Getting Ready (Less Than 1 Week To Go): Gear and Logistics

“To the uninitiated backpacker a day in the woods can be, and often is, an experience of unrelieved misery. The pack is over-loaded; tender feet stumble and are blistered. It is alternately too hot or too cold… such experiences, familiar in one form or another to all beginners, are truly unforgiving; and when things go wrong, they do so in cascading fashion.”

Mountains Without Handrails: Reflections on the National Parks by Joseph Sax

I do not feel I’m an expert at this thru-hiking thing and rarely feel like I have it all dialed in. All those things in the quote above are likely to happen to me at some point during this journey. 

More than five years have gone by since I set out on the PCT. That trek was a crash course in thru-hiking. And since then I’ve continued to learn and make changes. Some of this is general; related to the actual doing of the things (hiking, tenting, etc…), but other adjustments have been more mental in nature and relate to my personal strategies and routines. More or less, I have found what works for me and have enough confidence to wing it. One foot in front of the other, eh.

2019 PCT Southern Terminus Photo (I’m in there somewhere)

How Do I Prepare For a Journey This Long and Varied?

Gear, logistics, physical readiness, and mental readiness. These are the categories I’ve come up with to organize my thoughts on getting ready for trail. In this post, I’ll discuss each aspect where I’m at now with only about one week before starting. Writing has been a way for me to process things in my life and I see typing this post up as that, a way to help myself prepare for taking my first steps on the ECT.

Gear

It is not lost on me how much gear is needed to backpack and how fortunate I am to be able to purchase all these items to do something like this. On top of that, I’ve always had folks supporting me on these journeys. Everyone should have the opportunity to recreate in the outdoors, but unfortunately, acquiring and knowing how to use gear is a barrier for many. I wanted to start here because I think it’s so important. It’s a privilege to be getting this opportunity to connect with nature and the outdoors! 

Some folks really love talking gear. Others, not so much, so I’ll try to keep things to the point. What kind of thru-hike blog would this be without a gear run-down though? Again, I’m no expert, but if anyone has specific questions about my setup or why/how I do certain things, feel free to leave a comment!

For those not familiar with how a long-distance backpacking trip goes, the general idea is that I carry everything I need right along with me in my pack. I will visit towns (or at least a small grocery store) every 2-5 days or so and restock on items like food, stove fuel, sunscreen, and whatever else might need replacing. Occasionally, I will find showers and laundry during these stops as well. The majority of my equipment and clothes and day-to-day items… it stays the same and just goes along with me for as long as it holds up. And, I try to minimize it to only the items I really need because anything extra is just additional weight!

In addition to what I’m carrying, I also plan to have on standby a somewhat large bin of items like warmer layers, backup/replacement or specialized gear, and really anything I could think of that I potentially might want at some point. This will stay with my support team (Dave H Master Trailsman and Super Strider Sheryl a.k.a. my parents) and I’ll just let them know when and where to ship items as I need them. The equipment I’m using for this hike is mostly stuff I already owned and have used on other hikes. I have swapped a few things out though and am intentionally trying out a few new-to-me ways of doing things.

The Big 3

The three heaviest things I’ll be carrying are my pack itself, a sleeping bag, and a tent. The Granite Gear Crown 2 is the pack I’ve used on all my thru-hiking adventures, although I’ve replaced it a few times as it’s worn out. I really like how it fits me, it seems like it’s usually on sale for a decent price, and the company has been consistently solid with its customer service and warranty. I hike with the pack’s “brain,” the optional topmost compartment, so with that it comes out to about 2.5 lbs. My pack goes by the name Bruce when it is low on food and water and in its lightest and nicest form, but can transition into the Hulk when packed full to the brim.

My tent, Tanya, is a Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL1. I used it on the CDT and performed to perfection. It weighs in at around 2.1 lbs, so you can imagine it’s quite cozy and quaint. I’m slightly worried that my zipper is going bad, so if/when that happens, I’ll likely send it in and temporarily switch to a heavier back up tent I have.

I am trying out a new sleep setup! Previously, I used a Sea to Summit Talus II sleeping bag (14F). It worked well and made it through two thru-hikes, but it’s pretty worn and the down feathers are not near as fluffy nowadays. Plus, at 2.6 lbs, it isn’t the lightest by backpacking standards. For the ECT, I’m taking an Enlightened Equipment Enigma sleeping quilt (20F). It’s about a pound lighter at 1.5 lbs. So far, I’ve been loving it. I used it often this past summer working in Yosemite National Park (YNP) and it impressed me by keeping me warm during some high-elevation cold nights!

