todd52
02-11-2013, 18:52
Hi
First, sorry for so many questions (I know it's a LOT!). Complete newbie here. I have tried to make them easier to answer by numbering them. I also tried to avoid a long intro (for now) because of the number of questions but I'm sure I'll be posting a lot more. Thanks bunches :) . Ok, here goes...
1# Where do you check in, register, sign in, obtain a license (or permit) or pay your fee when you enter a trailhead or is that even necessary (ie; can you just find a trailhead and start walking)?.
2# If, while already on the trail, you happen to stumble onto a lake, river, pond or other body of water, can you try to catch a couple of fish or does this require a license/permit/fee/paperwork, etc and how does one go about getting whatever is needed and how much does it cost?.
3# Are you allowed to venture off of the trail and camp, wander around or even try living off the land for a week or two or is it frowned upon? (always thought this would be really cool but not sure I'd ever have the nerve to try it!).
4# Is there a hard limit on how long you can stay at a particular shelter/campsite (for example if your feet get sore and you are down for a few days or longer)?.
5# Are you allowed to make a campfire, cook, etc as long as you act safetly and responsibly, make sure the fire is out and clean up afterwords?.
6# Are you allowed and/or is it necessary to bring survival-type items like a knife, cordage, compass, etc?.
7# What about bears, mountain lions, poisonous snakes, africanized bees, feral dogs, racoons, rats, hunters, human predators, etc?. Is the trail a pretty safe place to hike (usually)?
8# Packs should always be hung from a tree from what I've read but what about pack/gear theft (ie; while your sleeping). Is this usually a problem?.
9# Do you have to get a permit, pay a fee, register or make reservations each time you sleep in a shelter or hike a particular section of the trail?.
10# What if your a small, out of shape, somewhat older person with a number of disabilites and completely un-armed walking the trail alone?. How do you protect yourself against wild animals, troublemakers, etc?.
11# What type of pack should you have and do you need to have your own water supply, purification tablets, a hiking pole, etc?. And how much should all of your gear weigh (on average)?.
12# If you get injured, find yourself with no food left, get lost or find yourself in an bad situation, is there anyone there to help you or are you pretty much on your own?. (This is probably the SCARIEST part for me).
13# What kind of problems usually ocurr at the shelters/campsites (ie; fights, arguments, thefts, people snoring/playing loud music/getting drunk/keeping others awake, etc and how can they be avoided AND are there alternatives to a shelter or campsite if you have very little money?.
14# Self defense against wildlife/troublemakers. What happens if you get stuck in between shelters/campsites, it's getting very dark and you are in a remote area?. Let's go even further and say you are in the same situation but you suddenly hear a noise and look back to see a person or group of people coming toward you or maybe the situation is in reverse and you are coming up on someone who, because it's late, they are naturally on guard and perhaps even carrying. You don't want to make them nervous so you either walk more slowly or holler "hey, I'm really a nice person!" to them(?). How do you deal with this situation?.
15# Bedwetting. Since childhood, I have had been a bed wetter (not joking). How do you deal with something like this to avoid either soaking your sleeping bag or having to walk the trail with a huge box of depends?.
16# In general, people tend not to like me usually within the first 10-15 minutes of meeting me (or at least I've always perceived it that way). Noone has ever been able to tell me why although I've had a number of people over the years tell me that there was "just something about you" or "you walk to the beat of a different drummer". I have Tourettes, OCD and several anxiety disorders but I'm usually not walking up to people tic'ing away or anything like that and I am very polite, friendly and I feel I act pretty normal. I'm concerned that these things could be issues in the event I need to stay at a shelter/campsite or affect my ability to make friends and deal with others on the trail. It could also make me look more vulnerable. Best way to approach this situation?.
17# What is the Camaraderie/kinship like on the trail?. If you are in need of food and walk up to someone and ask them if they could feed you for just one meal, give you a place to sleep for the night or maybe your just lonely or feeling insecure and want another hiker (or two) to walk with for safety or protection, are they generally pretty accommodating or would they be all suspicious and defensive and refuse to help you?.
