View Full Version : 2009 Gear list and Trip Plan advice?
coryweiss
01-04-2009, 20:50
So I figure it wouldn't hurt to see if anyone on whiteblaze could critique my gear list and trip plan that I've put together so far. I'll be starting in May of 2009, intending to finish before I go back to college at the end of August. I know that's an ambitious time-frame, but I think it might be doable with the shape I'm in.
I put together a gear list and trip plan in excel, which I have attached to this post.
There are 2 tabs in the file:
One has a gear list with weight (some items I haven't weighed yet, no access to a scale with oz. at this time). Notes are in red. Some items are labeled merely for my own reference.
The other tab is a ROUGH (emphasis on ROUGH) trip plan I have assembled. Notes are in red at the top of the page. I compiled this with the help of the AT Thru-Hikers Companion. I'm hoping to modify and fine tune it further over the next several months.
Any thoughts/comments would be greatly appreciated
Gear looks OK, but this is some big mile days and you may want to look for ways to lighten up.
Schedule is all wrong. You pass through Neel Gap and Natahala Outdoor Center and they are not listed as grocery stops. Other easy grocery stops like Fontana and Kincora should be in there as well. Planning it all out like this will probably fall apart anyway.
coryweiss
01-04-2009, 21:11
Hmm, I guess I'll need to take a more thorough look through what my book says on those areas, I may have missed something. I realize that inevitably the plan is only a hopeful goal, the biggest thing here is to have a rough outline to show my parents, so that they're less concerned that I'm on my own out there all summer.
Doing those kind of miles you will catch up to the party crowd quick. You ain't going to be on your own except at the very beginning. Just show the folks the guidebook, it lays it all out for you, no thinking required.
I would ditch the schedule with the arrival dates. Your not going to follow any home prepared schedule when on the trail.
Panzer
I know you said your starting in May, but I'm not 100% happy with a 40 degree bag. I would take something warmer.
Also, I don't see any map listed. I would always have a map.
You've listed matches but I would also bring a disposable lighter.
Panzer
A thought I would offer is don't focus on thru-hiking.
I don't know your background and you may be an ultramarathoner who enjoys hiking 20+ mile days, day after day.
And I don't know if you've hiked much of the southern or northern sections of the AT.
BUT, the miles you list look very unrealistic if you're not a seasoned long-distance hiker who understands how steep much of the trail is.
I began my thru-hike right after getting out of the Marine Corps and I was in excellent shape. I was really surprised by how tough all the "little" Georgia mountains were when stacked one after another. I was cranking about 16 miles a day from the get-go and people thought I was nuts.
But unless you understand what you're getting into, back-to-back 20+milers basically every day with no zeroes is at best a recipe for a LOT of misery and maybe injury or burnout to the point of quitting very early.
Maybe plan on hiking as far as reasonable. Harper's Ferry, Delaware Water Gap, or wherever. But bulldogging your way through the summer heat with NO rest can be just plain miserable.
As for re-supply, look at the multi-part resupply info (http://www.whiteblaze.net/index.php?page=resupplypart1) by "Baltimore Jack" Tarlin. It is one of the best resources I know.
bigcranky
01-04-2009, 22:18
It's a pretty good list, actually. A couple of comments:
1. I understand this is a rough schedule, mostly so you can actually have a plan. But, not knowing anything about you except your age, have you actually hiked a 25+ mile day on the southern AT with a full pack? And then done another 25+ day again the next day? It can be done, certainly, but it's not easy.
2. Like I said, a pretty good list. You'll be able to make adjustments at lunch time on your second day on the trail, when you walk through the outfitter at Neel(s) Gap. Not that you'll know what you want to adjust by then :), but you'll hit some good outfitters in Franklin and at NOC if you need them.
I would leave the groundsheet -- I've never had any issues using my Tarptents, the floor is quite strong. I would also hike in low-cut mesh trail runners, especially in summer -- better ventilation, faster drying, lighter on my feet. (Tall goretex boots have given me serious foot problems in warm weather.) I would also use Aqua Mira over a filter, though you can make an argument both ways. Given your mileage, you really only need shorts and a t-shirt to hike in, and a single l/s shirt for camp, and maybe a clean pair of shorts. You won't get cold in camp b/c you won't be spending much time in camp. The rain shell is good to start. Early on you might want a very light fleece beanie, like a Mountain Hardwear Microdome. (I have three of them - great hats.) It can get down to freezing in May in GA and the Smokies.
Other than that, just make sure you carry enough food, and check the resupply schedule on the front page of this web site for some good ideas on where you can get more along the way.
Maybe someone should comment on the trowel?
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z7/Retro_AT/ATHaha.jpg
Lone Wolf
01-04-2009, 22:34
I would ditch the schedule with the arrival dates. Your not going to follow any home prepared schedule when on the trail.
Panzer
yeah no ****! looks good on paper but after day 2 you're gonna be way off
karoberts
01-04-2009, 22:58
You don't have to hike the entire trail in one summer! You will have so much more fun if choose a section and really savor it.
Lone Wolf
01-04-2009, 23:00
Maybe someone should comment on the trowel?
http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z7/Retro_AT/ATHaha.jpg
it's only good for diggin' ramps down south
coryweiss
01-04-2009, 23:03
Thanks to everyone who replied so far.
Again, the schedule is primarily intended to silence my folks, to just get them to realize I have some sort of plan instead of running off into the woods half-cocked. I also intend to work some zero days in there, I realize I'm going to need them.
The sleeping bag concern, I sleep remarkably warm, so I don't suspect it will be too much of an issue, and if so, I've no issue with tossing an extra layer on. The biggest attraction with that bag is the 21 oz weight, it seemed like a better choice financially for me as a student to purchase that bag on sale ($120 off was a good selling point), and use an extra layer if I'm cold, vs. purchasing a more expensive (and heavier) bag that was 10 degrees warmer.
The intent behind the groundsheet was to have something to sleep on if I'm in a shelter, since I'm planning on using a Short sleeping pad. Gives me a larger area to lay things out and keep them clean (well as clean as possible anyway), and the combination of the two weighs the same as a regular length pad. Thoughts? Should I still ditch the groundsheet?
As to the boots, I used a pair of Merrel Moab Ventilator Mid's during a Presidential Traverse, and they killed my feet. They were light, felt like a bit more than a sneaker, with a higher cut. But the lack of a stiffer sole on all of the rocks in the White Mtns was brutal, so that was my reason for going with a stiffer shoe, and the Asolo's provided the best fit for me with a stiffer sole. Thoughts?
Good call about the hat and the map, definitely things I neglected from my list (although the map was something I was planning on bringing). As to the trowel, probably something I can do without.
As to doing the whole trail, it's a hope. And at this point, I intend to complete it over the summer. However, I'm certain that while on the trail, I'm going to be giving that idea some serious thought. I've enough common sense not to destroy myself out there, if it comes down to me having to stop, well, I know I won't be happy about it, but so be it.
bigcranky
01-05-2009, 08:50
As to doing the whole trail, it's a hope. And at this point, I intend to complete it over the summer.
Good for you.
Re: the ground sheet. Makes sense to use it in shelters. But, go to gossamergear.com and get one of their ground sheets. They weigh less than 2 ounces and are surprisingly tough. Thin, but tough.
As to the trowel, probably something I can do without. I've never hiked with a trowel before, but I read in the Smokey Mountains you have to bury your poop.
9. Toilet use must be at least 100 feet from a campsite or water source and out of sight of the trail. Human feces must be buried in a six-inch-deep hole.
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/backcountry-regs.htm
Panzer