<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Brian,<div><br></div><div>Thanks for your input. </div><div><br></div><div>I was soliciting opinions and thoughts. And got them.</div><div><br></div><div>My final tally for electronics is GPS, Spot, Pocketmail, cell phone and camera. No mp3 nor satellite phone, so I guess I am roughing it ha ha ha. </div><div><br></div><div>All my early years hiking (40 years ago) were made without any electronics. Ok, I did have a homemade headlamp. But seriously, I am finding intense pressure from wife, kids and friends to know how I am doing and where I am. I guess they think an elderly guy needs all the help he can get.</div><div><br></div><div>This has been a great discussion and as you and Jim point out it comes down to personal needs. HYOH, eh?</div><div><br></div><div>Do you live near <font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">Kinlochard in the </span></font><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">Trossachs</span></font></st1:placename><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"> </span></font><st1:placetype w:st="on"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">National Park? I have a friend who moved there last year. As he says, "I moved closer to where god lives".</span></font></st1:placetype></st1:place></div><div>I have been to Scotland and admit it is a beautiful place when it isn't raining. Great rainbows, yes!</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks again,</div><div><br></div><div>tumbleweed</div><div><br><div><div>On Feb 9, 2010, at 4:22 PM, Brian Dickson wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I guess its a personal thing, but I enjoyed being away from gadgets on the trail. I had a digital camera and the smallest gps for emergencies. we both took tiny mp3 players and kept them for occasional dirt road travel - I probably used mine for about 3 hours over the summer. PCs and email are available in almost all towns now.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I think the camera was close to vital for me as it greatly enhanced my enjoyment, particularly now 5 months later- but the mp3 and gps (and cellphone) can easily be 'ditched'. We did both carry at least one book for reading in the tent though, and binnoculers- they were our luxuries.</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Brian (and Martina) Black Isle, Scotland</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><a href="http://www.pbase.com/briansolar1">www.pbase.com/briansolar1</a></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; "><br><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt; "><font size="2" face="Tahoma"><hr size="1"><b><span style="font-weight: bold; ">From:</span></b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Doug-Sue <<a href="mailto:doug-sue71@comcast.net">doug-sue71@comcast.net</a>><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold; ">To:</span></b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:Cdt-l@backcountry.net">Cdt-l@backcountry.net</a><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold; ">Sent:</span></b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Tue, 9 February, 2010 16:18:34<br><b><span style="font-weight: bold; ">Subject:</span></b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Re: [Cdt-l] Electronics<br></font><br><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Arial">I love natural sounds. In the north country the sound of the wind going through the treetops is my favorite symphony. My wife has asked me, what if the world blows up while you're away, someone dies, etc? My answer is I will find out in time, no need to rush bad news. For me, absolutely no radio or music player of any kind.. I spend the entire time I am hiking with my eyes glued to the landscape, watching and listening to everything. </font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Arial"></font> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Arial">One luxury- I like to pack along some cryptogram puzzles for evening when I am in the tent but not quite overcome by sleep. 3 or 4 pages of cryptograms will last me weeks! </font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Arial"></font> </div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Arial">-RedDoug (stuck in Battle Creek, MI) </font></div><blockquote style="border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 0px; margin-left: 5px; margin-right: 0px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10pt/normal arial; ">----- Original Message -----</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10pt/normal arial; background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: rgb(228, 228, 228); background-position: initial initial; "><b>From:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a title="cicelyb250@aol.com" href="mailto:cicelyb250@aol.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" ymailto="mailto:cicelyb250@aol.com">cicelyb250@aol.com</a></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10pt/normal arial; "><b>To:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a title="doug-sue71@comcast.net" href="mailto:doug-sue71@comcast.net" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" ymailto="mailto:doug-sue71@comcast.net">doug-sue71@comcast.net</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>;</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10pt/normal arial; "><b>Sent:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Tuesday, February 09, 2010 10:20 AM</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 10pt/normal arial; "><b>Subject:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Re: [Cdt-l] Electronics</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br></div><font color="black" size="2" face="arial"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; clear: both; "></div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></font>I second the thought of leaving the gadgets behind. Almost every town has a computer somewhere if you need to send/receive news of the world. As far as a radio plugged into your ears - in the south I was listening for the buzz of rattlesnakes, in the north I was listening for the woof of the bears. Dangerous sounds aside, why miss the call of sand hill cranes, wild horse snorts, and the sounds of the numerous other wildlife that line the path. A Phone card with a ton of minutes can be carried - a lot lighter than any cell phone which will rarely work until you are in a town anyway. Take a gps and camera that work on the same size batteries. I bought AA's at costco and send them in my maildrops - about $8.00 for the whole trip..<br><br><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: arial, helvetica; color: black; font-size: 10pt; ">-----Original Message-----<br>From: Doug-Sue <<a href="mailto:doug-sue71@comcast.net">doug-sue71@comcast.net</a>><br>To:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:Cdt-l@backcountry.net">Cdt-l@backcountry.net</a><br>Sent: Tue, Feb 9, 2010 10:00 am<br>Subject: Re: [Cdt-l] Electronics<br><br><div id="AOLMsgPart_0_b6e4d55f-1e72-43ca-ac84-c755b463f90e" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 12px; "><pre style="font-size: 9pt; "><tt>For me one of the joys of a long hike is leaving all this stuff behind. I
do not want a cell phone with me. My only gadgets are a GPS and a simple
camera. Consider, one of the reasons for hiking is to go cold turkey and
break the on-line addiction.
Just my thoughts.
-RedDoug
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jack Richardson" <<a href="mailto:jackrichardson@roadrunner.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" ymailto="mailto:jackrichardson@roadrunner.com">jackrichardson@roadrunner.com</a>>
To: <>
Sent: Tuesday, February 09, 2010 9:21 AM
Subject: [Cdt-l] Electronics
> Electronics??
>
> On my AT thru in 2001 I had a TM20 Pocketmail device and digital
> camera. That was it! During my PCT 2007 hike I had a cell phone,
> satellite phone, Pocketmail composer, digital camera and a MP3 player.
>
> So for this years CDT hike I will have Email device, cell phone,
> satellite phone, GPS, Spot Tracker, iPod Touch, digital camera, a
> solar battery charger and specific device rechargers (3X)!
>
> It seems that each hike has brought on more necessary (??) electronic
> gear. I may have to hire a sherpa to carry my electronics this year!!!
>
> All kidding aside, I see there is a new email device available called
> the "Peek". Research shows it to be lighter then Pocketmail Composer,
> able to handle my current email accounts, text messaging, view
> attachments, smaller size, wireless and high techie. Unfortunately it
> does not use AA batteries like the Composer.
>
> Any thoughts on Peek versus Pocketmail???
>
> Any thoughts on Electronics on the CDT???
>
> Thanks
>
> tumbleweed
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