Re: [pct-l] Sharing equip. w/partner

[Greg Hummel <ghummel@hydrogenburner.com>]

At 09:51 PM 12/28/98 EST, you wrote:
>I'm interested in hearing from other PCT hikers who did a thru hike with a
>partner they didn't know very well and what equipment they shared.  

Dear Gently,

I met up with my hiking partner, Paul Hacker, at Burney Falls State Park in
Northern California in '77.  We both had two man tents, full menus, stoves,
etc.  After hiking together for about two weeks we realized that we were
compatible and likely to hike together to the border and so started
planning to eliminate some of the duplicate equipment.  We never considered
changing our menus as both of us were sick of our own and enjoyed each
others!  I've said this here before: VARIETY is the spice of the thru hiker
menu!

Well, before we hit the next mail drop a storm hit us and rained on us for
3 days straight and all the mosquitos came out and, boy, was it nice to
have your own tent to cook in and keep your gear dry in.  One stove might
have worked okay, but two tents were a luxury we decided to keep.  It
really paid off in the Northern Cascades when we caught 11 straight days
and nights of rain!  

On this tent theme, I used a Sierra Designs Starlight, a precursor to the
Clip Flashlight (or whatever it's called) and was caught in a high Sierra
snow storm at 10,000 feet that dumped about four feet of snow in two days.
I had to maintain the tent walls by compressing back the snow that pushed
them in.  Once done these walls stood up and helped insulate.  Then all I
had to do was maintain the peak walls periodically.  One night it snowed so
much during this storm that the snow completely sealed the tent and, but
for my bladder, would have suffocated me.  Never the less, a light weight
two person tent was ideal for me and I'm 6'9".

Best regards and Good Luck!

Greg "Strider" Hummel

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