When they first learn of my intentions for next year, a lot of people who have done some hiking ask if I've done any planning.
I'm never sure how to respond, but on my snarkier days, I consider telling them that the plan is to hike north. (I once saw "go fast, turn left" painted across the dashboard of a race car) I don't know whether they expect a set of dates and corresponding locations delineating my exact northbound schedule, resupply points, zero days, and victory dinner, or just when I plan to start and about how long I think it will take. The closest thing I can offer is the second option: I'm going to start in March, unless the weather looks extremely favorable, then maybe I'll head out a little earlier, and if I average fifteen miles a day with five zeros, it will take me five months to finish.
But that's just math.
I suspect that they just want to test whether I'm one of those idiots who wakes up one morning thinking "I'ma gonna go hike the Appaloosa Trail!!" and stops briefly at the largest outfitter they can find to buy a backpack and fill it to bursting with everything in the store labeled "for backpacking." I assure you, such is not the case.
My plan is very detailed structurally, but barely defined temporally. Here's the gist of it.
Time
I honestly have no idea how long it will take me to hike the trail. I have a rough estimate above, but I also know that, left to my own devices, fifteen is at the low end of how far I'd like to hike on any given day. I'm going to try to start a little conservatively to let myself acclimate, but at the start it will be cold, and hiking is probably my best option for staying plenty warm, so I make no promises. I do know (from multiple sources) that the longer I'm out there hiking, the more I'll end up hiking every day, because I'll get better at it. After all, the entire pursuit is one long practice session at becoming a better hiker. On my last trip, I met a southbound (SOBO) thru-hiker who said he was averaging 37 miles a day, and he looked the part. I think I might get a day or two in that range, but I don't think I'll average that kind of distance. Still, I'm happy to hike as long as I'm able each day. As much as I hope to enjoy the journey, I want to make sure I finish before Baxter closes for the season, and there are other things in my life besides hiking across continents.
Clothing
A couple weeks ago, I ordered my wool tights. That was the last piece of clothing I needed, assuming the exchange of the too-small shirt goes as planned. I'd like to get a visor, too, but I don't really consider that clothing. In warm weather, I'll have a sleeveless Merino base layer and a pair of lined running shorts (with pockets!!). For colder weather, I'll have the tights as a base layer, and I think I'll allow myself the weight of a lightweight hooded shirt I got last year and have taken on my colder backpacking trips since buying it. I love that shirt. I only hope that it survives the trip, so I don't have to buy a new one. If it gets cold in camp at night (or REALLY cold on the trail), I have a stowable puffy jacket from REI, a pair of running gloves (these also work well with my poles), and a wool beanie. I have a rain shell and pants for wet weather, harsh winds, or as an extra layer of insulation should things get really bad. My boots have been set aside in favor of trail runners (newly equipped with sturdy insoles), which are lighter, better ventilated, dry faster, and drain reasonably. They will get replaced at least three times along the trail by my support crew.
There's a constant rationale behind all of my clothing choices: it either needs to be waterproof, or it needs to suffer minimal performance reduction when wet, and dry quickly when the opportunity arises. Come to think of it, that can apply to most of the stuff in my kit. I know everything will get soaked at some point; it's ridiculous to believe otherwise. I just assume that it will rain all day, every day while I'm in the Smokies, and that next summer's Sandy will drive terrible weather into the mountains on at least one long, crappy occasion. I know the weather will be brutal--I just need stuff that can survive those conditions well, and perform well enough that I can survive the conditions, too.
Gear
Half the reason I've been planning and executing training hikes is to get myself ready; the other half is an extended audition for all of my equipment. After the Maryland trip, I returned my Jetboil. If all you want to do is boil water for backpacking dinners, it is incomparable. However, that is not my intention (see Food, next week). That was also the trip when I discovered that I am deeply in love with my Gregory Savant 58 pack and my Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1. On the most recent trip, I tried out the shorts I got from REI, the amazing carbon poles The Girl bought me for my birthday, my sleeping bag liner (used both nights by itself as a warm weather sleeping bag), and the MSR Micro Rocket stove. Tens all around. I took my raingear on that trip, too, but it didn't rain until the last three or four miles, and I just let it soak me. However, I did learn that the jacket, stuffed into its own pocket, is an entirely serviceable pillow. Incidentally, while it was not the first time I used my cookset, it was the first time I had used it on a backpacking stove, and I was very happy with it, too.
There's still a little gear I need to get sorted. I'd like a camera with a larger lens and sensor (better quality pictures, better low-light performance), and preferably waterproof (so it will survive the trip). A friend and photographic genius in Oregon gave me some suggestions, and I think he found a winner, but I haven't gotten it yet. I'd also like to replace my sleeping bag and pad (current total weight: over four pounds) to try to get my bed weight under two pounds. Ideally, the weight of the bag liner would be included in that total, but I won't be picky. I might hand off the heavier layer to my support crew for a while in August. Right now I think I'd like to get a shorter length pad (my hips and shoulders are what really need the support) and a backpacking quilt (like a sleeping bag, but without the bottom). I have a candidate for the first, but I'm still investigating the second. I hope to have both in hand in time to try at least one test run of the combination before the Big Hike, ideally in cold conditions.
More of my "plan" will be here next week. Same Bat-Time, same Bat-Channel.
No comments:
Post a Comment