Red Meat for Hikers: Team Plan and Shakeout Notes

The old home patch

In early November, I took what I thought was my final (or near-final) gear on a section of the AT in CT. It was two days, about 36 miles with 8K’ of vert. I started in Kent, at City Hall (by the way, they let you park there – you just have to fill out an online form), walked to the trailhead, walked north, and spent the night at Pine Swamp Brook Shelter. Then I reversed it on day 2. I chose this particular weekend because I wanted some cold and some rain, and I got both.

Kent is about an hour’s drive from me and I always enjoy going back there. Quaint, upscale New England town with original shops and restaurants. Good brewery too. I’ve read that some AT hikers have found the residents to be somewhat distant and inhospitable. I felt no such thing. The people were friendly, helpful and committed. I lived in that city in the ’60s and went to grades K-2 there, so that must have been between 1966 and 1968 or so.

I didn’t go to San Francisco for the Summer of Love. Because I was 6 years old. I was more interested in Captain Kangaroo and Mister Rogers. And eating Captain Crunch with Crunchberries, which had just come out.

Conclusions from a quick night

Shake hikes are pretty standard fare for hikers. If you’ve never heard of them here is a good review in The Journey of Whys and Hows. Good article. Simply put, my goal for these two days was to test: the equipment, the pace and processes, and the body. This was a pretty short hike, just two days (one overnight), so I didn’t exactly stress the system. But I came out quite satisfied and smarter than when I started. Mission accomplished. Having done a NOBO before, I knew it would be easy to fall into an overconfident «been there, done that» mode, and I wanted to be very conscious of that and make sure the slate was as clean as possible. Being realistic and humble about your possibilities is key. After all, I’m 14 years older than I was then and much of my team has changed. I need to pay attention to all of that.

So here are my quick notes:

• I loved the Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60L backpack. Good fit, plenty of storage space in the pockets and a sitting pad integrated into the frame
• The Sea to Summit 20F bag was excellent. Very warm, very light.
• Thermarest Neoloft Pad is worth the weight. I don’t sleep very well when I camp, so looking for non-pharmaceutical tricks and being 4″ from cover is a good thing.
• Totally bougie, but I used one of those mini inflators and he really (embarrassingly) liked it. It is also a lamp and light.
• Hoka Speedgoat with Smartfeet was fantastic, although my feet were still sore at the end of the day
• I used and loved FarOut (never used it), but I’ll also take sections of AWOL and put them in my pocket because I like knowing the hard copy is there and I get nostalgic.
• UL waist bag used for essential items like phone, cheats, multi-tool and headphones. I like the access and it kept about ¾ of a pound off my shoulders and back.
• I thought about Sawyer Squeeze, but I’ll stick with Steri-Pen
• The eating rhythm still works: 600 calories in the morning, including the coffee and cocoa mixture; 800 cal during the day (Snickers, Paydays, sausages, Kind bars, etc.); 1000 hot calories at camp (ramen bombs or “sides” with tuna/chicken packets, PB and almonds added) That’s about 1.5 lbs/day of weight
• I had issues with my Nitecore power supply, which caused several charging issues. Although I think it was operator error.
• The Coros Pace watch was excellent and lasts for two long days of hiking on one charge. Using it to upload to Strava because I like the data.
• Marlinspike hitch much better than the leaf lash on PCT pendants
• It will replace the 12oz Crocs with a lighter camping shoe. Plus they are getting old and stiff (like me)
• I packed a UL umbrella, but I’m not sure I need it
• At 64, my cardiovascular fitness and leg strength are optimal thanks to my running, but I really need to improve my balance and flexibility, which was an absolute horror show.
• Outside and back they stink. Psychologically I need constant progress. I don’t like to retrograde
• The water is heavy. Don’t overdo it. How much you endure should depend on current hydration, heat, perspiration, urination, distance to the next source, confidence that the source is flowing, etc. Be safe, always be cautious, but manage intentionally.

The history of the 2012 equipment

I’m not going to do an individual item analysis of my kit here. There is so much advice and review material out there that I’m not sure I can add much value. All I can do is give you my opinion on a few things, understanding that this is not advice to you, just one perspective among many. And I still have some decisions to make, so this is probably my 95% solution.

