Hey Jeryx, don't let the tent platforms scare you. I didn't use one til New England and there was always a way to sip a tent peg in the cracks and get setup.
COG 2011
Well Im still on for this insanity. Heading out tommorow night to atlanta. Let the games begin!
Good luck my friend!
"If you see me lying on the trail, push me over the edge, so I'm not blocking anybody's path." - Just Passin' Thru
I am probably going to get yelled at for necroing a dead thread, but I figure hey, finish it where it started. The short of it is, I lasted about a week and never made it out of GA. As many predicted, I was getting too cold at night. That was really driven home when another hiker looked at me and said "dude you're state one", as in hypothermia. If I was getting that cold in GA, I shudder, literally, to think what the higher altitudes of TN would have been like. I also ran out of money for resupply and was in quite the pickle, unable to go forward, and no place to go back to. More than the cold kept me from sleeping well those nights.
Thats when the angels showed up. Fresh Ground and Miss Janet are two names you all might be familiar with. An old roommate of mine was able to arrange an RV trailer on his property for me to live in while I got my feet back under me, and I've spent the months since, by the grace of friends, making some headway on that. Though the hike ended long before I wanted it to, it was still a great experience. With my situation before getting on the trail, I was in a very ugly mindset. But the community and attitude on the trail, the people I met, did a lot to restore my faith in humanity. I honestly felt like I belonged there. And one of these years, I WILL be back to finish what I began.
Thanks for the closure, few bother to do that. Glad your making headway with your life!
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Only the close of that chapter. Like I said I'll be back. Got me a wicked case of springer fever right now actually, been looking at gear I cant afford! Speaking of gear, I did end up sending the trangia back from Neels and going with a pocket rocket. Alcohol being easier to source than canisters I'll probably take along the trangia burner next time along with one of the lighter pot stand and windscreen options and only a single pot. That week taught me things no amount of research and prepwork could. So next time, ALL THE WAY!!!
Glad to hear you are learning from experience. You honestly have a pretty good set-up for a mid april start. With money being tight, just get hiking and see where the trail takes you. No need to force such a cold start date next time. It will also save you money as most years, mid march starters need a few days in hostels to sit out a snowstorm.Originally Posted by Jeryx
Well the early start date was not really my choice , it was kind of forced by life circumstances. Still, I am originally from the northeast and no stranger to cold. No friend of it either, but I still see a lot of benefits to the early start, if I can get a suitable kit put together. Fresh Grounds cafe bubble being one of the bigger ones! Not to mention getting to the resupply points ahead of the pack. My major oversight the first time around was not just lack of insulation, but lack of base layer. That will be resolved next time around, which is not likely to happen this side of 2016. Oh well, guess I'll be lurking the forums for a while yet.
I would encourage you to weigh EVERYTHING. It has been a good benchmark for decision making on gear and accessories. My first AT pack was 38 lbs loaded food & water, same kit js now 22 - 24 lbs. Cut the weight literally ounces at a time. I do haved an UL kit base weight at 11 lbs but a bit too spartan for me, so I go with my lightweight kit at 13-15 lbs. I also have a Contrail (and three other bkpking tents) and it is the best tent for me. I get soaked in my. 1 lb Wild Oasis tarp. Good luck, if you would like to review my gear lists send me your email and I will forward. In addition, I lost 35 lbs before I started, more than the weight of my pack. Completed GA - WVA in 2010. Hoping for JMT this august.
I honestly do not remember what my pack weighed, but I know it was somewhere in the 40s and I had the highest score at amicalola. Got your jaws back on? OK, while I might originally be from NY I had done some desert hiking fairly recently, trained by a good friend who was a born and raised desert rat. So with those habits ingrained I had set out with 7L of water (jawcheck) on me and my food bag was also quite large and heavy.
I did eventually wise up to how frequent the springs were and dumped a good deal of that water, but before I did, I was at the top of a rather rough climb taking a minute to breathe and enjoy the view, when another hiker came round the corner beet red in the face and bone dry on water. So my load got lightened and he got a refill. I like to think theres a silver lining to every screwup. Right or wrong, it lets me smile.
This was a lot of fun to read. Thanks for posting.
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I am disabled and did Springer to Harpers Ferry in 2010 during a respite with my illness. It was in many ways necessary for me, but my body took a beating. I spent alot of $$$ in hotels recovering... The money might be tight, but in my case it was one of the great accomplishments in my life, mostly due to my circumstances. I have been suffering with an undiagnosed disease for two years and may never hike again. The disease may ultimately win, but I have never regretted a second of my adventure.
PS: I used a Vapor Trail and TT Contrail, both worked stellar.
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