18# Is the trail pretty well developed/civilized or is this something straight out of those survival/reality TV shows you see on TV?.
19# I've spent a few months reading, watching shows that deal with walking the AP and in every one of these shows, someone is always wearing or showing off their "piece". This makes the trail look like a very dangerous place and kind of spoils the whole mood/atmosphere. I want to relax and enjoy nature - not enter a war-zone and be constantly looking over my shoulder. What's the deal here?.
20# Here is my current gear list. Critique is welcome. Anything that should be added or left out for, say, a month-long hike, a thru hike, etc?...
* Large, nylon, multi-compartment frame pack with waist/chest straps.
* Small sewing kit
* Aluminum mess kit
* Lighters
* Magnesium bar
* Hunting knife
* Nylon rope
* Fishing hooks, line, sinkers, bobbers
* Portable, collapsible shovel
* Fleece sleeping bag rated at 42 degrees
* 4-season tent
* Lean-too, hammock or waterproof tarp
* First aid/snake bite kit
* Water bladder
* Water purification tablets or filter
* Hatchet
* Honing/sharpening stone
* Portable camp stove/sterno
* Handbook or field guide on survival
* Compass
* Flashlight (wind-up powered) or other light source
* Small mirror
* Insect, mosquito netting
* Shaving razors
* Waterproof jacket or poncho
* Bar of soap
* Zip-lock bags
* Jerky, granola bars, trail mix, nuts, instant oatmeal/grits/cream of wheat, potato flakes, instant coffee, sugar, salt, peanut butter, instant rice, dried soups, dates, raisens, vienna sausages, potted meat food, spam, tuna in pouch, etc.
* Black plastic trash bags
* Mat or bedroll
* Hooded jacket
* Sweaters
* Peppermint tums
* Unisom sleep tabs
* Nicotine gum
* Folding saw
* Sponges, towels, rags
* Hiking poles
* Mosquito repellant
* Gloves
* Boots
* Whistle
* Benadryl
Again, thanks a lot for your patience and I apologize for the number of questions here!.
First, sorry for so many questions (I know it's a LOT!). Complete newbie here. I have tried to make them easier to answer by numbering them. I also tried to avoid a long intro (for now) because of the number of questions but I'm sure I'll be posting a lot more. Thanks bunches :) . Ok, here goes...
1# Where do you check in, register, sign in, obtain a license (or permit) or pay your fee when you enter a trailhead or is that even necessary (ie; can you just find a trailhead and start walking)?.
2# If, while already on the trail, you happen to stumble onto a lake, river, pond or other body of water, can you try to catch a couple of fish or does this require a license/permit/fee/paperwork, etc and how does one go about getting whatever is needed and how much does it cost?.
3# Are you allowed to venture off of the trail and camp, wander around or even try living off the land for a week or two or is it frowned upon? (always thought this would be really cool but not sure I'd ever have the nerve to try it!).
4# Is there a hard limit on how long you can stay at a particular shelter/campsite (for example if your feet get sore and you are down for a few days or longer)?.
5# Are you allowed to make a campfire, cook, etc as long as you act safetly and responsibly, make sure the fire is out and clean up afterwords?.
6# Are you allowed and/or is it necessary to bring survival-type items like a knife, cordage, compass, etc?.
7# What about bears, mountain lions, poisonous snakes, africanized bees, feral dogs, racoons, rats, hunters, human predators, etc?. Is the trail a pretty safe place to hike (usually)?
8# Packs should always be hung from a tree from what I've read but what about pack/gear theft (ie; while your sleeping). Is this usually a problem?.
9# Do you have to get a permit, pay a fee, register or make reservations each time you sleep in a shelter or hike a particular section of the trail?.
10# What if your a small, out of shape, somewhat older person with a number of disabilites and completely un-armed walking the trail alone?. How do you protect yourself against wild animals, troublemakers, etc?.
11# What type of pack should you have and do you need to have your own water supply, purification tablets, a hiking pole, etc?. And how much should all of your gear weigh (on average)?.
