Come on Grandpa, tell us about the good old days.

[Enigma]

Hello, to all the well seasoned hikers and long ago thru hikers, please if you will tell us about the good old days on the trail. Long before ultralight when light then would be considered heavy old school today.

[squeezebox]

There's a 2 volume set about trail journals about the early folks. I think it's " Hiking the Appalachian Trail" Grandma Gatewood with her 2 shower curtains (1 on top 1 below) was UL even with her cast iron skillet.
Correct me please!

[MuddyWaters]

Early hikers were lighter on average than many of todays hikers are. Even carrying their cast iron skillet.
They werent LNT however. Cutting tree boughs to make bedding , building fires to cook, etc.

[Enigma]

Thanks, aside from bushcrafting and Gatewood I was thinking along the lines of the 70's and such. If I recall correctly there was a National Geographic that depicted AT hikers in Flannel and SVEA 123 and such.....would like to hear the take on a few folk that did long hikes back then. Thanks.

[Venchka]

Still have flannel shirts and a SVEA 123. What's wrong with either of them? I have SIGG and Optimus cookware. Virtually all of my gear was made in the USA or Europe. My sleep system is new, 2014. The rest spans the 70s, 80s & 90s. It all works for me. Not nearly as heavy as you might think. It's all paid for.

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

[Venchka]

Smile when you say, "Grandpa."

Wayne


Sent from somewhere around here.

[rickb]

Still have flannel shirts and a SVEA 123.

Yea, but do you still have the handle to the cup?

[Enigma]

Big smiles.....when I say Grandpa.....I saw that they brought back k the SVEA 123 but do not know it it is as good of quality as the original was. I have not seen mine in many many years.

[colorado_rob]

Thanks, aside from bushcrafting and Gatewood I was thinking along the lines of the 70's and such. If I recall correctly there was a National Geographic that depicted AT hikers in Flannel and SVEA 123 and such.....would like to hear the take on a few folk that did long hikes back then. Thanks.

I started backpacking in the mid 60's (FIFTY years ago!), and yes, with flannel shirts, jeans and my good old SVEA, still got that somewhere. Canvas external frame pack, canvas pup tents, Flannel lined cotton fabric rectangular sleeping bag, aluminum cook kits, big waffle-stomping boots, plastic ponchos, good stuff. We had a blast. Didn't do big miles though 6 or 8 a day or so. I see a map of one place we used to go all the time (Red River Gorge area in KY) and these days, even at 60 years old, with my current gear, I could do every trail in that place in about 2 days.

[TexasBob]

Thanks, aside from bushcrafting and Gatewood I was thinking along the lines of the 70's and such. If I recall correctly there was a National Geographic that depicted AT hikers in Flannel and SVEA 123 and such.....would like to hear the take on a few folk that did long hikes back then. Thanks.

I have that book

[Enigma]

I have that book

I have the one for the PCT

[4eyedbuzzard]

In the 70's there were still lots of road walks on the AT and private land right-of-ways. The trail wasn't as well graded or blazed in many cases. It was less crowded. No Companion, no AWOL guide, etc - we used local ATC (AT Conference!) guide books, then later the Data Book when it was first published. No hiker feeds - trail magic was usually very UNexpected, and perhaps more appreciated for that reason. Often it was just a farmer offering corn from his field, or a motorist offering a ride into town. Maps and compass were often actually needed to figure out which way to go. I had stuff like an Optimus 8R stove (similar to a Svea 123 but in a metal box), Camp Trails Horizon pack, a 3 lb Campmor down sleeping bag, a huge nylon covered foam pad, 6 lb Eureka tent, Continental Tyrolean boots, Gerry down jacket. We ate Lipton freeze dried dinners that are no longer available. Sometimes we even wore cotton - and survived!

But many things remain the same. The biggest changes? More hikers. Lighter gear. Cellphones. Commercialization/hiking industry. Different attitudes.

[Enigma]

Different attitudes makes me twist my moustache and ponder what you mean....do elaborate please on attitude changes over time.

[soilman]

I am not a grandpa but I did hike most of the trail in the mid to late 1970's along with my brother. We used Kelty and REI packs, wore 5 pound Gallibier Vercours boots, chamois shirts and blue jeans or army fatigues. We cooked on the SVEA stove with an upgraded self-cleaning nozzle so we could burn unleaded gas. We ate dehydrated food that we purchased in bulk from a company called Sidels. We started out SOBO in ME with over 40 pound packs. In Monson our packs weighed around 50 pounds. We would carry 7 to 10 days worth of food. Town stops were not that frequent. Most hostels were non-profit, eg. churches, fire stations. The trail was not that well known even to town folk along the trail. I remember coming out of the woods onto the parking lot of Mt. Greylock and a shocked woman came up to us and asked us if we lived in the woods like animals. Taking the shuttle bus from Fontana Village back to the dam a worried mother told her two children to stay away from those hitchhikers. I don't recall ever getting a handout from anyone along the trail, but than again we did not see very many people unless it was a weekend. The trail was as 4eyedbuzzard stated alot different than. Down south the trail had fewer switchbacks back than. Up north in ME and VT the trail followed more logging roads and old woods roads. There was more asphalt walking in NY and PA. The trail was constantly relocated so even with guidebooks you often didn't know where the trail was, how long between points, etc. The best source of trail info was when you found another hiker heading the opposite direction so you could get a briefing. There were no thru hiker companions just a mileage fact sheet. Many of the shelters in ME had dirt floors a floor made out of saplings. Very uncomfortable sleeping. There was nothing at Neel Gap. No Blackburn Trail Center, no Bears Den. The Place in Damascus did exist then. You could not sleep in the shelters in the Shenandoah. Had to get a permit in the Smokies and the ranger assigned where you would stay. Ah, the good ole days.

[Enigma]

It also brings to wonder....without guide books...internet and such if shelter logs were important information points?

[soilman]

It also brings to wonder....without guide books...internet and such if shelter logs were important information points?

Shelter registers were helpful once we got south of VT just because there were so few NOBO's prior to that.

[Mountain Mike]

Several years ago I asked for a critique of my gear list. Everyone said I had 0 chance of finishing the hike & most said I wouldn't make it very far. then I revealed I did my thru in 88. The year after Nat Geo did an article on the trail. It caused a spike in the numer of hikers on the trail. On March 18th there were 6 of us that started. Not as many hostels back then and many of the non-profit ones have since closed. Gore-tex was rare. town stops were normally about a week apart. Just about everyone used white gas stoves. TNF Tadpole was the sought after "light weight" tent at around 5+ pounds. Lots of my gear has changed over the years. 986ATC188.jpg

[Mountain Mike]

They did have the Philosopher's Guide then which was an early version of Awol's & the Companion. With no cell phones the shelter logs were how we kept track of each other. By the time I made it to Pinkam I had shaved pounds off my base weight. With added cold weather gear I was down to just over 30 lbs.

[Enigma]

I find it strongly interesting that you pulled a gear review and was given 0 chance! What a rabbit that must have been when you pulled it out of your hat and came clean on what you actually did do! Any chance that thread is archived? It would be a wonderful read indeed.

[rocketsocks]

Used to carry canned goods, every now and again, still do.