The Times They Are A-Changin’

The main change I’m making or at least trying out, is my method for charging my phone. Previously, I used an Anker power bank that I charge up in towns or wherever I can find an outlet along the way. I like not having to worry about my phone dying on me, so I carried the 20,000 mAh brick. Other than the weight (nearly 1 lb), it has worked excellently. Starting the ECT, I am giving solar a try!

A while back, I randomly came across a blog post by “Trail Peaches,” in which they review a specific solar setup. I am imitating this setup (Lixada solar panel 7.8W with a NiteCore 5000mAh NL2150RX battery) and it should cut my weight in that area down significantly. I’ll also carry a tiny plug charger for when I do have access to an outlet. Will this be my new go-to for the entire trail? No, I don’t expect so, but I want to give it a try in Florida where I hope there is a good amount of sunshine 🙂

Testing the new solar setup out (Not a good idea to do on top of my car… later I drove away with my Garmin GPS still up there when I was testing it out. Somehow it survived, thankfully!)

Lists Upon Lists

The term base weight is often thrown around for folks setting out to backpack. What does it mean? According to REI’s Joe Pasteris, base weight is “how much your loaded pack weighs, minus ‘consumables,’ such as food, water and fuel. You exclude these things because their amounts vary trip to trip and will decrease throughout your journey as you eat, drink and cook” (https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/backpacking-weight.html). I did a little research and found that my base weight starting the PCT was 21 lbs and at the beginning of the CDT it was 17 lbs. Starting the ECT, I’ll be somewhere around the 15.5-16 lbs range! So, I’m nowhere near “ultralight,” but making progress!

Here’s a photo and the list of gear and equipment that I’ll be taking…

Part 1 of my base weight ( I really struggled getting this uploaded)

Part 2 of base weight

Logistics

What I’m thinking of in terms of logistics are details like how I’m getting to the start of the trail and my plans for resupplying along the way. I’ll admit, I’m not even thinking about how to get home from the trail afterwards. I have faith that future Stevie will be able to figure it out 😉

Prepping! I’ve mastered my technique of laying out my food resupply (and yes, that’s a gnome puzzle in the back)

For planning, my primary source of information has been the FarOut app. Around Thanksgiving there was a deal on the unlimited subscription, so I digitally scooped that up. It’s quite user-friendly and allows me to see the trail, its elevation profile, my location, and an assortment of icons that point out relevant features like grocery and gear stores, motels and hostels, water sources, etc…  All the individual trails of the ECT are now on FarOut except the Alabama section, so this is huge for me in learning about the trail. I also used Google Maps quite often, the Florida Trail Association website, and lots of random searches. Something I’ve done for my other hikes and which I replicated this time too was creating a giant spreadsheet listing my mileage, p1tential resupply options every 60-100 miles or so, and anything else that seemed important to remember like permits to get, etc…

My flight takes me right into Key West, FL and from the airport it’s only about 3 miles to the start of the ECT.  There’s a giant concrete buoy tourist attraction that’s painted “Southernmost Point – Continental U.S.A,” I don’t think this is actually true geographically, but regardless, it’s a very unique and memorable spot to take off from 🙂

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Comments 4

  • Jim Nydam : Jan 1st

    “And the best is yet to come” is a saying I love to hear.
    The best to you and Sumi on your new trek Stevie Wonder.

    Reply
  • Sherry Hoekwater : Jan 1st

    Off you go into the wild blue yonder….blue skies, blue water….Hopefully this is true. At least it sounds good.😊 I’m excited for you Steve! And looking forward to following along on another great adventure!!

    Reply
  • Eddie Mathis : Jan 2nd

    Good luck most CYTC attempt hikers only does the official mileage on the three long distance trails, AT, PCT , CDT since your starting in Key West that adds several hundred miles to your attempt, that’s very ambitious, good luck and I hope you make it..

    Reply
    • Steve Hoekwater : Jan 2nd

      Thanks Eddie! Appreciate the support! I’m not shooting for the calendar year though. One trail at a time for me 😉

      Reply

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