Pacific Crest Trail Gear List 2008

Backpack
Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone backpack, 48 oz
I used an earlier generation of this pack on the AT and loved it! I'm weight-conscious but not really an ultra-lighter, so this capacious pack was perfect for my extra warm layers, my book, and half of the three-season tent I carried. My biggest complaint is that the Bear Vault BV 500 canister does not fit sideways inside this pack. Granite Gear really stands by their products and has excellent customer service. The pack can be customized based on torso length, hip belt girth, and shoulder strap length and width. The narrow women's shoulder straps keep their hands to themselves - you ladies will know what I mean.

Equinox pack cover 3.4 oz
Nice sil-ny fabric, not-so-great design. I'm not sure there is a perfect pack cover, but I keep using this one anyway. When it rains, it pours, so my first line of defense is a trash compactor bag inside my pack. Perhaps this pack cover just isn't a good fit with my pack, because the cover seems to funnel water towards the back pad of the pack. The cover also tends to collect water at the bottom and has no outlet, meaning that I have to reach back and try to let the water pour out of the bottom of the cover before I take my backpack off and set it down in its very own puddle of water.

Clothing
Sunday Afternoons Adventure Hat 2.7 oz
Quite possibly the world's dorkiest hat, but it provides excellent sun protection. I like the ventilation on the sides, the extra wide brim, and the long legionnaire's drape for neck protection. The adjustable chin strap is a necessity in the high desert winds, though I often felt like I was being strangled. We named ours BaDuSH, for Big Dorky Sun Hat. Can be washed, though I would avoid the dryer.


Rail Riders Women's Eco Mesh sun shirt 6oz
Again, not the most stylish item of clothing I've donned, but excellent for sun protection. The mesh fabric under the arms and along the sides provided great ventilation. I recommend a beige or dark color for the reason that the desert is dusty and clothing quickly becomes dingy. Dries quickly.

Ice Breaker 190 Superfine v-neck short-sleeved shirt
I was so disgusted with my dirty self in Ashland that I threw out my clothes and bought new ones. I found this great wool shirt, which did prove to be both cool and warm. It is not especially quick-drying, and does have a faint dog smell when wet, but was imminently more stylish than my Rail Riders shirt. I felt pretty again. The short sleeves were probably a bad idea. The sun does not stop shining in Oregon and Washington.

Mountain Hardwear skirt
I started in some old Columbia zip-off pants. These were great for sun protection, but there was no need for the zippers. I switched to the REI Sahara zip-offs after the old pants became too baggy, but these also had too many useless zippers. Their seams quickly split, which seemed common to others also wearing the same pants. Many folks had the Rail Riders Eco Mesh pants, which only come in men's sizes, but look comfortable with good ventilation. I think Mountain Hardwear may have discontinued the skirt, but I thought it was very comfortable. I might prefer the Mountain Hardwear Kilt, which can be clipped into "shorts" for modesty and has more room for climbing over blowdowns, etc. Another downside of the skirt is the lack of sun protection for the lower legs.

Patagonia thermals
Who can keep up with Patagonia's shifting base-layer names and weights. They seem to change from season to season. At any rate, I had a mid-weight top and bottom, and a Capilene 3 top and bottom. Yeah, I get cold. I wore all layers at night for most of the trail.

Marmot Precip pants and jacket 8 and 12 oz
I'm not sure these actually keep you dry, but they do keep you warm in the rain. After being rained on for most days of April, May and June, I had no intention of being without these in the desert. That was ridiculous, of course, but I did wear the jacket as a windbreaker. I would rather have had the Marmot wind shirt/jacket. These are handier in Oregon and Washington, but they made good warm layers on colder nights elsewhere. I've been using the same rain pants I bought for the AT. I'm sure their DWR has long since worn out, but I'm sure the layer was thin to begin with. Like I said, I'm more interested in staying warm in the rain.

Montbell Thermawrap jacket 7.6 oz
Amazingly light! I admittedly enjoyed the trendiness of this new acquisition, but I had mixed feelings about it. I never wanted to hike in it, because I'm a sweaty girl even when I'm cold. I'm not sure yet how to wash the thing. So far, I have soaked it in a bathtub of luke warm water and then air-dried it. It can't be twisted or wrung-out or it will be damaged, so I don't know what to do. It is moderately warm, but I would have preferred the Marmot wind shell as I wouldn't have worried about getting it wet. I never hiked in mine, but I put it on as soon as I made camp.

Isis Daisy bra
This is the piece of clothing I was most anxious about. No matter what Patagonia says about their bras, they DO NOT dry quickly. I made that mistake on the AT where wet-bra was a chronic condition. While the dry western weather was certainly a contributing factor, the thin fabric of this whisper-weight bra kept my girls dry and happy. Not for the well-endowed.

Undies
8 pairs of black, synthetic undies.

Smart Wool beanie
Not the warmest hat in the world, but not the heaviest, either.

EMS balaclava
Made from a lightweight Capilene type material. Great for the really cold nights.

EMS fleece gloves

Footwear
Montrail Hardrock trail runners
I started the PCT in Merrill Moab Ventilators. Let me just say that I felt every grain of sand under my feet. I will give them credit for breathability and decent footbox width, however. As soon as I could, I chose the Montrail Hardrock for its thick orthopaedic-looking sole. These shoes are quite narrow and tend to run small, so I wore a half size larger than my normal shoes. I replaced the insoles with green Superfeet for the arch support. I used one pair of Superfeet for the entire trail as the arch support doesn't really break down. I used three pairs of Hardrocks. I think they will go for 700 miles or more, though the pair I used in the Sierra were really toxic after being wet so frequently.

Socks
Socks just seem to break down quickly due to all of the sand and dust. I always wore gaiters, but my feet were always black with dirt at the end of the day. I used some light weight WigWams and later on some Darn Toughs, which I don't think were all that tough. My advice regarding socks is to change them frequently, especially in the desert. I'm not kidding when I recommend changing your socks every hour in the desert. Just hang the wet ones on the back of your pack and they'll be dry in an hour. It makes all the difference in blister prevention. Also, take off your socks and shoes and let your feet dry every time you break.

Montbell Stretch Gaiters 1.5 oz
I love gaiters as my gait tends to flick dirt into my shoes. I started with Outdoor Research low gaiters. The snaps on these fit so tightly that they often stick and pull out of the fabric when you try to remove the gaiters. After 200 miles, I was down to only one functioning snap. I lost one in a stream crossing and couldn't have been happier. In Mammoth Lakes, I found these Montbell gaiters that worked very well until the last few hundred miles. They come with nifty shock cord instep strings that don't last a minute. I replaced them with old shoe laces which were easy to come by in every hiker box. After a while, the nifty Japanese-designed "grommets" through which the instep strings are threaded began to wear out. Bottom line, you'll have to make do with them at some point, but they are great for dirt, dust and light snow. Just remember to put them on before you put on your shoes! Many folks had DirtyGirl gaiters. These are colorful and seem ideal for the dusty West. They are made by a totally cool trail-running lady.

