[pct-l] tent stakes (tarp stakes, too)

[Sean 'Miner' Nordeen]

I've used the lightweight 6" titanium stakes with the tops painted orange for a few years with my tarp.  They are very lightweight so I don't mind carrying a few spares if I should loose one or need to use more in strong winds (lost 1 on the PCT, but normally the orange makes it easy to find them).  They also go into the ground very easily.  It's rare when I can't move a guyline 1 to 2 inches to the side and have the stake go right in with no pounding required.  If I'm in circumstances such as high winds where I'm worried they might pull out (never has happened by the way), I put some big rocks on top of the stakes to better anchor them.  But since I always cowboy camp except when bad weather threatens, it could be that I'm skipping over ground conditions where they might not work well.  But I always have the option of tying my tarp to a rock, tree, or log in those circumstances.

-Miner

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Check my 2009 PCT Journal out at www.postholer.com/Miner