Gear List for Backpacking in the Summer

As a public service to those who are relatively new to hiking, I have just published a free e-book in which I describe the gear I use for backpacking in the summer. The title is An Annotated Gear List for Backpacking.

I have an interesting mix of feelings in making this list available to the public. On the one hand, I am proud of the knowledge and experience that went into the honing of my gear list over time. And, as a teacher, I want to share it with those looking for the information. On the other hand, the contents in a person's pack are, well, personal.

So, why publish it? Because I empathize with new hikers trying to get over the gear hurdle so they can experience the joy and freedom of backpacking. Hiking is such an individual sport that there isn't one best way to do things and there isn't one best collection of gear to carry. So, how do you decide what is best for you?

You can search the internet and find a number of backpacking gear lists. But, most are generic, so you still have to figure out how to customize the list to you, to the trail you are hiking, and to the season when you are going.

You can search the printed literature, and find many books and magazines that will teach you about all the possible gear choices. But that can be overwhelming and still leaves the new hiker figuring out which choice is best for them and their hike.

I publish my list as a complement to these other sources. You can see how mine diverges from the generic lists, where I make choices specific to me and to hiking in the summer at lower elevations. And, you can see which of the range of gear possibilities I have chosen, and why. (If I don't give enough of the "why" for your needs, just ask me, either by leaving a comment on this blog post, or by sending email.)

Of course, my list represents just one person's choices. I think it would be really useful if there were a repository where experienced hikers could post their lists and new hikers could browse or search across lists. Maybe this exists somewhere and I just haven't found it; if you know of such a place, please let me know!

You can get a copy of my e-book by joining the mailing list at the Peace Journeys website.

Happy trails!

And They're Off! (NOBOs, That Is)

As April comes to a close today, the majority of this year's "class" of northbound Appalachian Trail thru-hikers (a.k.a. "NOBOs") are on trail.

Some started in February (a few even earlier) and some will start in May, but the majority of NOBOs have touched the plaque on Springer Mountain and are en route to Katahdin.

Their journeys will last 4-7 months, depending on many factors. And that's presuming they go all the way to Katahdin, almost 2200 miles north. For many, the journey ends somewhere south of there, for any of a number of reasons.

Today, there are NOBO thru-hikers on trail from Georgia into Virginia, with a few even farther north. A section of trail that is hosting a passel of thru-hikers is said to be experiencing "thru-hiker season," a boon to businesses in small towns near the trail.

Hikers take on "trail names" as an easy way to refer to each other. This year, some of the names are: Catching Dreams, Denver Dave, Flatlander, Green T, Groove, Ketchup, N Da Wind, Phoenix Rising, Ramble~On, Yard Sale, and my favorite name so far: The Dread Pirate Ishmael Buttercup Thyme; Child of Fortune. (Surely, his trail name must have a nickname!)

Lots of hikers post journal entries at TrailJournals.com, which can be a fun diversion and quite the time sink for those of us who wish we were on trail. Trail Journals is also a way for hikers to keep up with each other while on trail--jump on a computer in town and check "TJ" to see where your trail friends are and to leave a note for them.

For folks at home, living in "street life," it seems strange, crazy, or at least abnormal for someone to spend weeks and months on trail. But for a hiker, it doesn't take long for trail life to feel totally normal--like that's what a person is supposed to be doing, and it's the people in street life who are living an illusion.

My, I can really get to missing it all!

I wish all of the '09 hikers well, thru-hikers and section-hikers and weekenders, on the A.T. and other trails. I sum up this wish in three words, the ones I use to close my trail register entries...

Happy trails, y'all!

Key Hiking Principle #3: HAVE FUN!

This is the third of three key principles I share when I teach backpacking. Like some of the ideas in key principles #1 and #2, it seems perhaps a no-brainer, but let's not give it short shrift. After all, I have met plenty of people who, on learning that I enjoy backpacking, have said, "For Heaven's sake, why?!?"

For me, "Have Fun!" is shorthand for "Whatever your reasons for backpacking, get the most out of it." I doubt there are as many reasons to hike as there are hikers, but there surely are a breadth of reasons.

Enjoyment. It's fun to pop out of the trees and onto a rock outcropping with a 180-degree view. It's fun to see wildlife in their own habitats. It's fun to laugh with friends over oatmeal laced with Ghirardelli chocolate bits.

Bonding. Spending time with family or friends where there is no interference... Ahhhh!

Exercise. Nothing like carrying 30 pounds up a steep trail to get the heart pumping!

Gratitude. When life is simple, it's easier to notice and appreciate the little things: a cool breeze, a flat-on-your-back rest, the amazing colors in nature, or the kindness of another person.

Self-Reliance. There is something sublimely powerful about carrying your house on your back. Sure, your pack is full of items purchased via modern convenience, but carrying all you need for several days gives a sense of self-reliance that is rare in today's society.

Going Places No Vehicle Has Gone Before. Hiking gives you access to places that are not reachable by vehicle (save, maybe, being lowered from a helicopter). In a society where most people stay close to their cars, it's empowering to reach a remote places on foot. Even better if it's a landmark you can see from a distance and know, "I walked there!"