Shelter
Gossamer Gear SpinnTwinn tarp 8oz
This tarp is the lightest shelter I have ever carried. I really loved it - during the day! Night was a different story. I was surprised to learn how incredibly windy it is in the desert, in the west, even. There is a reason that the wind features so prominently in Walkin' Jim's PCT song! This tarp was unnecessary and completely useless in the windy desert. But great to carry! We set it up with two trekking poles. I'd like to try it out again in different conditions. Sleep under the stars as much as you can!

REI Quarter Dome T2 tent about 64 oz
Though it embarrassed my husband tremendously to be seen in this heavy REI tent, I thought it was a palace. It is freestanding, which makes for quick set-up, and the tent body is nothing but net with a bathtub floor. Many nights we slept in just the bug netting, often cooking with our hands through the zippers of the doors to get away from the skeeters. The fly kept us dry the few times it rained or snowed and kept us warm in the High Sierra and in Washington. The plentiful headroom make it comfortable for sitting up (and eating), and the length allows not-too-tall people to keep their stuff at their feet. Pretty comfy for two, especially when you share the weight during the day.

Gossamer Gear Spinnsheet ground cloth 4.2 oz
Somewhat delicate. It would be a good idea to remove sharp debris from your camping spot before setting this cloth down. Very light.

Sleeping
Marmot Helium 15 women's down sleeping bag 29 oz
Like a non-stop hug all night long! I love this bag! I used it every single night on the PCT. The provided stuff sack is way too small and will probably contribute to loss of loft if used. I picked up a Granite Gear waterproof stuff sack that was a little bigger than I needed instead. I'm a cold sleeper, but this bag only let me down one night when it was probably 15 degrees outside and I was sleeping under the stars.

Blue closed-cell foam pad
Just a cheap one. Probably on the heavy side, and I kept it full-length. It kept me warm and dry.

Cooking
Etowah Outfitters alcohol stove
A fantastic alcohol stove. Reason rejected the provided cross-bar pot stand in favor of a lighter mesh/carpenter's cloth stand that fits inside our pot. Though Reason must have made dozens of alcohol stoves in preparation for this trip, we finally decided on this one. We used this on the AT as well. Fuel: denatured alcohol or yellow Heet bottle.

MSR titanium Teapot 4oz
A fantastic little pot! It holds about .8 liters and is just enough to cook one Lipton side, a box of Near East couscous, or a package of ramen. The alcohol stove handily fits inside the pot. We were told that titanium has a coating that can be scratched and ingested, so we padded the pot and stove with a bandanna.

Lexan spoon .5 oz
Mine has almost 5,000 miles on it!

Water and Treatment
Platypus bladders and hose
For the desert, I had a capacity of nine liters. You probably just need seven, but you never know. The Platypus bladders will wear through at the neck over time, but it takes a while. Another good reason to have a trash compactor back pack liner. I thought I would replace my bladders at some point on the PCT, but then just decided to keep track of where the leaks were and turn them to the other side. I always keep the bladders at the top of my pack.

Nalgene wide-mouth 96 oz canteen 2.25 oz
I picked this up because of the wide mouth. The extra capacity was great in the desert, but since it didn't fit my Platypus "system", I sent it home from Central Cali. The wide mouth turned out not to be necessary. I used the cooking pot to scoop water instead. Many folks experienced leaks from these, so you must treat them with care.

Polar Pure iodine 3oz
I wasn't sure what to expect as far as water goes in the west. I had the impression that we would see a lot of cows. I also thought that getting to towns and resupplying was going to be difficult. It wasn't. At any rate, I decided to go with Polar Pure for several reasons. The first is economy. One bottle will last the entire hike. The second is that I wanted to have a renewable treatment in the event that we couldn't find Aqua Mira, etc. The third is that I was thinking of getting pregnant and decided that iodine might be better for my body than chlorine dioxide or bleach. This is pure conjecture on my part - I don't know which is worse. The fourth is that I didn't want to carry a filter. I started off treating all water and occasionally pre-filtering with a bandanna. Reason started with Aqua Mira, but only treated some of his water. Just after leaving Agua Dulce, Reason came down with something that may or may not have been giardia. After that point, he stopped treating water completely. I continued treating my water with iodine. However, iodine does accumulate in the body and can cause problems. For this reason, I often allowed untreated water to warm up before treating it as this meant I could add less iodine. I swiped chlorine dioxide tablets from hiker boxes whenever I could to change things up, and left towns with plenty of tap water. I didn't always treat water in the High Sierra, and I didn't always treat snow melt. The jury seems to be out on snow melt. I liked the Polar Pure. It is cheap, I don't mind the very mild taste, and I knew I always had a way to treat my water. By the way, you cannot ship liquid Aqua Mira to California. I don't think they even sell it in CA.

Other
Leki ultralight titanium trekking poles from 2002
These poles have almost 5,000 miles on them and they're still going. They are pretty light, but the shocks/springs are wimpy. I like the feel of the Super Makalus better. Occasionally I get "short pole" when I bear down on a pole too hard going up or down a steep section and the pole gently collapses, but that may be because the locks unwind with use. I like trekking poles for the rhythm they provide, and for the buff arms that result, but I'm not sure they are necessary on the PCT. The PCT is so gentle, that towards the end of the trail it became a chore to use them. They were great in the snow in the Sierra, though.

Bear Vault BV500 large bear canister 41 oz
This bear canister was approved for use in Yosemite in 2008. I could barely get the thing open, until I learned to quickly spin the lid. While camping in Evolution valley, a bear came along and sniffed our group's canisters but didn't touch them. Cons: the thing is heav-vy, and it only fits upright in the Granite Gear Ozone and Vapor Trail packs. You also need to think about the kinds of foods that fit best in a canister, ie not potato chips.

CAMP Corsa ice ax 60 cm 8oz
Made of aluminum. Not the most aggressive piece of equipment, but it may be perfect for a PCT hike. I hardly used mine in the High Sierra, but it was a low snow year. Where it did actually come in handy was on the Tahquitz range above Idyllwild in SoCal. I hacked out steps in the icy snow. Could I have arrested on the icy snow? Not sure. I would like to have a leash, though. The ax became slippery when wet and I could easily have dropped it. Why did I have an ice ax in SoCal? Well, we started April 1 and thought we might encounter snow in the high elevations around San Jacinto. We were right. If only we'd kept the crampons, too.

