Gear List

This is my entire gear list. Some items will be shared, but the final weight is calculated as if I were to carry everything, because that always is a possibility. This is not an endorsement of any product, as not everything on this list has been used by me, but if you would like to ask me about any of the items on the list, I would be more than happy to give you my input on the items.


TYPICAL WORN/CARRIED GEAR
-Asolo Fugitive GTX boots
-Smartwool sock liners
-Smartwool Backpacking Socks
-OR FlexTex Gaitors (similar to link)
-UnderArmour Boxer Briefs
-Royal Robbins Convertable Pants (w/ zip off legs)
-Mt Hardware short sleeve tan hiking shirt (similar to link)
-Sun hat (similar to link)
-Trekking Poles

PACK (4lbs 10oz)
-Osprey Aether 70
-BearVault (only where required)

CLOTHING
-Crocs
-Smartwool sock liners
-Smartwool Backpacking Socks
-UnderArmour Boxer Briefs
-Long sleeve running shirt (2008 Portland Marathon Shirt)
^^^This will travel in my bounce seventy percent of the time
-Long sleeve linen sun shirt (bought for $2 in Idyllwild at a thrift store)
^^^This will be worn in desert only
-Mt Hardware Gore Windstopper Cap (similar to link)
-Mt Hardware Conduit SL Wind jacket (similar to link)
^^^Quite possibly leaving this in my bounce box
-Patagonia capilene-2 long johns
-Patagonia capilene-3 pullover top
^^^Will probably trade this out for a capilene-2 pullover top
-MontBell Ultra Lightweight Down Jacket
-Frogg Toggs Raingear
-REI Polartec Gloves (similar to link)

FIRST AID/PERSONAL EFFECTS (1lb 13oz)
-Tweezers
-2 Needles, thread
-3 Safety Pins
-30 sq in mole skin
-Matchbook
-Lighter
-1 oz foot cream
-1 oz Triple Antibiotic
-2 oz DEET (in mosquito country only)
-4 sheets scrap paper
-Pencil
-1 oz toothpaste
-Toothbrush
-Dental Floss
-Toilet Paper
-Baby Wipes
-Sanitation shovel (3.1oz)
-Sun screen
-Vaseline (first five hundred miles or so)
-Pocketknife
-Compass
-AA Battery x2
-AAA Battery x3
-Sporteyz Sunglasses

MISC (approx. 3lb 1oz)
-Granite Gear XS clothing compression sack (3.8oz)
-OR Helium Quick Sack
-Black Diamond Raven Ice Axe 65cm (15.9oz)
^^^Will Pickup at Kennedy Meadows
-OR Mosquito Headnet (2.2oz)
-Petzl Headlamp (2.9oz)
-Joby Gorillapod (camera tri-pod) (5.8oz)
-32North STABILicers Lite (10.75oz)
-Will try in SanJacinto's to decide if I want to use in Sierras
-REI Ducks Back Pack Cover (7.6oz) - Trash Bag Liner

FOOD/HYDRATION (2 lbs 5.4oz)
-Titanium Spork (0.6oz)**
-Guyot Designs Squishy Bowl (3.3oz)**
-Platypus 3L w/ hydration kit (4oz + 3.25oz) (also empty plastic bottles in desert)
-JetBoil Cooking System (15.25 oz)**
-Katadyn Water Filter (11oz)**

SLEEPING (6lbs 4.7oz)
-Silk Cocoon (4.7oz)
-Marmot Sawtooth 15 (2lbs 14oz)
-Z-rest Sleeping Pad (10 oz)
-Double Rainbow Tarptent (2lbs 8oz)

ELECTRONICS (3 lbs)
-Garmin 60 CSx GPS (w/ 2 AA Batteries)
-Nikon Coolpix P100 Camera (w/ cables, extra battery, SD Cards)
-Blackberry Bold (w/ charger)
-Lowepro TLZ1 Camera Case

TOTAL BASE PACKWEIGHT*
approx. 28 LBS (yikes!!)

I need to trim that down.

*No Food, No Water
**Carried by Hiking Partner

Desert Clothing

Pictured here, Lauren shows us the highly fashionable puffy shoulder shirt she'll use to help keep sun off her pasty white freckled irish skin.
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Mastering trail dish wash technique.

Lauren demonstrates the latest in trail dish wash technique. Conveniently, the squishy bowl can be turned inside out for optimum food consumption and easy after meal clean-up.
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Preparation #1

We leave to hike in just over two weeks, but our time on the island is greatly limited. In just over one week's time, we will be driving south.

We will stop over in Portland, where we will say goodbye to our Portland friends and family. It will be a quick visit, and I know I won't have time to say goodbye to everyone, so if we miss you, my apologies.

After we pass through Portland, we will drive to San Francisco to say hi to Lauren's brother Paul. After a couple nights there, we will fly south to San Diego, where Lauren's other brother Mark lives. We will take in some good eats and good margaritas, and then head to the trail on April 14th.

So, it's our final week of preparation. I have been dehydrating food for the last three months. I have loaded maps and way points onto my GPS (a gift from the ever loving ever worrying parents), and now I am printing off all the maps. Thank you Halfmile (see side links).

Despite my lack of desire to train, Lauren has successfully dragged me out on a couple training hikes. Small ten mile walks here and there (sans pack). Today we took one of our meals as an afternoon snack on our hike. It turned out well, and I think I will try and spend the next week making as many of these meals as I can.

I hope to write a post soon further elaborating my food and my gear. For now, I think I'll revel in my "connected world" and sit back and watch Planet Earth on the TV before I watch it in real life.

My Camera Arrived!!

My camera arrived yesterday, and I took the time to play around with it a bit today.
I have no "good photo's" as I was just learning the interface.

Below is a timelapse I made of the setting sun.



I may post more pictures in a bit.

Dehydrating Even More Food

Yeah, I'm just toying around with more silly videos whilst dehydrating.
Don't expect to gleam any brilliant Dehydrating knowledge from the video below.

If you are interested in the more complete recipe, check out Scott and Rachel Kimler's Adventure Pages. Hidden deep in the mire of their worldly travels, you will find their 2002 PCT Thru-Hike where they have some recipe's listed.

Border-to-Border Mex-I-Can Burritos

Dehydrating more food

Image test post slash resequence.
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