12# If you get injured, find yourself with no food left, get lost or find yourself in an bad situation, is there anyone there to help you or are you pretty much on your own?. (This is probably the SCARIEST part for me).
13# What kind of problems usually ocurr at the shelters/campsites (ie; fights, arguments, thefts, people snoring/playing loud music/getting drunk/keeping others awake, etc and how can they be avoided AND are there alternatives to a shelter or campsite if you have very little money?.
14# Self defense against wildlife/troublemakers. What happens if you get stuck in between shelters/campsites, it's getting very dark and you are in a remote area?. Let's go even further and say you are in the same situation but you suddenly hear a noise and look back to see a person or group of people coming toward you or maybe the situation is in reverse and you are coming up on someone who, because it's late, they are naturally on guard and perhaps even carrying. You don't want to make them nervous so you either walk more slowly or holler "hey, I'm really a nice person!" to them(?). How do you deal with this situation?.
15# Bedwetting. Since childhood, I have had been a bed wetter (not joking). How do you deal with something like this to avoid either soaking your sleeping bag or having to walk the trail with a huge box of depends?.
16# In general, people tend not to like me usually within the first 10-15 minutes of meeting me (or at least I've always perceived it that way). Noone has ever been able to tell me why although I've had a number of people over the years tell me that there was "just something about you" or "you walk to the beat of a different drummer". I have Tourettes, OCD and several anxiety disorders but I'm usually not walking up to people tic'ing away or anything like that and I am very polite, friendly and I feel I act pretty normal. I'm concerned that these things could be issues in the event I need to stay at a shelter/campsite or affect my ability to make friends and deal with others on the trail. It could also make me look more vulnerable. Best way to approach this situation?.
17# What is the Camaraderie/kinship like on the trail?. If you are in need of food and walk up to someone and ask them if they could feed you for just one meal, give you a place to sleep for the night or maybe your just lonely or feeling insecure and want another hiker (or two) to walk with for safety or protection, are they generally pretty accommodating or would they be all suspicious and defensive and refuse to help you?.
18# Is the trail pretty well developed/civilized or is this something straight out of those survival/reality TV shows you see on TV?.
19# I've spent a few months reading, watching shows that deal with walking the AP and in every one of these shows, someone is always wearing or showing off their "piece". This makes the trail look like a very dangerous place and kind of spoils the whole mood/atmosphere. I want to relax and enjoy nature - not enter a war-zone and be constantly looking over my shoulder. What's the deal here?.
20# Here is my current gear list. Critique is welcome. Anything that should be added or left out for, say, a month-long hike, a thru hike, etc?...
* Large, nylon, multi-compartment frame pack with waist/chest straps.
* Small sewing kit
* Aluminum mess kit
* Lighters
* Magnesium bar
* Hunting knife
* Nylon rope
* Fishing hooks, line, sinkers, bobbers
* Portable, collapsible shovel
* Fleece sleeping bag rated at 42 degrees
* 4-season tent
* Lean-too, hammock or waterproof tarp
* First aid/snake bite kit
* Water bladder
* Water purification tablets or filter
* Hatchet
* Honing/sharpening stone
* Portable camp stove/sterno
* Handbook or field guide on survival
* Compass
* Flashlight (wind-up powered) or other light source
* Small mirror
* Insect, mosquito netting
* Shaving razors
* Waterproof jacket or poncho
* Bar of soap
* Zip-lock bags
* Jerky, granola bars, trail mix, nuts, instant oatmeal/grits/cream of wheat, potato flakes, instant coffee, sugar, salt, peanut butter, instant rice, dried soups, dates, raisens, vienna sausages, potted meat food, spam, tuna in pouch, etc.
* Black plastic trash bags
* Mat or bedroll
* Hooded jacket
* Sweaters
* Peppermint tums
* Unisom sleep tabs
* Nicotine gum
* Folding saw
* Sponges, towels, rags
* Hiking poles
* Mosquito repellant
* Gloves
* Boots
* Whistle
* Benadryl
Again, thanks a lot for your patience and I apologize for the number of questions here!.