My gear list!

I am three days away from starting my thru hike! I am so excited. It is a surreal moment; I’ve been looking forward and planning this over the past seven years. I’d describe my current state as 95% excited and 5% nervous. I have a feeling that in the car ride to Georgia on Friday, and Saturday morning before starting, that my nervousness will definitely increase. The only thing that will make me feel better is putting one foot in front of another and starting my journey.

I wanted to share a complete list of everything I’m putting into my pack at the beginning of my journey, including gear, clothing, food and supplies. It feels like my pack weighs around 40 pounds which is heavier than it was on shorter trips in the past. The first days and weeks will be a trial period and if I find that I have excess weight, I’ll ship it home from a resupply stop.

All of my gear!

Gear

• Pack: Osprey Aether 65

• Sleeping bag: REI Magma 15

• Sleeping bag liner: Cocoon Microfiber Mummy Liner

• Sleeping pad: Nemo Tensor

• Tent: REI Quarter Dome SL1

• Footprint: REI Quarter Dome SL1 Footprint

• Water filtration system: Sawyer Squeeze and backup iodine pills

• Cooking system: Jet Boil, fuel canister, spork

• Bear Hangs: rope and carabiner

• Multi tool: Leatherman Signal

• Trekking Poles: Black Diamond Trekking Poles

   

• Drinking: Nalgenes (2)

• Satellite phone: Garmin inReach Mini 2

• First Aid Kit

• Headlamp

• Spare batteries

• Battery bank

   

• Charging cable

• Fire: lighter, tinder

• Duct tape

Clothing 

• Kuhl hiking pants

• REI Flash Stretch Rain Pants

• REI athletic t shirts (2)

• Flylow button down t shirt

• Injini toe socks (2)

• Darn Tough hiking socks (1)

• Wicking underwear (3)

• Thermal top and bottom

• Beanie

• Gloves

• BPN Trail Hat

• Smith sunglasses

• Arcteryx rain jacket

• REI merino wool quarter zip

• Oboz Sawtooth hiking boots

• Crocs (camp shoes)

Personal

• Toothbrush

• Toothpaste

• Dental floss

• Toilet paper

• Trowel

• Paper towels

• Hand sanitizer

• Nail clipper

• Journal

• Pens

• Stamps

Food 

My food for the first four days of my journey!

I am bringing five days’ worth of food. I plan on reapplying in Hiawassee, Georgia on day four. I’m bringing an extra day’s worth of food just in case.

• Breakfast: instant oatmeal, dried fruit

• Lunch: cheese, salami, crackers, tortillas, peanut butter, honey

• Dinner: ramen, instant mashed potatoes, tuna packet, chicken packet, freeze dried meal

• Snacks: jerky sticks, clif bars, trail mix, carrots, brownies

• Hydration: electrolyte packets

It is a scary and exciting thought that in a few days I’ll walk into the woods carrying all of my necessities in my pack. I have a lot of respect for thru hikers because they are self sufficient and entirely responsible for caring for themselves and traveling on foot over thousands of miles. It is certainly in stark contrast to the daily life I’ve been used to; I know what and where I’ll be eating that day, where I’ll sleep, that I have a warm shower to look forward to, that medical assistance is only a few minutes away. These are all challenges that I am eager to embrace and overcoming them will create a story to tell.

Thank you for reading and following along with my journey! If you are interested, please follow my Instagram @themountainengineer which is where I will post more frequently during my hike. I hope to write blog posts on a weekly basis and post them here as well.