CAMP Punte Light 6 crampons
Made of aluminum, so the points can't be sharpened, but very light. Perfect for trail runners, although they won't fit over very wide shoes. I had never used crampons before and I loved them. I used them on the way up Baden Powell, and again over Forester Pass and a few other High Sierra passes. I probably didn't need them, but they gave me peace of mind. The straps are confusing and only come with a tiny diagram. Practice once or twice. The ULA crampons weren't available in 2008 for some reason.

Reason
Amazing husband/hiking partner. My favorite piece of gear. Bonus: he carries his own weight!


Check out my AT and CDT gear lists, too.

PCT FINALE

Columbia, SC

Dear all-

Here it is -- the long awaited conclusion. Really, it would be much less dramatic without all of the suspense!

Reason and I completed the Pacific Crest Trail on September 17th. The Canadian border was a long way from Mexico, and a far cry from that ugly barbed wire fence, the armed helicopters, and the attendant politics. We just walked right in to Canada, crossing a six foot wide mowed line that spans in either direction through the trees and over the peaks. We carried mini bottles of champagne to celebrate. As it was a sunny afternoon and we'd already hiked 14 miles, the bubbly went straight to our heads. What more can you ask of four ounces?

Despite the earlier inclement weather, Washington failed to intimidate us and soon dried and reddened into a beautiful Indian Summer. Actually, Reason simply ordered up the nice weather from Buddha, who in all his benevolence, or perhaps in reward, provided. This confirmed for me my long-standing suspicion that Reason has the power to affect the weather.

Let me back up and provide a little context. It rained most days of April, May and June when we hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2003. When we meet other hikers and make the inevitable exchange of hiking credentials, a look of astonishment comes across the faces of knowing audiences when we say we are ATGAME03. (This abbreviation, like an MD or PhD, is how hikers qualify themselves. ATGAME03 indicates that we hiked the Appalachian Trail northbound from Georgia to Maine in 2003.) The astonishment is often accompanied by intakes of breath and the declaration that we made it through The Wet Year.

Before hiking the PCT this year, I was unaware that 2003 had attained the moniker "The Wet Year." But I'm not surprised. It rained so much that even if we dried out in the morning, another afternoon thunderstorm would roll in and drench us again. Water, taking the path of least resistance, often flooded the trail until it became an ankle-deep stream. Our packs and clothes grew specks of black mildew. I can't describe what the saturation did to our hiker funk. You don't want to know. The Wet Year is the reason I couldn't conceive of hiking in the Southern California desert without a full suit of rain gear.

The real problem for me was that every time it rained, Reason would shake his trekking poles at the sky and ask, "Buddha, is this all you've got?" Furious, I'd ask Reason why he felt the need to tempt fate. "What? Are you superstitious?" was always Reason's reply. Such taunts made my blood boil, fueling my logical, scientific Reason's requests of Buddha. He insisted that we were being tested.

And we were. Thru-hiking is a test of endurance. You won't be successful if you don't wake up every day and keep hiking, no matter how hot, cold, rainy, tired, thirsty, or hungry you are. On the AT, you won't make it to Maine unless you pack up your gear and step out of the dry shelter into the cold rain.

I couldn't help but notice, however, that it did seem to rain harder when Reason asked Buddha to bring it on. So when I suggested that Reason "be positive" and ask Buddha for Indian Summer instead of rain, and we got Indian Summer, we decided that Reason must indeed have the power to change the weather. Secretly, I think Reason enjoys his weather-altering superpower!

The warm, beautiful weather was a delight and a relief, but also took a bit of drama away from the finale. The reason we hiked 25 miles a day from Yosemite, after all, was to beat the cold and potentially snowy fall weather in Washington. In 2007, many PCT hikers were prevented from completing the trail due to heavy September snow. We had no intention of setting out for Canada and not making it, so we pushed hard and hiked until dark almost every day. It was hard to rationalize a day off from hiking on a blue, sunny day in Washington. But the final ten days of beautiful weather made me wonder if we could have slowed down a bit to savor the last few days.

When it comes down to it, though, I'm grateful for the weather - and Reason's superpower. Our success this year had much to do with favorable weather conditions. The spring in the desert was mild and the scarce water sources were flowing, the snow levels in the Sierras were low, and Washington and Oregon were for the most part dry and warm. The earlier heavy snows in Oregon and Washington provided ample water sources by the time we arrived. We did keep putting one foot in front of the other until we made it to Canada, but we were lucky. Other years on the PCT are notable for being High Snow Years or Dry Years (meaning water is scarce). Maybe this year will be a Good Year.

While celebrating our good year at the border, we were joined by a gentleman heading south. Like many folks we have met on the trail, this man was a PCT enthusiast. He belongs to the PCTA, goes to trail conventions, and follows on-line trail journals. He even brought along a list of 2008 PCT hikers so that he could check to see if they had signed into the trail register hidden inside the Washington Monument-esque border marker. Like many such PCT enthusiasts, though, he rarely hikes the PCT. When, while interrupting our border reverie to pronounce that the US/Canada border is really an anticlimactic place to complete the PCT, being in the middle of the woods at the bottom of a valley, I had to snap back. "Actually," I said, "I'm pretty excited about it!"

After a short while of being subject to this gentleman's comments and advice on how to hike the trail, I decided to pack up and get ready to hike the final eight miles to Manning Provincial Park headquarters. We had some celebrating to do, and there was a restaurant just ahead.

Once we were out of earshot, I remarked to Reason that I couldn't believe we had just been "post-officed" at the border, on our last day! Post-officing is a term I made up to describe a syndrome that plagues hikers, though typically this happens in town. As you may know, hikers are often dependent upon General Delivery service at rural post offices. Many hikers send themselves packages of food, and of course they need occasional gear changes. (In Reason's case, mere proximity to a post office is reason enough for a delivery of new gear.)

When receiving a package at a small post office, it is typical for a hiker to then proceed to spread the entire contents of his backpack and package around him on the floor in the corner of the post office, or perhaps on the sidewalk outside, for organizational purposes. This is just part of being homeless and lacking the luxury of real estate and privacy. If it has recently rained, the hiker may also spread out his tent and sleeping bag to dry on a nearby wall or fence. This practice is known as hiker-trashing-up a place. The perpetrator is known as hiker-trash. This can be a derogatory term if you are a denizen of the place being hiker-trashed. Alternatively, this can be a term of endearment inside the hiker community, as in: "Look at that hiker-trash over there! I haven't seen you in 200 miles!"

