Life long dream, a little earlier than expected.

[aojiroi]

So here's kinda the story of my life. This seemed like the place to but it, but if not. Well, I'm sorry? (I was going to put it on the Thru hike area, but it's actually not an official 'Thru' hike as we're starting in the New York/New Jersey area and heading downwards.)

The story starts off with me moving from Maine to NYC for a job and school two years ago. Back last year I ended up in the homeless shelter (due to the retardedness of my then roommate) and let me just say I was miserable. It sucked the life out of me and I am normally a very happy go lucky person. Without going into too much detail, the place and situation made me consider killing myself.

Fast forward to almost a year later, got laid off from my job. Without this job I can not afford to stay where I am. Without a job I can not find living quarters in NYC. I've looked for a job everywhere but can't seem to find anything. Basically? I ended up down the path of homelessness again.

I will not allow that to happen. If I'm going to be homeless I'm going to do it on my OWN terms. I also, have always dreamed of taking off into the woods. I took most of my savings (aside from about 2000 for food) and will hit the trails.

I realize now is a bad time, but with no living family and no real friends I am out of time and options.



I am a hiker by nature and am not shy to hiking and camping. So I'm no novice. But I'd still appreciate any sort of help I can get for this very long journey. Let me get into what I've done so far/a bit more about my situation.

As for gear;

I've bought a pretty general tent, an rated for 0 degree sleeping bag (because of the months I'll be starting out). As for I have two long sleeve shirts (one cotton one base layer), two tee-shirts, two flannel shirts, a pair of cargo pants, and a pair of jeans, as well as pair of long john pants to go underneath as well as a polar fleece jacket and a windbreaker. And of course, wool socks. I am no stranger to cold as I was born and raised in Bangor Maine. So the cool doesn't bother me. These are all things that will keep me warm I assure you. For this part I feel I'm fairly good. But I'll accept any and all suggestions.

Food is something I really could probably use help with. I don't eat a lot, by nature, and I have never really looked into things calorie wise. Right now in terms of food I have; Rice sides (different flavors), pasta (some with cheese sauce), oatmeal, Peanut Butter, Cliff bars, granola, flour tortilla's, peanut M&Ms, Tuna, raisins, Chicken and beef jerky (hand made tyvm), dried fruits (also hand made), and dehydrated milk and flower (to make stews with the jerky). I realize that this is probably too much food but that is the one thing I worry about starting out. I also have enough for breakfast lunch and dinner for about a week. Is there anything I should add? I realize that as time goes on I'll be resupplying for less days. But I want to make sure that what I pack is good trail foods of if there is anything more to bring/add as I go along. Some of my snacks I plan on drawing out for a while. If I can.

In terms of water I have three (one is specifically for the dog) nalgene bottles and a camelbak (70). Is this realistic? Should I throw in my extra nalgene bottle? I also have a Steripen and coffee filters. (As well as tabs JIC the steri pen stops working or whatever).

For toiletries I have baby wipes, bar soap (which I plan to also use as shampoo), leave in conditioner, (a luxury I know! But my hair is miserable without), deodorant, toothpaste and that's about it. You probably don't want to hear this but I never shave anyway so I don't feel the need to weigh myself down with that sort of crap.

As far as cooking goes I have an alcohol stove (The MSR(?)s seemed to heavy for me) and a solo cooking set and a spork ;).

In terms of gear thats about it. Aside from ziplock bags, a diary, cellphone/MP3 player (and waterproof solar charger). I have a smaller pack, with my sleeping bag in a dry sac on the outside and still have a little more room. I just would hate to overpack. But I'm more than willing to hear suggestions to add or subtract.

And I get that this is all stupidly impulsive. But life long dreams usually are.

I also have a dog coming with me. But she's an experienced hiker as well and carries her own supplies. I get that hiking with a dog is controversial, but she is the only family I have. She's also a husky mix so is more than capable of holding her own. So I'd appreciate no blatant "TAKING A DOG IS STUPID" comments, please. If a dog was the only family you had left, you'd feel the same way I did about it. Trust me.

[swjohnsey]

If you can walk and talk and pass a drug test you can get a job in the oil field, South Texas, East Texas or North Dakota.

[aojiroi]

Actually the great plan is to end up in Texas as I have a lot of friends there already who have offered to help me.

[hikerboy57]

see if you can find some cheap pants that arent cotton. jeans in a 50 degree rain arent a good idea, and take forever to dry. cotton is fine for mid summer, but only then, maybe go to campmor.com, they usually have stuff on sale.as far as water, I carry a 3L bladder and an empty nalgene.definitely dont need more than that, many just use 1or2 empty gatorade bottles.Go to the articles section on the left side of the home page, theres a link on things to leave behind, to help you with the overpacking issue.welcome to WB and good luck!

[hikerboy57]

oh, lose the bar soap, theres nowhere you can responsibly rinse it off, get Dr bronners liquid soap, or do without until you hit town.conditioner and anti perspirant is unnecessary

[aojiroi]

I wasn't even thinking about liquid soap. So thank you!

