Shakedown: Time to Test the Gear
What Do I do With All this Stuff?
New gear is fun to look at strewn about the floor, but what’s next? The gear needs a thorough “shakedown” or field test. Some potential AT through hikers will stuff all the gear into a pack and head out never having slept a night in the woods. Others have years and years of experience, and their “kit” is completely dialed in. I was somewhere in between. I have spent many nights in the woods camping in various forms, starting with the Boy Scouts in the 70s. Back then our packs were heavy external frame affairs and we carrier a lot of gear weight relative to our size. As I got older, the outdoor adventures continued but did not include any true backpacking trips. So, despite my experience in the woods, I was (and still am) a relatively new backpacker.
I knew that I didn’t want to start the AT hike without having dialed the gear in as best as I can. I have mentioned in previous posts about hiking for exercise to prepare. I am very intentional about carrying my pack on these hikes loaded with a meaningful amount of weight. Carrying a loaded pack gives you experience in how to deal with the pack: how to pick it up, how to get it properly fitted once on (strap adjustments are important), how to carry it and adjust it on the move and how to take it off. These all seem like simple things, but I learned that it takes some time to get used to the pack and to deal with it like a friend and not a burden that you are dragging around the woods.
However, getting used to the pack is not the same as getting used to the equipment. I knew that I needed to spend some nights in the woods. I needed to take some shakedown hikes.
Time to Test it Out
My first overnight hike was in early May to a State Park local to where I live. I secured the necessary overnight permit and had my wife drop me off at the trailhead for an 11 mile hike to the campsite. The day was pleasant, and I had my full kit with me (including stuff I knew I wasn’t going to need). The hike was strenuous but not exhausting and by the time I was finished, I was ready for the celebratory beer that I packed in. First thing first though was to make camp, starting with pitching the tent. I had practiced that a few times and so it went well enough. I cooked my first dehydrated meal (Biscuits and gravy, quite tasty) and settled in for the evening with a book while it was still light. Hiker midnight arrived (maybe around 7:30pm). Once it gets dark, most hikers wander off the bed. I had a small fire going in a designated ring and stayed up another hour or so. The sleep gear was comfortable and warm, and I had an uneventful evening. The next morning, I hiked out a couple of miles and my wife picked me up and brought me home. I repeated this trip a few weeks later with a friend.
Yosemite (Version 1)
In late August, I spent a week in the wilderness area of Yosemite with my friend and fellow hiking enthusiast Bryan. He planned the trip and secured all the necessary permits. We set out for a 60ish mile loop starting at Glacier Point. From there we hiked a few days to go up and over Red Peak Pass at an elevation in excess of 11,000 feet and finished with climbing the famous Half Dome. We were snowed on and saw temps down to 17 degrees but also had pleasant days in the high 60s. We completed the 60 mile journey and experienced the glorious beauty of Yosemite without the distraction of tourists.
This was my first true shakedown and required packing in all food needed for a week. It was a fantastic experience and more importantly helped me learn the rhythm of hiking: the day to day movement, making camp, breaking camp. Learning this rhythm is critical to a successful start on the AT. I had a perfect opportunity to test the organization of my gear and found it a bit lacking so I have dialed that in further. My sleeping pad developed a hole 4 nights in that I couldn’t locate so I spent the last two nights on the ground. I made the mistake of wearing a new pair of shoes and developed blisters on my Achilles from them even though I had never gotten blisters from the previous version of the same shoe. I learned to deal with that (leukotape is your friend). I determined that the one-pound weight of the chair is worthwhile and enjoyed the luxury of sitting on it at night. The trip was a success. I learned a lot and had a great time.
Out to the Ocean
I made an overnight trip in September to the Pacific Ocean at the National Seashore and spent a beautiful day hiking along the bluffs overlooking the ocean and a glorious night in the Coastal mountains. A 20 mile round trip took me from the parking lot to camp and back.
Back to Yosemite
Bryan and I returned to Yosemite in mid-November and pushed hard on day one to get up to the top of Yosemite Falls and to North Dome. The day saw 4,000 feet of elevation gain in 7 miles and the following day we dropped back down 4,400 feet to the valley floor and the cars. That 20-mile loop was definitely a good test. We enjoyed sunshine during the day, snow on the ground and high teen temps overnight.
My goal from the shakedowns was to be confident that the chosen equipment was going to work as intended. I want to be able to make camp the first night on the AT without wondering what goes where and how do I do some of the simple things. I have achieved that goal. I feel that my gear is as “dialed in” as I can make it. I’m ready to start.
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