Nevertheless, surrounding yourself by all of your earthly possessions in public tends to draw attention. At the post office, this attention comes in the form of retired gentlemen who seem to have all the time in the world to ask you about your hike. Now, I'm all for cross-cultural exchange, but several factors make post-office syndrome stressful. For one thing, the hiker is usually at a small post office which may only be open for a few hours a day, every other day. The hiker is under considerable pressure to organize his gear before the post office closes for the two hour lunch break or three day holiday weekend. In a short window of time, the hiker needs to focus on what gear to send home or ahead, where exactly to send it, and how long it will take him to get there. To me, this is usually a simple choice, but for gearheads such as Reason this may be a very complicated decision that probably requires advanced math.

Needless to say, a hiker in the throes of critical gear decision making with an ever approaching deadline who has also spread the entire contents of his backpack on the floor around him is a sitting duck. A hiker in this position cannot physically walk away because he needs to finish his PO business before it closes and he can't abandon the very items he depends upon for survival. Further complicating the situation is that hikers are smelly, dirty, unemployed homeless folks who must be on their best behavior. Every hiker who steps foot into a trail town is an ambassador. It only takes one badly-behaved hiker to make the great unwashed hiker community unwelcome in a particular town, and hikers are dependent upon these towns for food, showers, mail, phones, laundry, etc.

Now, the well-behaved hiker will do his best to kindly answer every question that the post-office offender has to ask, but what makes this syndrome particularly punishing is that often the offender is more interested in telling you a long, long, long story. As I said, I'm all for cross-cultural exchange - it is part of why we go hiking - but the window of opportunity at the post office diminishes with every twist and turn of the offender's fish-story.

Obviously, this syndrome is not confined to the post office, nor are offenders just retired men who seem to look forward to spending their mornings at the post office on Saturdays. It happens everywhere. Like when a few hikers were gobbling fresh, gooey cinnamon rolls at the Stehekin, WA, bakery and a resident of the town asked if he could join us at our table. "I just love to hear your stories! So anyway, I was a fisherman in Alaska for twenty years. Let me tell you how I think Japan fixes the price of fish." And he proceeded to give us a very detailed account of the price per pound of fish and the impact of collective bargaining over the last twenty years. Now, I had never thought much about commercial fishing before, but I seem to have learned quite a lot during that "conversation." I was glad to have some insight into this man's life, but we were also four days from the end of the trail and wanted to spend some quality time with our fellow hikers.

Then there was the time at the first post office on the PCT, at Mt. Laguna, CA. Of course we were there on a Saturday and the hours were 10-noon. In this very sleepy neck of the woods, the general store adjacent to the PO has rocking chairs on the porch. And on this particular Saturday morning, those rocking chairs were full of retired gentlemen. I'm certain this had been their destination all week, the PO being a convenient excuse for their wives to send them out of the house or for them to escape their wives. Having been clued in to post-office syndrome on the AT, I gave the men a wide berth on the way to the PO. Reason and I had our ice axes with us, carrying them through the desert due to poor organization, and now we wanted to mail them ahead. One of the rockers pointed at our obviously aluminum-crafted axes and hooked us. "Are those made of carbon fiber? I've been making fishing rods from carbon fiber and they are fantastic!" This went on for a good twenty minutes, and though neither Reason nor I fish, we have a great idea for a simple marinade that can easily be transported into the backcountry. Makes some really tasty trout if you cook them up with the marinade in a foil packet over the fire. Or so I've been told.

So that's that. Now you've been post-officed for six months!

The hike was over before we knew it. Now I'm enjoying sleeping in a bed and regular showers, but I have a hard time sitting still. I just want to keep moving.

Thanks to you all for your interest and support. We had a wonderful hike, and it was all the better knowing that we had fans. Somebody somewhere said something along the lines of 'There is no bore so boring as the travel bore.' It is always hard to describe traveling to someone else, and so I have really enjoyed that so many of you have enjoyed my emails.

Stay tuned for a link to our pictures. Don't worry - we're culling about 100 from our collection of over 6,000 so we stay in your good graces!

Hope to see and talk to all of you soon. All my best,

Cruiser, ATGAME03, PCTMEXCAN08

PCT: ALMOST THERE

Skykomish, WA

Dear all-

Just a quick note to let you know that Reason and I are indeed alive and well. We have weathered much rain and a little snow now that we are in the Pacific Northwest, but are keeping warm and learning to keep dry. We were really spoiled with the shelters on the AT. A roof located every eight or ten miles makes a big difference in wet weather.

We are currently in Skykomish, WA, less than 200 trail miles south of Canada! We've been moving quickly because 1) it is too cold to stop in the rain to rest, and 2) we've wanted to take advantage of every ounce of sunshine when the weather is good. Despite the sun today, we've been relaxing in Andrea and Jerry Dinsmore's wonderful hiker loft and yard by the river just outside of this tiny historic railroad town.

Oregon and Washington are green and beautiful (read: mossy, wet and cold). After a hot and dry start to Oregon, we completed the last 30 miles into the Columbia River gorge in pouring all-day rain -- an apt welcome to Washington where it has rained on us nearly every day! The days are getting shorter and the nights much colder. We're near the end and trying to savor every last minute. We've rarely had to leave the trail in these last two states to resupply, depending instead on nearby resorts which have camp stores or which accept packages that we've mailed ahead. This contributed to a wonderful pace in Oregon. The easy terrain allowed us to hike our first 30 mile days, and staying in the woods kept us from the clamor of civilization. Due to our good physical condition, our mileage has stayed high through central Washington where the Cascades have become jagged with deep canyons. We budgeted 20 mile days for the entire state, but so far we have kept to about a 25 mile per day pace.

We hear the trail becomes more difficult from Skykomish forward, though. This next 100 mile stretch features a section that is annually flooded and prone to avalanches and therefore in very poor repair. We'll encounter the most difficult ford on the PCT at the wide Suiattle River. Luckily, the weather has been dry for the past few days so the flow should not be swollen. Complicating matters further is the (at last count!) 408 old growth blow-downs that we'll have to pick our way across. A blow-down is a tree that has fallen and, in the context of hiking, is blocking the trail. This section is so repeatedly weather-beaten that the assigned ranger district is allegedly loath to maintain it. Normally, a crew of rangers, volunteers and paid conservation corps will cut away trees and brush that block the trail. However, the area with the 408 blow-downs is a designated wilderness area, meaning that mechanized equipment - including chainsaws- cannot be used. Removal of the trees in this wilderness area would have to be done by ax and manual saw. The old growth trees in question are supposedly enormous, and each tree takes down others when it falls, complicating the removal process.

But Reason and I think this will be a fun challenge. We expect to "hike" about a mile an hour through a particularly tangled seven mile section of blow-downs. We'll be climbing up, over, around, under and through trees that have been described as many feet in diameter and hundreds of feet long. We think it will be good training for the infamously brutal Continental Divide Trail!