I realize that conditioner and antiperspirant are completely unnessacry, and I might eventually bin it and not rebuy. But my conditioner is something I'll probably keep. Without it my hair tends to try and become dreads. :/

[hikerboy57]

i dont bring soap at all, just hand sanitizer, as for the dreads, who cares?you wont look much different than the average thru.

[aojiroi]

Huh. I might forgo the soap all together than. My big concern was mostly appearing in a town all disgusting like. Though I suppose most of the towns on the AT are probably used to the woodish and smelly.

I suppose that's just the woman in me still trying to look presentable.

[hikerboy57]

you might want to check out the hygiene forum and the female hiking forum for specifics. this is an area Id rather not compare equipment.and remeber the less you carry, the more miles you can hike.

[swjohnsey]

Are you planning to go . . . now? Are you like . . .a girl?

[aojiroi]

Yes I am. Heading south from the NYC area I was supposed to leave last week but got delayed.

[aojiroi]

@hiker- Understand and no worries. I've been browsing the woman's section for ideas and such.

[swjohnsey]

Alcohol stoves suck in cold weather. Something like the MSR Whisperlight is better for cold weather. Also lotsa places that cater to hikers will be shut down and alcohol will be harder to come by. There is always gasoline as long as we have cars.

[aojiroi]

You can get alcohol at any hardware store, and we've got a decent supply right now. They do suck in colder weather as we've researched however so long as you 'pre-heat them'. They're not all that bad. I've used alcohol stoves to cook in very cold temperatures (back in Maine) before and haven't had a lot of problems with them.

As far as the MSR system goes I'm a little hesitant to buy one because a lot of the hiking journals and such I've read into stated that the fuel cartridges were hard to find and bulky. Assuming that most of these people hike in the 'logical' times. Aforementioned places will be open, correct? And if they're hard to find when these places are open how hard will they be to find when these places are closed? I don't entirely get what you mean by 'gasoline'. But I'm more then willing to hear more.

[Spools]

I'll come out and hike on weekends through va. could probably throw some old gear your way too

[Slosteppin]

I would sugget starting with two extra batteries for the Steripen. Cold weather drains all batteries faster.

[aojiroi]

Thank you. I'd really appreciate it. :) Especially the company!

[aojiroi]

I got a back up battery for the steripen (and replaced the one in it because reviews said sometimes the batteries inside just weren't up to snuff), but I hadn't thought about two.

[Bloomer]

I'd come out in the PA sections and kick down some extra food to get ya through. I Live real close to the trail and can help get ya to a hardware store or shopping if ya need. Please do yourself a favor and get rid of all cotton clothing. There is an old saying in the backpacker community "cotton kills".... I even have some old caplene from patagonia you could have once you get down here in a couple of weeks.

[aojiroi]

@Bloomer- Oh that sounds great. I figured with a poly base and cotton overlay I'd be fine? But I'd rather be safe than sorry for certain. I've hiked before of course but never for this much of a distance, truth be told the clothing is where I'm really struggling it would seem. I'm used to dressing for cold weather but I've never thought too much on cotton before now apparently.

[swjohnsey]

You ain't gonna pass many hardware stores along the AT. MSR Whisperlite stoves burn Coleman fuel or regular pump gasoline. The MSR cartridge stoves suffer from the same problem as alcohol stoves, don't work all that well in cold weather.

[Blissful]

You say MSR is heavy yet you want to bring a lot of very heavy cotton clothing. This doesn't make much sense to me. You can get canisters easily on the trail. It isn't an issue.
What size are you? I have some large stuff - one long sleeve polypro shirt I don't need and I think some fleece pants. I have to look in my storage bucket.

[aojiroi]

I didn't know that, I'll have to do a bit more research into it to know for certain.

[aojiroi]

@Blissful- I'm a medium and size 10-12 in pants. I've obviously got to rethink my clothing choices. That's for certain. As for the stove, I've just seen so many mixed reviews on it and have experience with alcohol and not so much with the MSR. I guess at this point it's more of a comfort thing.

[Harpua]

cotton is the death fabric and there is nothing wrong with hiking with a well behaved dog! good luck. hot choclate packets are nice, they have warmth, calories and protein and yumminess. i also like flat rice (poah) you can find it at indian food markets, it takes seconds to cook, i also like beans, i cookthem, then dehydrate them, this way they dont take much time to cook

[Tinker]

"You can get alcohol at any hardware store, and we've got a decent supply right now. They do suck in colder weather as we've researched however so long as you 'pre-heat them'. They're not all that bad. I've used alcohol stoves to cook in very cold temperatures (back in Maine) before and haven't had a lot of problems with them."

Sleep with your stove fuel (in a strong container, of course). Your stove will come to full heat much quicker in the morning. When you get to camp, put the fuel bottle in the innermost pocket of your jacket to preheat the fuel for dinner.

[Feral Bill]

For cheap but usable clothing head to the nearest thrift store, preferably one near a high income neighborhood. You can get plenty of wool, fleece and shell garments for peanuts. Picture yourself in a nice woolen sweater and hat, with nylon jogging pants over fleece long johns. Add a scarf, jacket, mittens and warm boots and you're as snug as can be. Surplus stores are another great resource.

