Old = slow: I think this is pretty much a given. I use my poles to absorb downhill impact to spare my knees. I've only got a certain amount of cartilage there, and I want to keep it all. In my...
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Old = slow: I think this is pretty much a given. I use my poles to absorb downhill impact to spare my knees. I've only got a certain amount of cartilage there, and I want to keep it all. In my...
I've taken a bunch of zeroes, and wish I could have taken a few more for bad weather. I'm going slowly already. Our longest day was 15 miles, and we did much less the next day from being tired. ...
Clothing: Expect to need changes here in the Spring. I got a lot of good use out of a synthetic vest for the first month on the Trail: it kept me warm in drizzles, and also allowed air to circulate...
I'm posting this from the Damascus, VA public library, where I've shuttled ahead for Trail Days. I'm sure other people will comment on Trail Days; this post is random musings about my experiences...
I want a guide so that my rusty (and possibly outdated) memory of first aid courses (going back to Boy Scout days) isn't all I've got to work with. I don't want to do something stupid like start CPR...
I'm starting Wednesday in Atlanta, arriving really early (red-eye flight). When are you getting there?
You don't even have to take a fall or plant your foot wrong. There are plenty of injuries from just walking those 4 million steps that can take hikers off the trail: infected blisters, plantar...
"No matter what" isn't a tenable attitude. A broken ankle can't be overcome with blind determination. Injury is an all-too-common reason for getting off the trail. You can try again later (maybe...
My physical prep for the AT this year was less than yours. I've previously hiked up to 200 miles at a time on the AT, with half of that in the rain, so I already know I can handle sore feet/knees...
So you'll have a stock of instant potatoes and Craisins when you get back. If you're fed up for a while with some of the supplies you've bought, trail food will keep a long time ─ probably until...
I'd say so, yes. On PDFs Kindle reverts to full-page display on every page change, which means if I want to read anything with details I have to do the expand "reverse pinch" on the touch screen a...
LibriVox is working well for me. I've got The Maine Woods and Walden by Thoreau, and Nature and Essays by Emerson.
If I have time this weekend I'll also check out my local library. It's getting...
Thanks. I'll check that out.
I like hiking just fine. I don't like the sound of wet socks in wet shoes squelching as I walk (the aural theme of my soles turning to mush), and could use some...
Rather than listen to music I've already heard many times before, I think I'd like to have some audiobooks on my phone if it's needful to distract me from the recurring suckitude of hiking. I...
Yeah, that doesn't fit my experience. Adobe programs tend to be bloated and buggy. They're the ones who gave us the security nightmare which is (was) Flash, after all.
I've got a 21½" torso. It turns out I'm OK with a Medium Crown 2 pack, which supposedly only goes up to 21", while Long works for 21" and up. The Granite Gear folks say ½" either side of the...
Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. I've now got the 2016 NOLS Wilderness Medicine as an e-book, and it'll be on my phone the next time I do the file update thingy. It looks good enough that...
Nylon 20L dry bag I got cheaply on eBay, with a Coghlan's odor-proof bag inside. (It's actually the second one. The first time they only had yellow-green available, and when I tried it in my back...
I downloaded the Red Cross First Aid app on my Android phone, and it's largely useless for through-hikers. Nearly every set of instructions ends with "call 911". They have helpful questions and...
I've got guides in PDF form to carry on my phone (AWOL, ALDHA, & c.). What's the best tool for viewing these? I've been using EBookDroid because I already had it for reading books in various...
Very helpful guide, dbfl87. Now I can copy the info from the guide and paste into the mailing label website I use for my resupply packages.
If it's cold and wet, or cold and windy, rain pants are good to have. You can join about half of all hikers out there and start with a Frogg Toggs suit. If it works out for you you're all set, and...
If you turn in your sleep, being on the ground may suit you better than a hammock. Also when you get to places above tree line a hammock won't work.
I try. My GSI Extreme Mess Kit is advertised for "gourmet backpacking". I've made pasta and fresh Alfredo sauce in it, fresh curry, and also giant muffins (from a mix, so not gourmet but still a...
Most packs these days come with compression straps. You can tuck the poles under the straps and then pull the straps tight. The downside is that you'll need to shift your poles every time you open...