Though Reason says he is ready for some R'n'R and possibly a week of yoga, I just want to keep going. I feel great and have to stop myself from drooling when I hear others planning their bicycling routes home from Seattle. I spent much of last night and part of today reading the latest Continental Divide Trail planner.

Trail celebrity Eric D is here at the Dinsmores' helping keep order. He finished the trail in mid-August, having passed us long ago just outside Big Bear City in SoCal. We've been speculating about just what is in his tiny backpack ever since, and I feel a bit shy in the presence of such a hiking legend. This is at least Eric D's sixth PCT hike, some of which were yo-yo's (meaning that he hiked from Mexico to Canada, then turned around and hiked back to Mexico in one season). I think he plows snow (white gold) in New Hampshire in the winter. I think I could do that if it meant I could keep hiking...

So you can see, trail fever is never really satisfied. Thru-hikers learn to do without all the material junk in life and find seasonal work to keep their habit going. I've only learned about more trails on this hike, so I'm not any closer to completing anything, really. There is just so much of the world to see. As Yogi's CDT planner puts it, "one trail or three, but not two." I want that Triple Crown plaque!

And by the way, there are actually eight National Scenic Trails...

Cruiser

PCT: HIKING STRONG

Ague Dulce, CA

Dear all-

Well, our idle in Idyllwild lasted a bit longer than we planned... six days! But that was just fine. We can't reach Kennedy Meadows, the southern gateway to the High Sierras, too soon before June 15th or we'll just have to camp out there waiting for the snow to melt. For anyone interested, you can check out Postholer http://postholer.com/cgi-bin/postHoler to see what kind of snow averages we are up against this year. Some places in Washington and Oregon have experienced more than 200% of the yearly average! And in case you don't know, postholing is when you are walking in snow up to your thighs!

As I was saying, Idyllwild was just fine with us. We even came into a routine: wake up to birdsong at the campground, walk up to Cafe Aroma and stay there as long as possible reading the NY Times, sipping coffee, eating their excellent daily omelet and chatting with the locals. In fact, we made the acquaintance of quite a few very nice folks, were treated to breakfast once and even have invitations to visit! "This journey will change your lives", we were reminded by one of our new friends. This was very true of the AT for me. I met my husband, for one thing, and didn't use a hair brush for about a year afterward for another... I can't really explain how I changed, but I did.

But the time came to move along. A Swiss-American couple, whom we have befriended and have been camping with many nights since, turned up in Idyllwild and we all hiked out together. Actually, by coincidence, a second Swiss-American couple turned up at the campground, too. They were both Triple Crown veterans, having hiked the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, and so of course gave us a ride to the jeep road back to the trail. They were on their way to a trail reunion with their two little girls.

From the other side of Fuller Ridge, we hiked down into San Gorgonio Pass where I-10 and the Southern Pacific RR cut through the mountains. Though we could see exactly where we were going, this took two days of long, long, tediously long switchbacks over about 25 miles while losing about 6000 feet of elevation. When we reached the pass we were nearly blown away by the incredible winds that have inspired multiple wind farms along the freeway. Walking the two miles through the pass was exhausting. We were walking into the wind while slogging through deep, shifting sand. I was actually delighted to reach the I-10 bridge and collapse in its shade and windbreak! Reason was very happy to see all of this renewable energy put to work! We of course camped in sight of the Mesa Wind Farm, listening to the hum of windmills throughout the night. Not surprisingly, there is a failed residential development in this very area. Something about the busy freeway, constant trains, and unrelenting winds apparently deterred buyers.

We've become much stronger and faster since then, hiking up to 25 miles a day. In fact, because we missed a sign in the dirt that our friends Scratches and Oasis left for us, we hiked a 22 and a 25 trying to catch up with them. They showed up here at the hostel very late on the third day, having hiked about the same miles trying to find us! Generally, the trail tread and grade are fairly gentle. This is in sharp contrast to the Appalachian Trail where the trail goes up and down mountains all day long, gaining and dropping thousands of feet of elevation all the way. We've now hiked just over 454 miles. By this point on the Appalachian Trail my knees and hips ached throughout the night. Haven't much thought about them on this hike so far. Mostly I notice how filthy I am: the trail is considerably dusty and we don't have the luxury of wasting water on hygiene.

We are currently in Agua Dulce, CA, north of the San Fernando valley. We are camped out at Donna and Jeff Saufley's house. Both hikers and active in the PCT community, they open their two acre yard every year for any and all hikers to take a load off. In fact, Donna even does our laundry. When a hiker walks through the gate of the Saufley's, which is marked with a PCT symbol, they are met with a bulletin board instructing the "wretched refuse of your dusty trail" to grab a towel, some sweatpants and a Saufley Electric t-shirt (Jeff is an electrician), and a laundry basket and get started with the business of getting clean. Donna is the arch angel of Trail Angels! There is an old RV and a trailer in the back yard for the hikers as well as tents with cots, a firepit and a grill. The garage is stacked to the ceiling with hiker resupply packages. There have only been about ten of us here, but in a few weeks there will be 30-40 hikers here each night. At that point Donna will have a big tank filled with water and will add some port-o-lets. Though we have been cleaning up after ourselves and pitching in with chores where we can, there is NO CHARGE to stay here or use any amenity. Reason and I plan to leave a nice donation.

Other amenities at the Saufley's include a herd of nine dogs of various shapes and sizes, two draft horses, several laptops with internet, a full kitchen, bicycles, and a car! Our little group wanted to go to REI for new gear, so off we took Big Red the enormous old Chevy Suburban to the LA suburbs. Since I actually lived in LA once upon a time, I was elected to pilot this land boat down the 14, the 5 and the 405 into town. The thing was so big that I needed passenger assistance to make the merge on the sixteen lane 405/5 interchange! My knuckles were a bit white, and 70 mph seemed so fast after topping out at 3mph on foot, but I returned Big Red to the Saufley's without a scratch!

Well, there is so much to tell. Like about how we were in a recreation area on a Saturday and came across a group of men drinking beer, steering tricked-out Jeeps down frighteningly vertiginous dirt roads, and generally having a blast on a beautiful blue day. We were as much in awe of their feat as they were of our hike. They literally showered us with sausage biscuits, iced tea and fried chicken! Yep, fried chicken!! We hiked so fast after that infectiously exciting encounter that we reached the road early, bought a twelve pack, and hiked back to find our friends and share the brew! Though we had no shotgun, we tossed the discharged shells littering our campsite near I-15 at our empty cans in celebration. When in Rome, ...

