Pics from Ubernoob!!!

[thecyclops]

Hello,this is my 1st post,happy to be here and should be posting quite often...
This was mine and a friend of mines 1st trip to the AT,and got schooled thoroughly...
We both are/were more survivalist with that mindset going in,and quickly got a lesson on packing light,proper gear,and a few other things.Our packs,although incredibly durable,was current issue military packs and were heavy and uncomfortable to the point of real pain+the extra noob weight we packed,it was a bad hike.
1st day out was just RAIN,RAIN,RAIN.Neither of us had waterproof shoes or pants,and we made it 2 miles,lololol and had to make camp on a ridge in not the most desirable location in completely soaked clothes and packs,although "camp dried"still took on some water...it was just terrible.
2nd day was beautiful,but by the time we were able to dry out,get packed back up it was time to camp again(Almost)....Made camp at great roomy site,with an existing fire pit,things were looking up....Made dinner,then we got into my tent to plays cards for a bit before he went to his tent,and I went to bed,and 5minutes later 3 bears came into camp.I was TERRIFIED,he was terrified and I still have a small stain in my undies...
3rd day more rain,everything soaked,and our"well thought out plan"was quickly and efficiently shoved up my backside by mother nature.I reinjured my knee about a mile into our 3rd day(I am a long distance runner/marathoner,however my friend is not) shoulder was hurting BAD from the pack,my friend also was having some issues,so we tucked our tails between our legs,and came home....
BUT!!!!!!!!!!!! In the time that we have came home I have sold all of my military/heavy gear(Most of the stuff on the trip was my gear) Used that money to finance me a "new"(craigslist,but was 100%new) Lowe Alpine 75+20 pack,bought some appropriate pants/shorts,have ordered a pair of lightweight waterproof boots and have read and discussed a ton about lightweight/appropriate packing,with individuals who have forgotten more about backpacking than I know....anywho,my goal is to come back to the AT really soon,and kick its arse as it has kicked mine
I know its my runner mentality,but cant wait to gather all the knowledge I feel I need,all the gear I may need,and use the info I learned while I was there to go back really enjoy the AT,and not feel like I was ran over by a truck when I leave....
Hope you enjoy the pics.The guy in the pic is my friend David.
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[thecyclops]

Also was able to reduce 10lbs right away with the help of a few hikers,and my new pack is 5lbs and the old one was 12!!! Yes,a 12lb military giant pack.I reduced pretty much everything,and got rid of a lot of stuff altogether,what was I thinking?I dont want to be a "weight weenie" by any means,but keeping it at 30 or so seems reasonable,and being a vegetarian I found that I dont even have to carry a pocket stove if I dont want...
BTW,Can we use a pic as my AV?

[chip2012]

I hope this site helps you as much as it has myself. I thought I was at a reasonable weight but after reading a lot of post on here have managed to shed even more. Also welcome to WB

[thecyclops]

I hope this site helps you as much as it has myself. I thought I was at a reasonable weight but after reading a lot of post on here have managed to shed even more. Also welcome to WB

Hey thanks man,Im sure I will get lots of useful info here.Im a member of another hiking forum and it has helped me a lot also...I went well with certain things like my tent,sleeping bag,pad,cookware were all lightweight and small.But my pack(s),food,and unnecessary equipment was not,and the non-waterproof boots set me off on the "wrong foot" from the get go.
Next time will be different,and if its not I will keep trying till I get it right,lolol The plan is to do from springer to harpers fairy(Hope I spelled that right) during summer vacation,as we are both employees of a college with no school during the summer.Right now Im doing 15+miles on my long runs,I really wanna see what that can translate to hiking.

[Snowleopard]

It looks like a beautiful trip to me!
A couple of points:

Be sure that clothing in your pack and your sleeping bag are kept absolutely dry. Put a big trash bag inside the pack and everything that needs to stay dry goes into that.

Some people don't plan on staying dry while hiking if it's warm. They wear minimal clothing while hiking but always have dry clothes for camp/sleeping. I'm in the north and am old enough that it's hard for me to hike fast enough to stay warm in a cold rain, so I'll wear a full rain suit. A cheap and breathable rain suit is the Frogg Toggs/Dry Ducks $20.

Lots of people these days wear running shoes or trail runners. Some people go on the theory that if the running shoes will get wet eventually whether waterproof or not and the non-waterproof running shoes will dry out faster. Running shoes work better if you get your pack weight down.

For summer you ought to be able to get under 20 lb fairly easily without costing too much.

