I’m going to be a ground dweller!

Those who have hiked with me know how much I love my Hennessy Hammock. It is so comfortable and I sleep so good in it! However, I will not be taking it on this trail. There are so many wide open places along this trail. Sure I could hike till I found suitable trees each night but I want to be able to stop for the day whenever I feel like it.  Becca had a perfectly good Nemo Dagger 2p tent that we used on the Sunshine Coast trail in BC last summer but we knew there was better out there! It’s going to be a long walk and every extra ounce is going to count! Her Nemo weighs in at 3.86lbs (1.75kg) but her brand new Durston X-mid Pro 2  weighs just 1.14lbs (0.517g)saving her from carrying 2.72lbs (1.23kg)! 

Gear is the fun part of planning a thruhike! You get to pull out all of your old gear and reminisce about all past adventures. And then, you get to decide what you want to replace, add or take away!  Hikers spend hours sorting it all out. I pretty much know what I like to hike with so I either already had the gear or knew I needed to replace a few items. Because gear is such a researched subject and hikers like to see what other hikers are using. I’m going to post something separate with my gear list and gear weights. Why is the weight important you ask? The longer the hike the more important it is to carry less. It’s easier on your joints and makes everyday just that much more enjoyable!  Most people consider an ultralight hiker to be someone who carries less than 10lbs of gear (not including consumables like food, water and fuel). With that definition I wouldn’t be considered ultralight but I do like my full pack (with food and water) to be 17lbs or less. I don’t seem to notice the weight at all until my pack is more than 17lbs.  Right now my current gear list for the CDT is just under 12lbs (without food, water and fuel). There are many apps that are like online gear closets that let you reconfigure what you may want to take until you get the right weight or comfort level you like. I’m using one called Lighter Pack and Becca is using one called Don’t forget the spoon!  Anyway, I said current pack list because I still have to make a few decisions. Most hikers carry their own shelters but because Becca has an awesome 2 person tent I still need to decide whether to eliminate a tarp from my list or carry it in case of emergency. We are both carrying our full kitchens even though we could eliminate one, I think it will be convenient for one of us to make meals while the other makes coffees/hot drinks. And this time there may be a few more "luxury" items compared to previous trips. I may carry a small speaker and Becca may bring her kindle. Both will be perfect for bedtime stories. 

I’m sure we will have our last minute gear items sorted out soon and when we do I will post each of our gear lists.  

If you want to follow our adventure from Becca’s perspective, she will be blogging in The Trek

https://thetrek.co/continental-divide-trail/continental-divide-how-it-began/

Trouble

"You are never too old  to set a new goal or dream a new dream."  CS Lewis