Also, we hiked over 9000 ft Mt. Baden-Powell. It was covered in soft snow, and we were a bit intimidated by the snowboarders coming down the trail. But we have to get ready for more difficult stretches in the Sierras. Though Reason and Oasis would have kept going up the snowy slopes to the exposed ridge at 3:30 in the afternoon, their wives Cruiser and Scratches suggested a more cautious approach. Let's camp at this flat, less snowy place half way up and tackle the ridge in the morning, said the wives. "The smart people get two votes," said Reason, "and the husbands get one!" Obviously, we tackled the ridge the next day without having to race the sun. It was a blast! The ridge was literally divided by north and south, the south side hot and dry and full of scampering lizards and the north side a field of snow! We simply walked along the wall of snow on the dry edge!

This may be too many switchbacks for some of you, so I will stop now. Suffice it to say that we are having fun, staying safe despite multiple sightings of rattle snakes and poison oak, eating a LOT (Scratches and I rejoice that we no longer have to pretend that we are thirsty when we are hungry!), and are inspired to hike the Continental Divide Trail, ski the Iditarod, cycle across the country, and learn more about the G series of trails in Europe!

Our love to you all!

Cruiser

PCT: ONWARDS

Idyllwild, CA

Dear all-

Reason and I have really been enjoying the comforts of Idyllwild. This is a wonderful little mountain town with enough of a new age bent to provide the raw food blended shakes that Reason so craves! Fortunately, there is a Park Service campground just a block from the action where we have been sleeping for three dollars a night!

The ranks of thru-hikers in residence have thinned. Suntan, Waffles and black lab Mac headed out yesterday after procuring full point crampons and aggressive ice axes from the local outfitter. (While Mac has some cool red doggie boots with Vibram soles to protect his paws in the hot desert, his own claws serve him well on the ice!) Mike and Malani, salmon fishermen from Alaska, are taking an alternate trail and will do their best. They've contacted some of the ranger stations up the trail and figure their chances are good. Zeke, Kate and Leah also took an alternate trail to connect with the PCT later. None of them returned yesterday, so they must be doing alright. Jan, a Purple Heart veteran of two tours in Iraq, was needed at home by his family.

Suntan and Waffles's big talk about five-mile long north-facing 8000 ft plus Fuller Ridge has Reason very excited, and me shaking in my non-Gortex, high-ventilation desert trail shoes. But Suntan and Waffles have lots of winter experience climbing Mt. Shasta, etc., and even they set out with very aggressive equipment. I think they are also only 22! Suntan keeps talking about exercises involving dropping 150 pound duffel bags over ice cliffs and hauling them back up to practice rescue techniques, for example, and has dreams of climbing Everest in three years. I know that I am cramping my husband's sense of adventure, but the truth is that neither one of us has relevant experience. My final argument, that Reason will have to emotionally carry a very apprehensive and frightened Cruiser over that five mile ridge along with his sore knees and his own backpack full of water and six days of food, finally hit home. That would be horrible for both of us!

We have ordered some six-point crampons that should arrive on Saturday. Finding a place to accept UPS packages is quite a chore when you are homeless. We literally canvassed door-to-door until we found a willing participant! Regardless of the advantage that the crampons will give us, we still don't have experience using them. I look forward to gaining winter experience, but now does not seem like a good time to practice. We'll encounter more snow up ahead, but hopefully it will have some time to recede before we get there.

Tomorrow, after we pick up our package, we'll make a road walk to a jeep road that will lead us back to the PCT, bypassing Fuller Ridge. I'd rather walk the next 2,300 miles than take a shortcut 3,000 feet down an icy slope! The other crew of five is headed out today and will do the same.

much love,

Cruiser

PCT: IMPASSE

Idyllwild, CA

Dear all-

Well, my last email ended a bit abruptly and I apologize. Some rambunctious youngsters on the computer next to me accidentally kicked the power supply, leaving me with just enough time to reboot and press send.

I left off mentioning that we have been glad to have warm sleeping bags for the cold desert nights. In fact, our first night we camped cowboy-style under the stars and awoke under a layer of frost! We're still not sure where all of that dew came from in the dry desert, and we haven't experienced any since then. Other nights we have used our ultra-lightweight sail cloth tarp. It turns out to be quite windy in the desert, however. Something to do with those very hot days and cold nights... At any rate, one night after setting the foot of our tarp into the wind, we settled down to read about the next day's trail section when the wind suddenly changed directions and the tarp dramatically EXPLODED off of us. The wind and stars suddenly revealed to us made me think we had been catapulted into outer space. Sadly, three of our ultra-light titanium stakes were never to be seen again, rendering our ultra-light shelter even lighter. We've since learned to position large rocks on top of the stakes and sleep through the incessant flapping. In higher winds we've forgone the tarp, but I still dream that my gear is blowing away... and also, one night, that a fine restaurant served me a burger garnished with poison oak leaves!

Since then we've hiked through some very hot desert stretches. We find shade where we can, often cramming ourselves under bushes to wait out the hottest of the afternoon heat. Recently, we entered the San Jacinto Wilderness and higher, cooler elevations.

We arrived last night in Idyllwild, CA, which is nestled on the western side of the San Jacinto mountains. Palm Springs is on the east side. Yesterday was quite an exciting day.

We had camped at Apache Spring, overlooking the sprawling lights of Palm Springs, at about 7500 feet. (The highest point on the AT is Clingman's Dome in the Smoky Mtns at about 6500 feet.) We had heard reports of impassable snow in this area from April 9th. We received this info from the extremely useful PCT Water Report, a user-detailed account of water source and water cache conditions encountered along the trail. We make all of our decisions about how much water to carry from point to point based on this report. However, five days after the report of snow, we did not encounter any snow on our way to Apache Spring.

Coming around the bend and onto a north facing slope in the shade of conifers at about 8000 feet was a different story. Suddenly it did not seem so silly to have lugged our ice axes all the way through the desert! Cutting steps into the icy snow, we safely crossed this section. Unfortunately, there were a few more such sections on shady northern slopes where the sun has less chance of melting the snow. A few miles later, we came to a several-mile section of trail on a northern slope packed with several feet of icy snow. Rarely is the PCT blazed, and this made it nearly impossible to follow the trail here. Using our tiny topo map and our very rudimentary compass skills, we bailed out of the trail and followed a drainage (where water would flow down the mountain) to a saddle where we picked up another trail that reconnected with the PCT. I give my wonderful husband ALL of the credit for making this work. Hacking steps in icy snow without crampons and while balanced on one leg is scary. And brutal on the quadriceps!

