[at-l] Thru Hike Questions

[Ken Bennett]

> To make a long story short, I want the trip to be a 'back to basics',
> 'return to nature' sort of deal, so I want to bring as little as possible
> with me along the way.  I don't want to bring along any added weight, any
> luxury items, or anything that might prove to be burdensome on the overall
> experience itself.  For example, I'm considering not bringing a stove or a
> sleeping pad.  However, I don't want to completely deprive myself either, so
> I don't want to take it overboard.  I'm basically looking for a balance
> where I have all the bear essentials along with me: not too much of
> anything, and not too little as well.

Hi, Joe,

Welcome to the list. It's been around for a long time, waxing and
waning in membership and content over the years, but it's still a good
place to hang out. Lots of very experienced hikers here -- folks with
way more hiking experience than I have, certainly.

Let me start by saying that a sleeping pad isn't for comfort -- it's
to keep the cold, cold ground from sucking all the warmth out of your
body. Same with a stove -- in very cold weather, hot food can be a
huge help both physically and psychologically.  If you want to keep to
the basics, a cheap closed-cell-foam mat and a homemade alcohol stove
will be functional and low-cost choices. Choosing to carry a stove and
a sleeping pad won't mark you as a hedonist, I promise.

Beyond that, it's time for you to do some research and -- MUCH more
important -- some hiking. I see you are in Florida, which is both good
and bad. You'll be able to walk all winter (good) but you won't get
much experience with cold weather (not so good.) Can you head up to
the Georgia mountains over Thanksgiving break for some day hikes or an
overnight? You'll find the weather to be very similar to what you'll
get next March. You can stop by Mountain Crossings outfitters at Neel
Gap to check out their selection of long distance hiking gear and
clothing, and talk with serious experts on the subject. You can
dayhike to the top of Blood Mountain for a nice taste of what Georgia
has in store for you. If you want to meet other hikers and learn a lot
about the Trail, come to the Southern Ruck over MLK weekend in North
Carolina:

http://soruck.net/

For research, I would suggest looking at the gear lists at
Whiteblaze.net, and The Lightweight Backpacker
(http://www.backpacking.net/), and also checking some of last year's
hiking journals at trailjournals.com, to see what people used and what
they liked. You can also check books like The Complete Walker IV, and
pick up a couple of the A.T. guidebooks like the AT Companion and the
Thru-Hiker's Guide. Finally, Karen Berger has a book on long distance
hiking available at Amazon here:

http://tinyurl.com/5e9jnf

Once you have some ideas, please come back and bounce them off the
members of this list. You'll find that most hikers have their own
idiosyncratic views on gear, clothing, food, mileage, hiking speed,
start dates, etc., and we're all willing to share them with you. And
once you start hiking, you'll develop your own ideas based on your own
experiences.

Happy trails.

Ken B.
Big Cranky