[pct-l] A quick introduction & some initial questions :)

[Kevin Cook]

Hi John,

That's a long intro! I probably won't hit all your questions, but here are
some quick thoughts. FYI, I am also planning a 2011 thru hike.

The Big Three: If you're a hammock user, why do you want to change that? I
also use a hammock whenever possible. I refer to my setup as a "sleep
system". I don't have the issue with crawly things though. If I see stars, I
sleep in the open. I planned a thru hike several years back that never
happened, but I did ask on this very list about hammocking. One hiker that
hammocked the whole way said he was able to find suitable trees the entire
trip. That was good enough for me, but I also don't mind sleeping on the
ground with just my tarp when I have to. If you are able to stay warm in
your hammock, the same insulation items should keep you warm on the ground.
I just use a 20 degree down bag myself, but your system should work even
better assuming it's light enough to meet your requirements.

For a pack, I use a Gregory Z65. Long ago I began the ultralight journey
too. I decided it's a great ideal to shoot for, but not something you ever
reach. I have a copy of Ray's book from when it was still the PCT handbook.
I subscribe to the philosophy, just not all the methods. The pendulum swung
way to the lighter side, not it has found it's happy place somewhere in the
middle. I prefer the heavier pack that provides better load carrying. I
hiked with a GoLite Trek for many years, but the lack of structure was often
bothersome. It just couldn't transfer that weight to my hips like I wanted.
The Gregory Z series, with it's curved backplane, does this extremely well!

I'm a boot guy like you. I'm not 100% decided on this issue either. Right
now I'm thinking I will be using more of a running shoe when I don't expect
snow. I'll probably wear my boots for the Sierras though. This might change
though.

I use a soda can alcohol stove made by yours truly. :)  I know you aren't a
DIY kinda guy, to the Mini Bull stove is probably a great option. How much
fuel? I tend to always err on the side of too much. Of course I don't intend
to hit town every 3-4 days. I'd prefer to go 6-7 days between resupplies. I
know it means I will have a heavier pack, but I also know how long it will
take me to re-organize my gear everytime I hit town. If the weight slows me
down a bit leaving town, I'll make it up by skipping stops. For me, it's
about the hike and the mountains, not being in town. YMMV  I use a single
grease pot for cooking/eating and a separate cup for drinks. My cup fits in
the pot with the windscreen, so my cookset is one self contained unit.

I won't be carrying any pepper spray. In my experience with bears, they
really want nothing to do with humans. It only takes a little
discouragement, ie rocks, to make them decide they would rather be as far
away from you as possible. We will be dealing with Black Bear, not Grizz.

I use an MSR hydration pack. I'm considering trying out one of the new
Platypus gravity filter systems. If so, that's all the water containers I
will bring. Otherwise, I use a water filter and a MSR Dromedary bag in
addition to the hydration pack. I prefer the bladders. They are lighter and
don't take up space when empty.

I don't carry dry sacks. I put a trash bag inside the sleeping bag
compression sack. Hasn't failed yet! Just practice stuffing the sack without
putting a hole in the trash bag liner. You put the trash bag into the stuff
sack, then stuff the sleeping bag into the trash bag.

Are you attached to that apartment? I know the rental market is tougher
these days, but how hard will it be to find a place you like quickly upon
returning? If it won't be too tough, then I recommend putting your stuff in
storage. That should be cheaper than using your apartment as a storage
locker, but only you can make the call about the value of not having to move
out and back in. In 1995, I spent 10 weeks in the Sierras, and we put all
out things into storage. Essentially I was homeless. There is a
psychological advantage here I think. It shows another level of commitment.
It's another aspect of your "exit from society".

Well I think I hit most of your questions. I've not thru hiked the PCT, yet
;)  but I've hiked several sections over the years and have done that 10
weeks stint in the wilderness, so I have a fairly accurate perspective I
think.


On Tue, Oct 5, 2010 at 7:45 AM, greg mushial <gmushial at gmdr.com> wrote:

> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Redwood Guy" <redwoodguy at gmail.com>
> > To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> > Sent: Thursday, September 30, 2010 9:47:58 PM
> > Subject: [pct-l] A quick introduction & some initial questions :)
> >
> > Hello Everybody,
> <snip>
> >A very tough decision I will have to be make will be do I keep paying for
> >rent for
> > a place I am not at, in order to secure it for when I am done, or, do I
> > just
> > try to find a place when I get back.
>
> John - welcome to the list. W/re the apartment: how about subletting it for
> the 3 months? The only problem with that is if you bail early...  and then
> won't have anywhere to go back to (until the sublet is up).
>
> TheDuck
>
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