We plan to spend a few days in Idyllwild resting and thinking. We've stopped in at the Forest Service station to get more info on alternative trails, jeep roads and what else lies ahead. I am most anxious to skip Fuller Ridge, a several-mile long north-facing knife-edge slope above 8000 feet. We'll have good company with the other ten or so thru-hikers also in town. We'll all be at the in-town campground mulling over what to do, and eating town food!

Best to all,

Cruiser

PCT: Desert in Bloom

Dear all-

Though there is little water in the desert, there appear to be computers! Reason (aka Todd) and I are currently in Warner Springs, CA. We've just hiked about 110 miles, so only 2555 to go!

I just spent an hour sitting in the pool heated with natural sulfur springs. Though my Canada-bound mind thinks this is cheating, my husband and feet beg to differ. Reason repeatedly reminds me that all professional athletes take at least one scheduled day of rest every week.

We have just hiked through the San Felipe Hills, which border the Anza-Borrego Desert Park. The desert is in bloom, and we could barely make our miles for the many photos we took of the hundreds of blooming flowers. Even the barrel cactus and prickly-pears are blooming. The yuccas have huge white and/or pink plumes, and the agave are just budding with giant central stalks that look quite a bit like asparagus.

Our last section was virtually waterless. However, generous souls known as Trail Angels have hiked scores of gallon bottles of water to two strategic positions along the trail, and this has helped keep us hydrated. We are now in the habit of carrying at least five liters of water at any given time. For you civilians, a liter of water weighs two pounds.

We actually started our first day from the Mexican border with nine liters each! This was a bit too much, but we were not sure exactly what we were in for. It turned out that there was no water from mile five to about mile twenty.

The Mexican border was quite something. Physically, it is a huge metal fence paralleled by a dirt road and another barbed wire fence. The surrounding land is strewn with the detritus of immigrants: drink bottles and food wrappers, discarded clothing and backpacks, and small pieces of woven Mexican blankets which we discovered are used as booties to disguise footprints. Border Patrol guards, trucks, and helicopters are everywhere. Reason and I did not see any immigrants on the trail, but our fellow hikers did. In the town of Campo, 1.4 miles north of the border on the trail, we passed a holding cell full of immigrants being loaded onto a bus - I assume bound for deportation. I made eye contact with one person before realizing what was going on. I then thought quite a bit about the contrast between the indulgent romp I am on and the ordeals of the people in that cell. We saw a number of men being arrested by Border Patrol on our third day, and continued to see evidence of immigrants for over forty miles. I can only say that our first forty miles were not that easy, and that we had relative leisure, plenty of water, sun protection, and warm sleeping bags for the below freezing nights.

So, on towards Canada tomorrow. Our best to all,

Cruiser

Counting Down!

Dear friends and family-

Todd and I are in San Diego for one last night. We leave bright and early tomorrow morning for yet another bus, this time to Campo, CA, about 1.4 miles from the Mexican border.

We arrived by bus on Saturday night. Though we were extremely grumpy and tired, not to mention suffering hideously swollen legs, we very much enjoyed watching the beautiful scenery change over the hours and hours, and hours and hours, and hours and hours...

We have enjoyed being in sunny SoCal, where endless miles of strip malls under blue skies and surrounded by flowers actually had me saying, "isn't it beautiful!" Had a last supper of fish tacos, one last shower, and one last night in a bed.

We hope we will be able to make updates every now and then, but if you don't hear from us please know that we miss you and are thinking of you.

With much love,

Cruiser
--
"If you rest, you rust." Helen Hayes

Appalachian Trail Gear List 2003

Figuring out gear on the Appalachian Trail was trial-by-fire for me. I hit Springer with much of the wrong stuff, and many heavy items. You can do better!

By the end of the trail, I had lightened up considerably and was tough and lean to boot. I'm really a mid-weight hiker, but I try to do better each time.

Below I will outline the gear I finished with. Gear has become lighter and more sophisticated since 2003, so be sure to take a look at my PCT and CDT gear for ideas as well.


Backpack
Granite Gear Nimbus Ozone backpack, 48 oz
I found this pack at Neels Gap. I loved it! I started with a Lowe Alpine that a friend gave me. It weighed seven pounds when empty! I don't like to buy new things when I have something perfectly good at hand, but this doesn't always work on a thru-hike. The Nimbus Ozone is a nifty mid-weight pack that can hold up to 40 pounds, which is great for those just-resupplied hikes out of town. There are no zippers to break, rather there is a tall collar with cinch that folds up as your load gets smaller. My complaint about this pack is that the foam back pad soaks up sweat and rain, which is difficult to dry in the humid East. Granite Gear has excellent customer service and really cares about its reputation on the trail. Neels Gap didn't have quite the right hip belt and shoulder straps for my frame, but the Granite Gear rep at Trail Days fitted me with a complimentary set of small/narrow shoulder straps and a small women's hip belt. Many sizes of strap and hip belt are available, and the pack comes in at least two torso lengths. I recommend ordering directly from Granite Gear so that you can customize your order.

Equinox pack cover, 3.4 oz
I didn't know pack covers existed until I hit Neels Gap. It sure came in handy during the Wet Year of 2003. The silicon-nylon cover is light. It has an elastic cinch so that it can be adjusted to fit a fuller or less-full pack. One problem with this cover is that water tends to pool at the bottom as it lacks drainage grommets. I made a habit of reaching back and pouring the water out before setting my pack down. I used trash bag liners for the entire contents of my pack as well as for my clothes and sleeping bag.

Clothing
Patagonia silk weight shirts
I think Patagonia now calls these Capilene 1. I had a long sleeved-shirt for April and the beginning of May as the trees were bare and sun was an issue for my lily-white self. Eventually I switched to a short-sleeved shirt, which I later discarded in favor of a Hind workout shirt. The shirt had become so nasty, so permeated with sweat, rain and mildew, that it emitted an awful ammonia stench. Some folks look for light-weight poly/synthetic button downs at thrift stores. I think this is a nice way to save money, avoid buying something new, and possibly add some flair to your look.

North Face nylon shorts
I've never been skinny. Fit and lean, yes, but skinny, never. Even when I summited Katahdin my legs were strong and beefy. The shorts I chose were merely the ones I picked after trying on a million pairs. They were just roomy enough in the leg that they didn't cause any chafing, which is a common problem for men and women on the AT. I cut out the mesh liner to reduce weight and also to eliminate yet another piece of cloth that was capable of soaking up and retaining moisture.

Patagonia mid-weight thermals, top and bottom
I think these are comparable to the Capilene 3 these days. Darn Patagonia and their ever changing systems. At any rate, one top and one bottom is enough for 95% of the nights on the AT. In the summer, I dropped down to silkweight/Cap1 pants and probably kept the mid-weight top.

