Pantry, but after hiking all day, ramen tastes good, too.
Lightweight collapsible cookstoves are available wherever camping supplies are sold. They range in price from about $25 to more than $100. If you don't want to carry a stove, you can build a fire using fallen branches or eat cold foods. But a stove is the most efficient way to boil water and cook a hot meal.
Miscellaneous

• Map
• Compass
• First-aid kit
• Pocketknife
• Spoon and metal cup or bowl
• Sunscreen and insect repellent
• Lantern
• Waterproof matches
• Fire starter
• Spade and biodegradable toilet paper -- It's important to find an appropriate place to properly bury your waste. Think about where you and millions of other people who visit the park get drinking water.
Sleeping bag

Sleeping bags are rated by temperature. Check the weather forecast to get an idea of how cold nights will be. Inflatable or foam sleeping mats are also popular.
Hiking boots

Boots should be waterproof. Also, boots should protect ankles from twists; many trails are rocky.
Tent

There are three-sided wooden shelters along the Appalachian Trail. If you're not interested in carrying a tent in your pack, register in advance with the park service to stay in the shelters. There are also some high-demand campgrounds that require pre-registration.
If you go

You can plan your trip at www.nps.gov/grsm (http://www.nps.gov/grsm).
To reserve a site or a shelter, call the Backcountry Reservation Office at 865-436-1231. Backcountry permits are free and available for pickup at facilities around the park.
Also check for trail closures and warnings. There are an estimated 1,500 black bears living in the park, and rangers can tell you which campsites or trails to avoid because of heightened bear activity.
To say I am annoyed by this article is an understatement. The author plainly states in the title of the article that she is a novice, yet she feels comfortable giving shoddy advice at the end. Boots should be waterproof? While it's true many people hike in GTX boots (whether by choice or because most high/mid hikers come with GTX liner), I certainly wouldn't agree that they SHOULD be anything. HYOH for god's sake.

What do you guys think? Am I overreacting? I mean I'm all for publicity for the AT, but does she go too far with her "advice" at the end?

[warraghiyagey]

Agreed. . .

[Wise Old Owl]

Now you know why some call it the "Drive by media"

Agreed....

[troglobil]

Whats the problem? If you want to keep your feet dry, boots should be waterproof.
I think you are getting a bit annoyed over nothing. The srticle has good basic advice. Since when do reporters have to be experts in the field they are reporting on?

[Alli]

Whats the problem? If you want to keep your feet dry, boots should be waterproof.
I think you are getting a bit annoyed over nothing. The srticle has good basic advice. Since when do reporters have to be experts in the field they are reporting on?

True, maybe that wasn't the best thing to nitpick.

How about this?

If you don't want to carry a stove, you can build a fire using fallen branches.

She doesn't mention any kind of fire safety precautions, for example, she could have written "if you don't want to carry a stove, you can build a fire-but only use established fire rings." Maybe I'm cynical but I can see someone just grabbing some dead branches and lighting them on fire without building a pit or circle of any kind to contain it.

[Lilred]

I particularly liked her point about filtering water first to get out sediment, then sterilizing it. Did she hike with a filter and steri-pen?? She doesnt' mention a filter as a way of treating your water.

I agree with the o.p's assessment of this article. Way too vague. You can tell her level of inexperience with comments like, "You'll be glad to have water once the sun gets high."

[Egads]

You are over reacting. Her hike shoulda been a DIIAD though.

[mrc237]

Plenty of "experts" on these pages as well!:)

[cowboy nichols]

The best thing about others advice is ,you can make a choice to ignore it.

[Lone Wolf]

Plenty of "experts" on these pages as well!:)

I'm the ONLY bonafide one

[Nearly Normal]

Got it pretty well nailed for a newbie.
Urbanite reporter reporting to fellow urbanites.
If she continues to backpack it would be interesting to see the changes with the experience tuning.

[Many Walks]

It's "Introduction to Backpacking 101" from a novice who appears to have developed some enthusiasm for hiking. At least she got out there and may go out again.

If other potential hikers take her fundamental advice, spark an interest for backpacking and tune it to develop their own system that works for them, they'll be like everyone else on WB was at some point. Gotta start somewhere. We can't forget where we were when the bug first bit us. Isn't that really what WB is about, to share the knowledge and experience to make it better for everyone?

If her article stirs some interest in others who someday may try backpacking, then it was a success. I think that's all she was going for, besides trying to come up with something new to report on.

Sure her list could be picked apart, and we could chuckle at the mileage, but in reality everyone's list can be critiqued. Hers is just a great starting point that the outfitters will certainly benefit from through more gear sales.

Overall, I thought it was a positive article that may spawn more hiking enthusiasts. If that's the case I say good for her! I hope she keeps reporting on her experiences in the outdoors.

[Egads]

I questioned their decision to press on to the next shelter instead if backtracking. They were pretty much midway between them.

[bulldog49]

I'd say she just as knowledgeable as Bill Bryson. At least she did not take herself serously enough to write a book about it. :rolleyes:

[Darwin again]

Whats the problem? If you want to keep your feet dry, boots should be waterproof.
I think you are getting a bit annoyed over nothing. The srticle has good basic advice. Since when do reporters have to be experts in the field they are reporting on?

THAT, my friends, is the whole problem. :rolleyes:
She's prolly rlly, rlly SMART though....durrrrh.

[Darwin again]

I'm the ONLY bonafide one

With 9.18 posts per day for the last 2,357 days, that's gotta be true! ;)

WB wouldn't be the same without them, either...I'm just saying...:rolleyes:

[vonfrick]

Whats the problem? If you want to keep your feet dry, boots should be waterproof.

you're kidding right?

[Engine]

I'd say she just as knowledgeable as Bill Bryson. At least she did not take herself serously enough to write a book about it. :rolleyes:
Bryson's book was never meant to be instructional, only a humorous piece on his experience attempting a thru hike.

[hoz]

Lots of "legends in their own minds" hanging around this forum. AT least this writer is getting paid for her opinion.

[warraghiyagey]

Whats the problem? If you want to keep your feet dry, boots should be waterproof.
I think you are getting a bit annoyed over nothing. The srticle has good basic advice. Since when do reporters have to be experts in the field they are reporting on?
I see the voice activated typing system is workin well for you . . . .


Lots of "legends in their own minds" hanging around this forum. AT least this writer is getting paid for her opinion.

Wow. . . what an unrepentantly vacuous post. . . . nice work!!!