View Full Version : new hiker with so many ?'s
joshua29
03-02-2011, 17:15
i am a new hiker leaving from springer on my way as far north as possible.i am leaving april 22nd. what do i expect? i have researched everything from stoves to tents to wate rfiltration. i bought a jetboil pcs flashboil stove a katadyn vario water filter and a msr skinny man tent.new boots a ten year old external frame sunshine mountain pack, a ems 20 degree bag. i have planned 8 food drops roughly every 150 miles with very few in town stops. i plan on carrying ten days food at a time and hiking 6 days a week. i am twenty nine and in great shape is this even practicle to expect of myself..i am dying for any and all advice especially on my stove seems like a great idea on paper but is using this stove to boil water on average twice a day gonna work will i be able to purchase fuel,cause shipping is a pain.
thanks josh
Looks like you have a great start on your set up. There are so many opinions and options on gear to use....the best answer will come from you. Hopefully you have time to head out for a few shake down hikes. Even one night deals are great. Using the gear is the best way to know what works for you.
As for the jetboil, I've used mine for awhile now and love it. You'll find canister fuel easy enough along the way.
The only suggestion I have for you is to knock back the 10 days worth of food. You'll be able to resupply every 3 - 4 days through the first 1/2 of the trail easy enough. Helps to keep the pack weight down as food and water tend to be the heaviest thing you'll carry. You can do the 10 day thing... but might be easier on yourself to cut that back a little. Just my suggestion....
Cookerhiker
03-02-2011, 17:31
Joe beat me to it: do you really want to carry 10 days worth of food? Try a shakedown hike or 2 with that much weight and see how you feel.
It's not about the gear. Your stove will work. Will you like using it twice a day? You won't know until you are out there. Which is why thru-hiking isn't about the planning either. It's about flexibility. About being able to revise your plans if they aren't working for you. Make sure your plans are flexible and it'll work out.
It's not about the gear. Your stove will work. Will you like using it twice a day? You won't know until you are out there. Which is why thru-hiking isn't about the planning either. It's about flexibility. About being able to revise your plans if they aren't working for you. Make sure your plans are flexible and it'll work out.
+1 to this. Great advice SBHikes!!
Snowleopard
03-02-2011, 17:49
The jetboil stove and water filter are heavy. If you're going to only boil water an alcohol stove is much lighter, either homemade or commercial (e.g., http://www.end2endtrailsupply.com/Alcohol_Stoves.html). If you need to actually cook and simmer a snowpeak giga stove is lighter than the jetboil.
Chemical water treatment will be lighter than the filter:
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___89325 or use steripen (UV treatment, needs batteries). http://www.rei.com/product/799003
You won't usually need to carry 10 days of food. Supplement your food drops with stores that are close to the trail.
blackbird04217
03-02-2011, 18:01
I agree with the sbhikes, and remaining flexible. My budget once I got on the trail and things settled down left me with less money than I figured I should have. ($1000 instead of $2000) which gave me some interesting challenges. I recommend thinking about buying food in more towns, as it lessens the load and ultimately helps a lot. I only had 2 mail drops; Harpers Ferry and Monson. But because of my budget I was taking loads of food to a time to skip what I deemed more expensive areas. In Virginia I stopped in town only 4 times. I do not recommend this, at all as I pushed myself too hard with too much weight and had some ankle problems.
That said, remain flexible to the challenges that come - there will be plenty! Just take them one at a time, and before you know it - you're left wondering how you made it.
Tipi Walter
03-02-2011, 18:06
I wouldn't worry about carrying ten days worth of food at a time. Remember, Eric Ryback did the trail back in '71 commonly carrying 20 days worth of food and a pack in the 65 lb range. More food load means less yellow blazing, and we've all been to a town.
I think what's surprising to many backpackers starting out is the actual day in and day out work required to walk up and down mountains, and some of those mountains can be butt kickers. And then you see those individuals who are on a difficult imposed schedule to do "15 miles a day" or "20 miles a day", set in stone, and they get weird and fall behind, of course. So some slackpack or yellowblaze around sections just to keep to their schedule. HYOH comes to mind, but your hike may be very different later on than what you initially planned.
EastCoastFeastCoast
03-02-2011, 18:24
Don't forget to enjoy yourself! Good luck to ya sir!
From what you describe it sounds like you are ready to start. Ten days of food is quite a lot to start with. Your appitite won't kick in for a week or so. I would suggest five days worth to start.
Enjou your hike...Happy trails.:sun
jacquelineanngrant
03-02-2011, 18:40
If you are wearing new boots make sure you have blister care products in your first aid kit. Nothing will sideline you faster than foot trouble! Happy hiking!
max patch
03-02-2011, 18:45
If you are thinking about carrying 10 days of food at a time -its not necessary - then you should read Baltimore Jack's resupply article. Its out of date but it will get you thinking about how much you really need to carry. Heres the first chapter:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/index.php?page=resupplypart1
harryfred
03-02-2011, 18:54
Not a thru hiker , but a section hiker that meets a lot of both NOB's and SOB's at the middle of the trail. Your gear is fine and the suggestions to modify your gear is fine. Plan on some Zero/Nero days in town or in a camp ground every other week or so to freshen up and resupply. You will only need 10 days worth of food once (100 mile wilderness, Maine). Eat in town as much as you can take something special to have your first day out of town. If you are not having fun (some days will really suck, but overall) go home. Look for the Red duck tape blazes:D
Josh, what does this rig weigh? The more it weighs the less miles you will do each day and the more pooped will be. The more pooped you are the more rest days you will need. I would take those 8 drops and make 16 and plan on 5 days worth of food in each box. You will be suprised at how much food you will be getting over the counter at stores and fast foods as well as free food from hiker boxes, section hikers and trail angles. When I do section hikes I sometimes hear in normal conversation. "how are you today?" "Doing OK, little low on food these days"...That's my clue that I need to help this person out if I can. That is not even asking for a hand out...just friendly talking.
You may want to swap out heavy clothing and that 20 degree bag for lighter stuff in may. During July and August in the mid-states I sleep with no sleeping bag just a light zip up fleece bag(ie 6oz).
I use msr canister fuel and when it gets low I make a fire on dry days to augment. They even sell that fuel in wal-mart , it's easy to find.
hope this helps
good luck
bigcranky
03-03-2011, 10:24
You'll be fine. Get out on the trail and start hiking, and all your questions will be answered -- and quickly. I'll agree with the others that starting with 10 days of food at a time isn't necessary, as it weighs a lot and can slow you down. I would recommend breaking that up into 4-day sections and resupplying in town -- you can switch to 10-day resupply later in the hike if you want.
We met a guy in Georgia in '03 who had enough food to get from Springer to Hot Springs. His food bag alone was larger and heavier than my entire pack. He was not a happy camper.
Spirit Walker
03-03-2011, 13:52
On my first thruhike, I assumed I wouldn't want to go to town very often, and especially that I wouldn't want to hitchhike. I was wrong. I really underestimated the attraction of 'real' food - food I didn't have to cook or carry, with real meat, dairy, vegetables and fresh fruit. After about 3 weeks on the trail, I was hungry all the time. I had enough food, but it didn't really satisfy. I was carrying what I expected to be 10-14 day food drops, but eating them in a week.
I also found that hiking all day, every day can be exhausting and that sometimes I would get tired of being tired. I needed days off to recharge my batteries, to think about something besides how many mountains I had to climb and where the next water was. When I started taking time off, and eating more high fat foods (ice cream and pizza) I enjoyed my hikes more.