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Twigman503
03-16-2009, 23:20
Hello! My name is Andrew and I've been searching this site for a while, and just decided to get registered. I'm a young'n at the age of 16 but I absolutely love hiking and really anything that has to do with the outdoors. Throughout my whole childhood I've been blessed enough to be able to travel the country and hike places like Acadia, the Grand Canyon and just about everywhere in between. However, not once have I been able to plan or take part in an overnight trip. My friend and I have been dreaming of thru-hiking the AT one day. However, with highschool, college, and us just being plain noobies, our dream won't happen soon. We are hoping that after we get out of college we can plan to do this as it means a lot to both of us.

I live about 20 minutes south of Kent so the A.T. isn't too far away from home for me. Sometime, when spring comes around full strength, I'm planning on doing a small overnight section of the A.T. near St. John's Ledges. Then over the summer I would like to do a couple more one nighters, hopefully followed by weekends, then maybe even a 4 day hike, depending on how we feel.

I have aquired a lot of 'stuff' over the years. I have some beautiful topo maps, a mountain hardware 'guide' day pack, a double person tent (yeah right, double midgets), thousands of water bottles, a inflatable sleeping pad (it needs human lung strength to inflate it, ugh, but it is small and light and super comfy), some nice compass' (along with some nice map skills), a wonderful pair of boots, and lots of Tech-Wic shirts (I love em). All that stuff has allowed me to survive behind our trailer at campgrounds but I have the strangest feeling its not enough for the A.T. :rolleyes:

Now that I have gotten that out of the way, I have some questions.

What is a reasonable size backpack for overnight trips? For Weekends?

Does anyone have a favorite section of the Connecticut trail? I have lots of overnight sections in my head, I just can't decide which one to chose.

Are there any good website you use get good deals on? Any hiking specific websites like Steep and Cheap?

I'm sure there is more but that'll do for now! Thanks a lot!
Andrew

Tin Man
03-16-2009, 23:26
welcome aboard neighbor

bear mtn thru sages ravine and over race mtn is some of the finest hiking along the CT/MA border

campmor.com offers just about anything you need at good prices

lots of good gear lists can be found here with the search tool

Big Dawg
03-17-2009, 07:38
Welcome to WB!

Gaiter
03-17-2009, 07:41
welcome... keep on reading... many have asked your questions before... keep in mind there is lots of information here on this site, find what works for you

JAK
03-17-2009, 08:08
Welcome Andrew. Ah to be sixteen again.

It doesn't take as much as you might think to get started on overnights. When most people start out, including myself, we tend to make the mistake of focusing too much on what to bring, and not enough on what to be prepared for. We end up bringing too much of what we don't really need, plus some extra stuff on top of that. We don't bring enough of what we really do need, which is basic knowledge of the outdoors and how our own bodies react to it.

I'm just making this up as I go along so take it for what its worth.


Here are some questions I think you should be asking yourself, and getting answers to either here on this board or from other resources on the internet, or books, or from perhaps your best resource which is personal trial and error on short day hikes and overnights.

1. What is the coldest it might get where and when I plan to go hiking?
2. How much rain and snow and adverse ground conditions might I expect?
3. What is the minimum amount of clothing insulation and rain and wind shells that I need for those conditions, to stay warm at various activity levels over long sustained periods of time?
4. How much activity can I sustain, and over what time periods?
5. How much food is needed for that amount of activity and time?
...

I think that is a good start. If you get clothing figured out, then stuff like shelter, sleeping bags, how to make fire, and how to deal with specific situations will be much easier to figure out and to deal with.

To answer you question about backpacks. 3000ci to 4500ci, but it shouldn't weight more that 10% of what you want to be carrying. At your age, you shouldn't be carrying more than your height squared. So if you are 5'5" that would be 5.5 squared, or about 30 pounds. Half that would be better. Somewhere half way in between would be about right. Extra pack volume is nice because it can allow some cheaper gear and it is easier to pack without compressing stuff. Just don't use the extra volume for adding too much weight. A 3000ci pack is still good volume, and is easier to do some trail running with.

f8lranger4x4
03-17-2009, 08:42
Welcome to the community. If you have any question ask we will all be more than glad to help you out with knowlege learned.

sly dog
03-17-2009, 09:42
A nice section as mentioned before is bear mountain. Start on undermountain road .8m above Salisbury and hike up to lions head, nice place to chill. Then onward to bear mountain, several campsites and shelters to choose from. When you come down to sages ravine take the right on paradise lane trail and this takes you back to another parking lot on undermountain road. Nice overnighter. As for pack size, today you can easily find a pack like 3500-4500 under 4lbs so why get an overnight pack when the 3500-4500 will suite you for a week long treck.It will have sinch straps so if you dont fill it you can sinch it so it is not baggy or loose. Of course the UL guys here will say get a 2000 for a pound and a half but thats my 2 cents. Those UL packs are expensive and not as durable for someone whom is new to the sport. Go a bit larger and if you go UL in the future you can use this one as a backup or a winter pack.

Christus Cowboy
03-17-2009, 13:19
Welcome to Whiteblaze,

I'm with Jaks (alas to be 16 again).... On gear purchases, I would have to second Tinman's suggestion of Campmor.... They run frequent clearances where you can pick some good deals. I also have some luck with Sierra Trading Post as well.

Christus Cowboy

Summit
03-17-2009, 13:43
With Google search, all you have to do is enter the brand and name of the item you are interested in and you will get more hits than you can handle. You may want to do hands on a local outfitter before buying, either online, or sometimes the local outfitter may have the best price. Always factor in the total cost, i.e. the price + taxes + S&H. When buying online you'll often pay for S&H, but you may avoid taxes. At the local outfitter, you won't pay S&H, but you will pay taxes, so add 'em all up. The local outfitter purchase offers the advantage of easy returns (in most cases) if necessary.

I would suggest thinking about getting a pack that will meet your future needs (long hike) as well as your immediate needs. Why get one with limited use? A little larger capacity pack will work well for a one/two nighter as well, plus you can bring along some fun extra stuff just to get used to a little more weight that you'll carry on the longer hikes.

I'm sure you'll get a lot of other good recommendations, but I like the Gregory Baltoro 70:

http://www.rei.com/product/757777