Marmot Precip pants and jacket, 8 and 12 oz
I wore these a lot. In 2003 it rained most days of April, May and June. Do they keep you dry? I'm not sure, but they do keep you warm while hiking. I love the pit-zips in the jacket. I wear it a lot as a windbreaker or warm layer in the cold New England mornings. The pit-zips make for great ventilation as you warm up but before you are ready to remove a layer. The Precip rain gear is relatively durable, but after time the white inner layer will peel away. They still make for good windbreakers. I'm still using my Precip pants six years later.

Sportif fleece jacket
I named mine Sassy Pink and I still wear it all the time. These days it is probably considered heavy, but in 2003 the micro fleece material was pretty cool.

Patagonia Capilene bra
I liked the support of this bra, but the thing was always wet. The Appalachian Trial is very humid and can be very rainy, so I would recommend finding a thin bra that will dry faster than this one. Patagonia says it is quick-drying, but I think they mean it dries quickly overnight in a dry and air-conditioned room. Trust me, this one won't dry overnight in the humid mountain air. Even if it does, it will be covered in dew in the morning. I recommend the Isis Daisy bra.

Undies
I carried multiple pairs of synthetic black undies.

rag wool Polyclava
Can't remember who makes this. Sadly, I shrank mine in the dryer. But it was amazing while it lasted. It was a rag wool beanie that unfolded into a balaclava. This was just something I had in my closet. The balaclava was great for spring and fall.

EMS fleece gloves
I picked these up in Manchester Center, VT. It really began to get cold in Vermont!

Footwear
Asolo TPS 520 GTX boots
Beautiful leather boots. These fit my feet very well. I recommend trying on lots of brands and sizes of leather boots if that's the way you want to go. I loved these heavy clunkers. They kept my feet dry and clean and well protected. The AT is very rocky, and these kept me from stubbing my toes all day long. The AT also has many bare rock surfaces where the Vibram soles served me well, especially in the rain. I now hike in trail runners, but still love boots. My best advice for breaking in leather boots is to wear them around the house for 60 hours while cooking, reading, and watching TV before logging 60 hours of walking in the boots. After those two break-in periods, put on your pack and log another 60 hours. Tedious, but good for training and well worth it.

Socks
I used the heaviest weight Smartwool socks with white Wigwam polypro liners. I had another pair of dry socks for sleeping.

Mountain Hardwear Nut Shell Ventigaiters
I think the zipper is overkill and the mesh allows dirt and debris to get inside the gaiter. However, this is what I had, so I kept using them. I love tall gaiters for their protection against the sun, muddy trail, and poison ivy. I looked pretty cute in them, too. I recommend gaiters no matter what height for good foot care. They prevent debris from working its way into your socks and causing blisters and the general breakdown of the sock. Of course, this isn't the case with trail runners, but it does keep irritating debris away from your ankles.

Shelter
Sierra Designs Clip Light something or other 2 person tent, heavy
This used to be the classic AT tent. It is too heavy, and doesn't have enough ventilation or headroom. On the AT you can probably get away with a small tarp, because most nights you will probably use shelters. You do need an option when the shelter is full-- I know they say the shelter isn't full until everyone is inside, but I have been one of 20 in an eight person shelter and I'm not sure we could have fit anyone else. Also, having a shelter means that you have the option of camping between shelters to suit your mileage. Dew and condensation are two things to consider, especially with single wall tarps and tents.

Tyvek ground sheet
You will want a ground sheet for the very wet AT. You will at some point sleep in a puddle.

Sleeping
old North Face Blue Kazoo 20 degree down sleeping bag
A bit heavy, but awesome. I owned it before I thought of hiking the AT, so I went with it.

REI Travel Down 40 degree down sleeping bag
Compact and very light. Perfect for those hot, sticky AT summer nights. I had mine sent to Pearisburg, VA.

old school Ridge Rest
I've had mine since about 1992, and it still works great. It has a few wounds and may not be the lightest, but it remains comfy and uncompressed.

Cooking
Etowah Outfitters alcohol stove
A nice little alcohol stove with cross-bar pot stand. I do love my MSR Whisperlite, but this alcohol stove weighs so much less. I primarily used Heet in the yellow bottle, but I'm sure these days you can buy denatured alcohol by the ounce at hostels and outfitters.

MSR titanium Teapot. 4oz
Perfect for one Lipton, one package of ramen, or one box of Near East couscous, and cute as can be. It holds about .8 liters.

Lexan spoon, .5 oz
Regular plastic spoons are lighter, but will melt if used while cooking.

Water and Treatment
Platypus bladders and hose
These work great. The Platypus will develop weak spots around the neck due to the crumpling of the bladder as water is sucked out of it, but only over time. I try to be gentle with mine. I keep them at the top of my pack to reduce pressure and stress. You will only need a capacity of two liters for the AT, and rarely will you need to carry this much. Aqua Fina one liter bottles with a wide mouth are strong and cheap. You can put these bottles in the side pocket of your pack and insert the Platy hose if you like to use a hose.

Aqua Mira liquid solution water treatment
This was new and exciting in 2003. I still like this water treatment option. It has a slightly sweet taste that I don't mind at all. I started the AT with a Katahdyn Hiker pump filter, which I like and use for weekends, but it was a bit heavy for the AT. At some point I also used a Visine dropper full of bleach. I used three drops for two liters. It smells like a swimming pool. I'm not sure whether this is better or worse than iodine or Aqua Mira in the long term, but it is the cheapest option. You can buy a bottle of bleach for a few dollars, refill your dropper, and leave the bottle in the hiker box for someone else. Keep the dropper of bleach inside an plastic bag to avoid any leaks which will eat all of your synthetic gear.

Other
Leki ultralight titanium trekking poles from 2002
I'm not sure my knees would have made it through the AT without poles. These were indispensable for going down hill as they allowed me to shift some of my weight to my arms and shoulders and go easier on my knees on steep descents and long steps down big rocks. I preferred Reason's Super Makalus to my lightweight ones, however, because I think the shocks are beefier and kinder to the arms. Poles are great for what I call the Power Boost, which just means pushing yourself forward with the poles on the flats and ascents. After a few hundred miles of using poles, you'll be rolling up your sleeves and showing off your muscles. I've put almost 5,000 miles on my poles and so far have only replaced the tips a few times.

Wingfoot Guidebook
OK, so I started with the data book, state guides and maps, and the ATC town guide. But Reason had the Wingfoot guide, which gets to the point and has most of the info you'll need. You're not going to get lost unless you drink too much beer and forget which way you came in to a shelter, so you don't really need the maps and long state guidebook trail descriptions. The profile maps are nice, but chances are someone else will carry them for you :)

Check out my PCT and CDT gear lists for more ideas.