7/30/08

Finally it seems all the preparation is nearing the end and I can get off to the hiking part of this adventure. Most of the decisions have been made and I hope they have been the correct decisions…only time will tell. I will share with anyone interested just what some of those decisions have been and why I came to make them that way.

Gear is always a major decision for me. I, unfortunately, have acquired lots of gear over the years and I somehow think that if I get the right combination of stuff that I will be able to sail along the trail with wings on my feet. Or at least not plod along with my head down. I forget that training is what gets ones feet and legs in shape. Or rather I don’t forget but wish it weren’t true. Anyhow all the gear decisions are complete.

Due to my having to carry upwards of four to five liters of water at some points during the first six days of the trip as well as close to ten pounds of food, I have come to the conclusion that my homemade pack won’t handle the weight without danger of coming apart. It is really designed for 20 pounds or so and that won’t be my maximum starting weight, which looks to be 30 pounds or more. Heavy for me as I don’t think I have carried more than 25 pounds into the backcountry for years now. No matter since I will be eating and drinking most of it up as I go. As a result I will be starting my hike with my trusty ULA pack, the P-1. At just under two pounds it will carry more weight easily and I am confident it won’t fall apart out there. At my first re-supply point my friend C will drive to Tahoe and bring me my #1 re-supply box, with my lightweight pack included. I’ll experiment from there with less water and food to carry.

My tent will be “The One” a new tent put out by Gossamer Gear, a cottage gear company started in California but now out of Austin, Texas. It was hard for me to go with a new tent as I really have come to love my Tarptent by Henry Shire who makes tarp tents in yet another California cottage industry business. It has been a good piece of equipment but I made the switch because of three factors. First The One is fully enclosed, keeping both mosquitoes and crawling critters from coming to visit in the night. Secondly I can sit-up comfortably in it, a blessing when changing clothes, etc. Finally it weighs less than my old tent. Not by much but every ounce counts when it is ending up on my back. The final weight of my sleep system, including tent, pads and sleeping quilt is 3 pounds 5 ounces. Not to bad.

My cooking system, with Ti pot, stove, spoon, windscreen, plastic jar, food cozy, matches and soap, ends up being 8.2 ounces. The fuel (alcohol) isn’t factored into the total weight as it changes as I go along. I will be carrying an Ursack (a Kevlar bag) with the odor proof bag to handle the increased bear activity being reported in some areas of the trail. Hard sided canisters are recommended but I have faith in the Ursack and have had good success with it in the past. Let’s hope my luck continues!

Clothes generally carried in my pack during the day weigh just less than four pounds while the clothes on my body weigh three pounds three ounces. So the grand total of all the gear carried in my pack, without food and water, is just at 11 pounds. Add in 9.5 pounds of food for the first six days, four to five liters of water, and then hiking an average of 12 miles a day and you have the makings for some serious exercise. Sounds like fun to me.

I will be writing a journal as I go and sending installments off to the FTTW office. Kate Sandusky has volunteered to transcribe my chicken scratches onto the blog so that you all can get some of the flavor of what the trail is like and how I am managing to get along. All spelling and grammar mistakes are mine only and I won’t be taking time to edit as I go along. So please be kind.

I assume I will meet many interesting people along the way as well maybe a few old cranks. I’ll get to see Lake Tahoe from 360 degrees, walk through the Desolation Wilderness and a Nevada state park. I’ll search for water; hide my food from bears and myself from mosquitoes. Eat dried meals; drink spring water and (by the end) dream of salads. All along the way I will try to let you see the trail from my eyes. Wish me luck, I leave tomorrow!