Disconnecting. It's hard to be disconnected in a society where everyone has a phone in her pocket. Many hikers bring phones into the woods, too. But at least for now, battery life limits the time a phone can be turned on, and you can't be sure you'll get a signal where you're going. So you can honestly tell the folks at work and home that you will be unavailable and unreachable, and you can choose to leave that phone at home or turned off.

Spiritual Renewal. Being immersed in nature. Walking for hours. Sitting in silence before a beautiful view. Going to bed at 9pm. All of these are rare in daily life, and all are opportunities to rest the mind from daily worries, to instead hear the voice of whatever is important within your spiritual belief system.

These are some of the ways people "have fun" while backpacking. If you're a hiker and have other reasons, please post a comment and share them.

Going hiking? #1 Stay safe. #2 Hike your own hike. And, #3 Have fun!

Key Hiking Principle #2: Hike Your Own Hike

Hiking is an individual sport. You get to make your own decisions and you get to live with the consequences. This is just one way in which hiking is a metaphor for life: there's no right way to hike any more than there is a right way to live.

The wide open, make-your-own-decisions nature of hiking can be overwhelming for someone new to the sport. Without experience, how does someone make a choice that will have desirable consequences for them? That's why, when I'm teaching backpacking, I give specific instructions and provide a specific list of required gear items. (I also tell them that all can change as they gain experience.)

Gear is the most obvious area for self-determination. Lots of choices to be made! Do you want to sleep in a tent, under a tarp, or in a hammock? Do you want to cook over a stove fueled by white gas, alcohol, propane, solid chemical, or wood? Do you want to treat your water by using a filter, iodine, chlorine, or ultraviolet light?

That's just the start in the "what should I carry" category. There's also what kind of backpack, clothing, sleeping gear, eating and drinking vessels, various tools, and toys. ("Toys" is anything optional, like a camera, cellphone, journal, book, music, hacky sack, playing cards, GPS, etc.)

Related to "what should I carry" is "how much weight should I carry?" In the last 10-15 years, a lot of attention has been given to this question. Before high-tech lightweight materials were available and inexpensive enough for the average hiker, you carried whatever weight was necessary to be equipped. Now, there is titanium, silicone-impregnated nylon, LED lights, and plastics in every weight, shape, and size.

So, part of the question becomes "how much money am I willing to spend to reduce the burden on my body?" But there's another aspect, too. People are changing their ideas about what is essential. Some people hike without a map and compass (two of the Ten Essentials). Some hike without boots; wearing trail runners, sandals, or even Crocs. Some hike without underwear. The list goes on. Essentially, the simpler one wishes to live, the less one needs to carry.

There are other decisions areas, too. Such as
* where do I want to hike?
* what type of campsite do I want?
* how many people do I want to see?
* in what size a group do I want to hike?
* how far do I want to hike in a day?
* in what season do I want to hike?
* do I prefer to take a long lunch break, or several short snack breaks?
* do I want to use one hiking stick, two trekking poles, or none?
* when it rains while I'm hiking, do I put on rain gear?
* when there is lightning, do I stop or keep moving?
* what are my values and behaviors related to impact on the earth and others? E.g., how closely do I wish to follow Leave No Trace principles?
* what actions will I take, or avoid, to keep myself healthy and safe? (see Key Principle #1)

As individual a sport as hiking is, we hikers sometimes find ourselves in passionate disagreements about one choice or another. Gear gets us excited--after all, we've made careful decisions about what we have in our packs. And actions having impact on the earth and others can get us riled up--that's because these decisions reflect our core values, our beliefs about what's fundamentally right and wrong.

To reduce or end these disagreements, we have a saying: "Hike Your Own Hike." Ideally, it means, "I know that my choice is the best one for me, and I respect that your choice is the best one for you." (Sometimes, I think there's an implied, "even if you just don't know any better" in there.)

Hiking is an individual sport. You make your choices and you live with the consequences. And, you hope that any undesirable consequence is minimal and affects only you.

Hike your own hike! And, happy trails!

Key Hiking Principle #1: Health and Safety

When I'm teaching backpacking, I like to share three key principles. In this post, I will speak to one of these: health and safety.

Everyone wants to stay healthy and safe, both on trail and in street life. When hiking, the risk of illness or injury is elevated as we:

• increase our body weight by 20% or more
• move over uneven terrain, often including steep grades
• have greater exposure to the weather
• rely on natural water sources
• spend time in an environment with potentially dangerous plants, animals, insects, and reptiles.
  

Furthermore, we put ourselves in locations that may require significant time between the onset of illness or injury and receiving definitive medical care.

To hike without attention to the elevated risk of injury and illness is irresponsible, in my opinion. What can we do to mitigate the risks? Preparation ahead of time, and conscious attention during the hike.

Preparation includes making care-full choices--such as about gear, clothing, food, and the trip's itinerary. It also includes education--such as about wilderness first aid, basic survival, and what to do in various weather conditions.

