I've got a question and what better people to ask other than you ladies and gentlemen , if you were to be hiking the Appalachian trail from Springer Mountain ga to VA606, that's 608 miles what would your pack consist of to help you through the next 30-35 days? Please and thank you
My wife and I did this a few years back, and it was an adventure i still look back on fondly. We took 5 weeks, started @ Bear Mtn in NY with the mindset that we'd end up where we ended up (which was Western MA). We didn't have any goals to reach, or any real constraints, which was what made it really enjoyable. Due to our lack of schedule, we weren't too concerned with the lightest possible packs, but to be honest, i don't think it would've mattered all that much. You adapt pretty quickly to whatever you're carrying. But then again, we weren't looking push speed or mileage at all. We were possibly the laziest hikers on the trail, but i think we may have had the most fun.
The things that we found most important: A good water filter (we hiked in the dead of summer and water was hard to find for a while, thus we were forced to pump from a few really gross looking bogs - we were happy we spent the extra $$ on a nice filter)Find one that is easy for you to use... because you'll use it at least once every day.
A good stove/cook kit: At the end of the day, a nice hot meal is wonderful. Also. Find a good seasoned salt or spice blend (or curry, like we did). Switching/spicing things up helps you keep from getting bored with your food.
Flip Flops: They don't weigh much, and at the end of the day being able to lose your boots and air your feet out feels great.
DEET: Anything you can do to keep the ticks off is worth the weight. Picking ticks off your body at the end of the day is a bummer.
Money: We found food drops to be a P.I.T.A. It was easier to hitch into a town every week or so to stock up. Plus the occasional hotel room with a hot shower was awesome.
That's what I got. Hope it helps you. Have a great adventure. There's nothing like a month long stroll in the woods... you'll never forget it.
Thanks , I'm not going for speed ,i don't want to spend money on any places to stay, i really just want to sleep out unless i just can't because the weather conditions and I'll be by myself, I'm going because its always been something that's called me for as long as I can remember ,I'm only 25 but I have 4 kids 9b,5g,3b and g6 months ,I'm not going until spring 2017 so my youngest daughter will be a bit older ,I'd love to hike the whole 2000+ miles throughout the year but my priority is family of course, but I think it would help me in ways that nothing and or nobody can and I love the mountains, it's a personal journey and just one of them dreams that I can make happen, thanks again
I've done a fair amount of long distance backpacking, and the best resource I found is backpackinglight.com. Folks there are beyond knowledgeable, and have had extensive gear list discussions for similar itineraries.
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