If you're running 15+ miles, you ought to be able to hike a good distance without any pain if you get your pack weight down. Be ruthless about eliminating everything that isn't needed. Once you get the weight and volume of your gear low enough, look for a lighter pack. Your new pack is still too big; the danger is that if you have all that room you'll be tempted to fill it. Try not to spend much money on gear till you have things figured out a little better.

Keep on having fun!

[thecyclops]

It looks like a beautiful trip to me!
A couple of points:

Be sure that clothing in your pack and your sleeping bag are kept absolutely dry. Put a big trash bag inside the pack and everything that needs to stay dry goes into that.

Some people don't plan on staying dry while hiking if it's warm. They wear minimal clothing while hiking but always have dry clothes for camp/sleeping. I'm in the north and am old enough that it's hard for me to hike fast enough to stay warm in a cold rain, so I'll wear a full rain suit. A cheap and breathable rain suit is the Frogg Toggs/Dry Ducks $20.

Lots of people these days wear running shoes or trail runners. Some people go on the theory that if the running shoes will get wet eventually whether waterproof or not and the non-waterproof running shoes will dry out faster. Running shoes work better if you get your pack weight down.

For summer you ought to be able to get under 20 lb fairly easily without costing too much.

If you're running 15+ miles, you ought to be able to hike a good distance without any pain if you get your pack weight down. Be ruthless about eliminating everything that isn't needed. Once you get the weight and volume of your gear low enough, look for a lighter pack. Your new pack is still too big; the danger is that if you have all that room you'll be tempted to fill it. Try not to spend much money on gear till you have things figured out a little better.

Keep on having fun!

Thanks man,lots of great info and I appreciate it.I will use the trash bag idea for sure!
I know the pack is large,or XL maybe,but seems like a feather compared too the last "MOLLE"I had.I will eventually get something a little smaller,but this will work for now,and it will surely be able to carry everything when the misses wants to do the "Hike a mile into camp,stay there 3 days,drink and eat like pigs thing"lol.
Any thoughts on poles vs sticks?

[MkBibble]

Nice pictures; thanks for sharing. I think the AT has "schooled" a lot of us, myself included, on our first attempt.

[Rain Man]

I agree with the "simply get wet" attitude about hiking in summer showers. No need to even try to stay dry, which is impossible anyway. Just appreciate that the "liquid sunshine" washes away the sweat and grime. For what it's worth, a 5 lb pack is pretty heavy. I don't even bother with so-called "water proof" boots any longer. They still get wet (even if just from the sweat of your feet) and don't dry very well. Definitely get two hiking poles; at least that's my opinion.

And, keep posting reports and asking questions on here. Don't jump just because someone (like me) makes suggestions. You will decide what works well for you and why.

The main thing? ENJOY!

RainMan

.

[Berserker]

You know what's funny about getting schooled is that you and your buddy will be talking about this trip for several years...it will become a thing of legend for you. I'm sectioning the AT with a buddy, and we're closing in on 1000 miles. When we reminisce on trips it's never about the ones that were well graded trail where it was nice and sunny the whole time. The trips that always come up are the massive beatings such as a 10 day section in VT where it rained more than not, or postholing through 2 - 3 foot deep snow in VA in the winter of 2010.

As for gear, technique and so forth there is a ton of info here so just do some searches and start reading up. Have fun, and good luck to ya.

[Praha4]

Don't feel too bad or be too hard on yourself. My first AT trip was a total disaster back in 1996. I was also using an old Army rucksack, with army mess kit, heavy tent, all the usual junk you don't need. Hiked downhill from Clingman's the first day to a creek, about 4000' elevation drop. Tried to hike back up Jonas Creek trail to the AT the second day. it was mid July, temps in the high 80s with the humidity, we ran out of water half way back up to the AT, got dehydrated, sick. Stumbled onto the AT late in the day, made it to a mudpuddle "spring" at one of the shelters, where we used our trusty army iodine tabs to treat the water, than guzzled too soon. My hiking partners got seriously sick in a couple hours, we hit a raging lightning storm with gale force winds as we stumbled back up to Clingmans dome, finally made it back to the car around 1 a.m. Drove into Cherokee and got a motel room where we licked our wounds and nursed my partner back to health for a couple days. But the best lessons learned are the hard lessons!

have fun on your next hike

[Pumba]

BTW,Can we use a pic as my AV?

Yes, if you become a donating member.

[thecyclops]

Wow,some good advice and a horror story too! Yes I will be talking about this trip for a while,in fact as one of the small bears was sniffing our tent,more specifically about 8inches from my friends backside(He was pushed up to one side,me the other and were playing cards)he looked at me,and whispered"I hope Alzheimer's doesnt take this from me" I wanted to laugh...eventually I did.