[pct-l] a few questions

[t.n. turner]

Hey Lois, these are some really good questions! I do have to agree with everyone that taking the gun is not the best idea! When asked if I was going to carry one in 07, my response was usually, 'why so I can shoot myself?' or 'why to give my attacker something to kill me with?' but then I'm not a "gun person"! The rest of my thoughts I embedded in your e-mail. Have a GREAT hike, it's an awesome experience!!! Tammy T.
> 
> My friends and I got together to plan our thruhike and I had 
> a few questions for the thruhikers out there:
>  
> What would you say was the average weight of your pack during your thruhike? (Total, not base weight)
I carried an Osprey Ariel 45 and my average weight was around 25 to 30 lbs. At VVR, a couple other hikers weighed my pack for me, but I asked them to not tell me what it weighed because then I would just be thinking about the weight until I reached Mammoth!! But later I asked and they said it was 38 lbs. I think that was the heaviest it had been!! (At least that's what I remember now!)

> One of my friends is planning on taking a pistol on the thruhike, thoughts?
>  
> Gaiters and bug head net, recommended? Did you use them in any particular section?
I wore gaiters, not the dirty girl or other light ones, in the first couple weeks and I think that's what caused my blister trouble, my feet were too hot! I stopped wearing them and my feet got better and I never had blister issues again! Well not that bad anyway. Bug net, YES!!! It will save your sanity and they don't weigh anything, definitely carry it!

>  
> What was your first aid items that you consider essential and why?
Triple antibiotic cream! saved my hike, thanks to Disco Dan who gave me some at Scissor's Crossing and then I got some of my own!! terrible infected blisters between my toes and on the bottom of my foot. This helped immensely! And tape, just basic bandage tape. I had an issue in 04 using duct tape on a blister and won't do it again! oh and a ton of ibuprofen and benedryl (but i'm allergic to bee stings and many other things!). And when I really couldn't sleep I'd make my own advil pm, by taking one of each, or two if it was a 'bad' night.

>  
> Water.. what is your water carrying method? platypus? camelback? bottles?
Before the bear cannister, I had a water bladder in my pack that lived up against my back, carried 3 liters and it was great! I also carried two water bottles in the outside pockets of my pack, plus I had an 'extra' 2 liter platypus bladder just in case. (I'm really scared of not having enough water, my issue!) But they weren't always full. However, I can think of at least two times I carried 8 liters of water in SoCal, yep pretty damn heavy, but I drank it all before the next water source!!! After Kennedy Meadows, the bear cannister and my 3 liter bladder weren't compatible, so I stopped using the bladder! And basically only used the 2 bottles in the side pockets. Unless I was going to camp away from a water source and then I'd fill the 2 liter platy to have for dinner and enough to get me to the next water in the a.m. But as I said, I'm a bit weird on hydration<smile>! That was 07, then when I finished my hike in 08 (Castella to Manning Park), I only used the two bottles as I forgot to bring the 2 liter platy (could have used it a couple times) and obviously didn't die from dehydration for not having it though!!!

 
> I'm pretty sure we had more questions but that's all I can think of for now..
>  
> =) Thanks in advance for your replies =)
> -Lois
>  
> 
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