Big Gee in Action
My gear list is close to what I took on the Mountain to Sea trail in North Carolina a few years back. That makes sense considering that the MST was my last thruhike.
Since I started this advanture a bit early I'll have a bit more gear in the beginning. My girlfriend agreed to meet me at Kenosha Pass with my big Atlas snowshoes, OR gaitors, some extra clothes, and a midweight boot. For footwear I'm starting with my Solomans.
I expect my typical carry weight to be around 27 - 35 lbs maybe a bit more on the longer stretches.
| Basics: | Gregory G Pack (lg 2,950 ci / 51 liters) 2 lbs, 14 oz REI pack cover Black Diamond Betalight tarp tent Kelty Light year 3D 30 degree sleeping bag Thermo-Lite Bivy Sack (if it really gets cold) Thermarest Toughskin sleeping pad Soloman trail shoes Merrell medium weight hiking boots (for when steep snow might be a problem) Merrell Ventilator hiking shoes (finished in these) |
| Performance Outerwear: | midweight fleece jacket White Sierra light rainjacket windproof fleece gloves liner gloves OR Rocky Mountain high gaitors fleece cap |
| Kitchen: | Peak1 Multifuel stove 32 oz fuel bottle 32 oz water bottle 2 1 liter collapsible water bags GSI Soloist 1.3 l pot Pur hiker water filter |
| Instrumentation: | mini weatherstation watch/altimeter/barometer/wind speed Suuntu compass |
| Sundry: | BD Enduro CF Trekking Poles (lost 1) Leki Makalu Ultralight Trekking Poles First aid kit Black Diamond Ion headlamp Leatherman Juice CS4 Pentax Optio W60 |
What sort of food will I be cooking up with my camp kitchen? I'm going to try something different. I plan on starting with some MREs and leaving my stove, pot, pot grabber, and fuel until after Breckenridge. MREs are heavy but I'm going to have a couple small food caches so I think I'll come out lighter and less bulky to start. After Breck I'll dine on the usual backpacking food: mac n cheese, shells and cheese, ramen noodles, scalloped potatoes, soups, pasta salads, etc. You get the idea. The second thing I'm switching up is that I have always planned on eating hearty, carb-rich 800-1,200 calorie breakfasts and dinners, and snacking (500 calories) for lunch. On this thruhike I'm going to try moving the light meal/snacks to dinner and have a big breakfast and lunch. Incidentally backpacking burns 11 calories per minute in the mountains.