While hiking, it is the responsibility of each hiker to pay attention to her body to ensure that she stays well-hydrated and well-fueled, maintains a relatively constant body temperature, and is not receiving injuries such as sunburn and blisters. Care should also be taken when walking (especially off-trail where rocks and sticks hide under leaves and duff) and when putting her pack or other gear on the ground, avoiding such things as poison ivy and bees' nests.

Maintaining good hygiene practices is also an individual responsibility. "Washing" hands after going to the bathroom and before eating is perhaps a no-brainer, but I have met hikers who don't do this. On trail, we don't have as much access to soap and water, but alcohol gel (a.k.a. "hand sanitizer") is easy to carry.

A corollary to staying clean is to be care-full when sharing food. Never eat food that someone else has touched; likewise, don't offer to share food you have touched. Another no-brainer? Not! I often see hikers reach into each others' bags of trail mix, nuts, chips, etc. Get into the habit of pouring from a snack bag rather than reaching into it. (People are bad about this in street life, too, but at least our hands have a better chance of being clean when sinks and showers are available.)

Staying healthy and safe in an environment of elevated risk requires conscious attention. But it's worth the effort, as it's much easier to have fun when you're feeling well!

Permethrin to Repel Ticks

Ticks, especially deer ticks, are well-known pests on trail. In reading hikers' stories, it seems to me that the number of long-distance A.T. hikers getting lyme disease is only increasing.

Doing a tick check every day is essential, but far from foolproof. Deer ticks are the size of a pinhead, easily hidden and overlooked during a tick check.

I strongly recommend that hikers use permethrin to protect themselves from ticks.

I treat my hiking clothes with permethrin before I start hiking and then about once a month while I'm on trail. On each item, I treat only the entry points:

• tops of socks
• top and bottom edges of gaiters
• hems and waists of pants and shorts
• hems, sleeve cuffs, and collars of shirts
• leg openings and waist opening of underwear
• headbands and hat brims

In the interest of full disclosure, I will share that when I attended a talk by a former thru-hiker, I made this recommendation to the others in the audience. The speaker strongly disagreed with my recommendation. He didn't believe that treating clothes is effective and urged the audience instead to treat their skin directly with a 100% DEET insect repellent.

I can't speak to the effectiveness of permethrin except to say that in my 3500 miles of A.T. hiking, I have found only a few ticks on me, none imbedded. If there were others, I didn't find them. And I have not been stricken with Lyme. This doesn't prove efficacy; maybe I just naturally repel ticks, or maybe I have just been lucky.

(Note: For about 100 of these miles, I also used low-level DEET repellant; otherwise permethrin has been my only repellant.)

Another anecdote to support the effectivenss of permethrin... One day a tick happened across my path while I was treating clothes. I set the tick on my treated sock, and it acted like a cat in the snow, lifting each leg high off the fabric as it sought escape. That still doesn't prove anything, especially since the sock was still wet. (I haven't run the experiment on a treated item after it has dried.)

Regardless of whether a hiker uses DEET or other insect repellant, treating clothes with permethrin surely can't hurt. And it surely might help.

A Thank You to Jasmine

While hiking solo on the A.T. in November 2007, I caught my toe on a rock and did a serious faceplant into a collection of Pennsylvania rocks. As I was mid-stride at the time, my hands were tied to my trekking poles, so I landed on my side, making contact with my shoulder and my head. Did I mention the rock garden? Yeah, so my head smacked one of those rocks as I landed.

My first thought was "Oh, that was not good!" As I eased myself and my pack back into vertical orientation, my next thought was, "Angels, I need help...now!"

Solo long-distance hiking has given me an opportunity to deepen my faith, both my faith in other people on the planet and my faith in the spiritual realm. By the time of this faceplant, I was practiced at calling on angels when I needed assistance, especially my guardian angels and Archangel Michael. Practiced, because every time I called on them, they were there. This time was no different.

Not 30 seconds had passed after my request for help, when I looked up to see a woman hiking down the trail towards me. This might not have been unusual in the middle of summer, but in November there were very few other hikers on the trail.

Her name was Jasmine. Or at least that's what I remember; honestly, I'm not sure. I asked her for help and she agreed to walk with me the 1.5 miles to the next road crossing, at Little Gap. For the 45 minutes it took us to get to the road, she kept asking me questions, which not only distracted me from my injury but also allowed her to continuously assess my level of consciousness. I knew that's what she was doing, and I was grateful.

Jasmine waited with me at the road until I reached someone who would pick me up and take me to a place to stay for a couple of nights (where I iced a goose egg and endured a headache but otherwise was okay). Then she continued her own solo journey.

She was out for a four-day spiritual retreat of her own. As the ridge was blanketed with 6-10 inches of snow over the next couple of days, I thought of her often, wishing her the love and light she so generously gave me for that one hour on a Friday afternoon in November.

Jasmine, if that's your name and if by chance you ever read this, know that I will always be grateful to the angels who lead you across my path and to you for stopping and helping me. I wish I had thought to ask for your name and contact information before you hiked away; I would rather have written this note to you directly. Nonetheless, thank you. May your kindness return to you nine-fold.