One thing I learned in early 2012 was that backpack weight is a much bigger issue in real life than in theory. I know. “Thank you, Einstein,” you say. At that moment I remember thinking, «Damn, what’s another 2 or 3 pounds? It’ll fit me fine and I might need it.» Well, it turns out that 2 or 3 pounds matter a lot. That weight weighs on each of the 5 million steps you will take.

I started in Springer with a full package base weight of about 28 pounds as I recall. Here is my 2012 list.but no weight recorded, so I’m going from memory. It’s almost complete but it’s missing a couple of things. He seemed fine and for the most part he was. I don’t remember backpack weight being a real factor at first. Maybe I was cursing a little while climbing Blood Mt, but who isn’t? I remember in Hot Springs I changed out my stove kit and sent a couple of redundant layers home. Lightened by a pound or two and I felt it. Leaving on February 29 (it was a leap year that year and I thought it would be cool), I knew I would need colder weather gear to get through the Smokies and into Virginia. So when I got to Damascus, I shipped some stuff back and probably left there with a base of 25 or 26 pounds. Maybe 2 or 3 pounds less than at the beginning. However, those seemingly small savings made me feel light as a feather as I headed north.

This year’s equipment

As for this year, well, I’m even lighter and you can take a look at the details. right here. I love this LighterPack tool. Great recommendation.

Feel free to leave comments on any of them, of course. But while I’m pretty much made up my mind, I have some specific questions and would appreciate your perspectives:

1. How do people handle electronics? I’m not sure I got it right, but I think if I assume 4-5 days between replenishments and charging opportunities, then the Nitecore NB10000 should be enough to fully recharge my phone, 1-2 watch charges and a headlamp charge if I need it. But I’ve seen others talk about bringing 2 of those power bricks, although I’m guessing these are probably YouTubers and IG-ers who expect to use their phones a lot more than I do. Thoughts?
2. Who are the umbrellas? Why do you like them? Why don’t you do it? I’m leaning into it, but not positive.
3. That Helinox camping chair, for a pound, looks like a total luxury. But I can see how it could be cool to just relax at camp writing notes for the blog, in a cold draft soaking your feet, using it to beat up an attacker, etc. Any great defenders out there?
4. What do you like for camping shoes? I usually wear socks at camp, so I can’t have regular flip flops. Plus, sometimes I like to wade through them.

So overall this feels a bit heavy, but it will be fine if I decide to stick with it. Some things I know are that:

• I’ll be saving about 6 ounces right off the bat by swapping out the Waldie camping shoes for a lighter option, bringing me to a base of just under 20 pounds.
• Save another pound and a half if you decide to get rid of the umbrella and chair (I may not start with them and send them later, perhaps to Damascus).
• send back the Katoolas and swap the puffer for an MH Ghost Whisperer, in Damascus and maybe lose .75 lbs.

The current and future window cleaner

For most of us, making connections with other hikers and with the forest is part of the appeal of the trail. I’m looking forward to meeting and connecting with people, sharing some trails over many miles, hearing some stories and moving forward. We are all lucky to be able to do this in just a few months.

As I was finishing my shake last month and heading back into town to my car, this young man who was washing windows at a commercial building across the street waved at me. At first I didn’t realize he was gesturing to me, but I stopped and looked; and ran across the street, narrowly avoiding being hit by a Tesla (this is Kent, after all), and asked me if I had been on the AT.

I told him I had been and he asked me if I was going to do the whole tour. I told him no, I was just out there playing for a couple of days. I told him I was planning a hike on the 26th and had completed one in the past. I told him about the section I had just done and that in those miles I had gone up and over Caleb’s Peak, walked up and down St John’s Ledges, walked leisurely along the Housatonic, met a great gang of students from Trinity College in Hartford who were doing a 50 mile night loop, talked to a trail maintainer from the local club, was offered magical trails and saw a brilliant sunset. I told him that taking a hike blesses you with hundreds of stories like that to tell.

We then spent the next 15 minutes hanging out (hoping he didn’t get docked!) and I answered his great questions about gear, foot care, food and water, planning and logistics. All of this. When I left, he got excited and said he wanted to do it. That little exchange, beyond what I learned about my equipment and everything else, was worth the trip. I hope I do it one day.

Thanks for reading.

YAWP

Nor’Easter

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