Any Experienced Hikers Here?

[SvilleKid]

Originally Posted by ninjavanish

. Good shoes and a good pack are going to directly affect your experience... if you get stuff that doesn't fit well... it's going to make you regret ever leaving home. Just ask SvilleKid about the last time we tried to tackle a stretch of the AT.

Well. I knew THAT would come up!! LOL! It is a point to be taken MOST seriously. Boots to fit, but remember what kind (thickness) of socks you will be wearing, make sure to buy a size that will accommodate the socks as well as your feet. My issues on the AT with Jeremy stemmed from a bad backpack fit. I used a backpack i had used for years on shorter hikes (with less weight) as a Scout leader. Totally wrong for the longer hike, with more weight, more elevation changes. After that trip, I put the old external frame up, and got a good internal frame pack, with much more adjustment points.

I don't know if you can find a store there similar to what we have here, but many outfitters will rent you a backpack. And, as part of the rental, will fit the pack to your torso, and give you a good primer on adjustments that can be made while hiking to shift the load. That is also a good way to evaluate different pack sizes/types before you actually buy one for permanent use. Rule of thumb, backpack, fully loaded, shouldn't exceed 25% of your body weight. If you are really fit, you probably can get by with 30%. However, the elevation changes you will go thru make keeping pack weight down as much as possible. That requires creative thinking. Repackage anything you can to reduce the weight. DO NOT wear blue jeans. They breathe poorly, dry slowly, and weigh a ton! Get clothes made for hiking. Take a decent first aid kit, include duct tape (remove tape from roll, wrap around a pencil to save weight/space. Take three methods to light fires.

Your biggest concern will be water. Semi-arid conditions (except for the river in the bottom of the canyon) means you will need to carry more water. And, since your food will most probably be dehydrated, more planning will be required to maintain your water needs. Buy a reliable water filter. NEVER drink the water you find without first filtering it, or boiling it (unless it is an absolute emergency). Katadyn makes great filters that are easy to use, reliable, time tested, and made for hiking. I'd go with a filter that you hand pump, verses bottles with filters built-in that you squeeze. The amount of water the squeeze bottles produce aren't worth the time and effort (plus, if you squeeze too hard, you can blow the water past the filter medium, and negate the process. While you can buy dehydrated backpacking foods, you can make a lager number of "dry" meals with rice and pasta packages available in most grocery stores.

Sounds like a great hike. Be safe. File an itinerary with friends/family. Stick to your planned route, so you can be located if there are problems.

There are hundreds of little tips that I've picked up over the years, too many to list.

[ninjavanish]

Originally Posted by SvilleKid

Your biggest concern will be water. Semi-arid conditions (except for the river in the bottom of the canyon) means you will need to carry more water. And, since your food will most probably be dehydrated, more planning will be required to maintain your water needs. Buy a reliable water filter. NEVER drink the water you find without first filtering it, or boiling it (unless it is an absolute emergency).

A third thought on this...

Not to try to terrify you... or keep you from going on your hike...
but this is a very serious concern any hiker must have. A source of purified drinking water.

Some may tell you that the streams where you may be hiking are pure enough to drink from... and the chances are 50/50 they are right. The problem comes when you are already dehydrated and must drink unpurified water out of necessity to keep from becoming more dehydrated... then you get some waterborn illness which causes you to (ahem... how can I put this lightly) excrete excrement from your anal cavity at a rapid pace... thus hastening the thing you were trying to prevent in the first place... dehydration. Don't believe what Bear Gryls tells you on Man vs. Wild... the only way to prevent Giardia (look it up) is with a microfilter.

The main thing to remember when you're in the wilderness is oddly enough... YOU'RE IN THE WILDERNESS. Being too prepared does not exist... learning through experience is half the fun... but learning through BAD experiences is no fun at all.