As for your general plan, you can take it really slow and arrive at Springer whenever. I am concerned about an apparent lack of winter camping experience. If you start at Bear Mountain, you can learn as you go to a degree. I do not know the best current winter backpacking books, perhaps someone can chime in, but reading up is a good idea. If you were not in such a tough spot I would probably be actively discouraging you. Do be extra careful out there.

[Amanita]

As for clothes, hit up your local goodwill and salvation army. Often the "athletic" section has actual name brand stuff for relatively cheap. If you are flexible on the size, color, and intended gender you could re-outfit yourself in a single trip. Expect to pay $5 to $10 per article of clothing at goodwill. Just check the labels to make sure you are getting real synthetics/wool and not "hiker chic" cotton.

One step up in price range from goodwill is discount stores like tj-max, marshall's, ect. I have found some really nice clothes intended for runners there for $8-$20. They also have convertible pants (though not my thing). Again, watch the labels to be sure it's good for hiking.

[aojiroi]

cotton is the death fabric and there is nothing wrong with hiking with a well behaved dog! good luck. hot choclate packets are nice, they have warmth, calories and protein and yumminess. i also like flat rice (poah) you can find it at indian food markets, it takes seconds to cook, i also like beans, i cookthem, then dehydrate them, this way they dont take much time to cook

Ha! My dog is very well behaved. She has great recall and I do not plan on off leashing her at all personally. (Not that she can't, she off leashes in NYC no problem.) As for the hot chocolate that was something I snagged and forgot to mention. I also got coffee of course. For those hard to get up mornings ;)


"You can get alcohol at any hardware store, and we've got a decent supply right now. They do suck in colder weather as we've researched however so long as you 'pre-heat them'. They're not all that bad. I've used alcohol stoves to cook in very cold temperatures (back in Maine) before and haven't had a lot of problems with them."

Sleep with your stove fuel (in a strong container, of course). Your stove will come to full heat much quicker in the morning. When you get to camp, put the fuel bottle in the innermost pocket of your jacket to preheat the fuel for dinner.

I was figuring before I'd use it I'd throw it in my fleece jacket. Considering I'll be in layers it'll be nice and warm before I start it up. Sleeping with it for breakfast is a great idea as well!


For cheap but usable clothing head to the nearest thrift store, preferably one near a high income neighborhood. You can get plenty of wool, fleece and shell garments for peanuts. Picture yourself in a nice woolen sweater and hat, with nylon jogging pants over fleece long johns. Add a scarf, jacket, mittens and warm boots and you're as snug as can be. Surplus stores are another great resource.

As for your general plan, you can take it really slow and arrive at Springer whenever. I am concerned about an apparent lack of winter camping experience. If you start at Bear Mountain, you can learn as you go to a degree. I do not know the best current winter backpacking books, perhaps someone can chime in, but reading up is a good idea. If you were not in such a tough spot I would probably be actively discouraging you. Do be extra careful out there.

AMD


As for clothes, hit up your local goodwill and salvation army. Often the "athletic" section has actual name brand stuff for relatively cheap. If you are flexible on the size, color, and intended gender you could re-outfit yourself in a single trip. Expect to pay $5 to $10 per article of clothing at goodwill. Just check the labels to make sure you are getting real synthetics/wool and not "hiker chic" cotton.

One step up in price range from goodwill is discount stores like tj-max, marshall's, ect. I have found some really nice clothes intended for runners there for $8-$20. They also have convertible pants (though not my thing). Again, watch the labels to be sure it's good for hiking.


While I have experience with winter I don't have a lot with camping in winter. But I'm not entirely foolish (aside from the bringing cotton t-shirts apparently) I'm also willing to listen to suggestions. The problem I seem to be having is the thrift shops around my neighborhood suck, they cater to hipsters and I'm having a very hard time finding the gear I need. My sort of plan ATM is to replace one of my pairs of pants and along the way buy a better pair to replace my jeans. My base layer is polyester and I have two flannel shirts, the fleece and the windbreaker. I'll wear those primarily and maybe pick up more polyester blend shirts along the way.

[cabbagehead]

Used clothes stores are nice, but when I did a 3 month trip, I bought some used polyester long underwear for $6 and learned that it wasn't elastic enough. As for food, my favorites are GORP, nature valley bars, fish packets, a small number of protein bars, pills, and most importantly cabbage. I recommend an alcohol stove because it's the lightest (bottlestoves.com). If you use a canister stove, you will probably find numerous free canisters lying around. I left one in a donation bin for needy dogs in the Hanover, NH grocery store.

[The Cleaner]

What are you going to do when winter gets here?Ever hiked in 2' of snow?Winter hiking is great if you are prepared&experienced.This seems similar to some previous posts.Person loses job&has few friends&family so they just decide to go for it and take to the trail.You'll go south where it's warmer and everything will be great.If I were you I'd take a bus south and work till spring&then hit the trail,with your plan the trail is going to hit you...

[SassyWindsor]

Get a wood (solid fuel) stove, example is a Sierra Zip among others out there. Won't have to worry about buying fuel to cook, etc. Lots of non-cotton warm garments and footwear can be gotten at good-will type stores on the cheap.