7/7/12 – 1175 miles
At present I’m not carrying many extra clothes. In warm weather, all you need is two shirts and two pairs of shorts. One pair I always keep clean so that I have something clean to put on in town after I take a shower. I have three pairs of socks that I rotate after two days on each. Two pair of underwear (eww! ). I keep my puffy jacket just in case there is a cold snap.
For rain gear I’m trying out an emergency poncho. Anything else is too hot. I do use a pack cover even though the rain will eventually enter the pack in an all day soaker.
For a sleeping bag I try to use the lightest material that will keep me warm. Some hikers are using a light flannel blanket now but I have a light bag that weights only one pound. Sometimes I just sleep on top of it if it is warm weather.
My air mattress is a Neo-Air Extreme, one of the lightest (and most expensive) blow-up sleeping pads made. Some of the first Neo-Airs were noisy and puncture prone, but I’ve had good luck with this one. It gets used every night I’m on the trail.
I will tell about my shelter system next.
Your gear has changed a lot since I last hiked with you. Nothing like a 1000-mile hike to figure out what works for you!
Just wanted to let you know that our low temperature tonight is supposed to be 94ยบ. Yes, I said 94. We are working on record highs and high lows. You aren’t eating any vegetables. When you go into town, you need to add some. It’s harvest time in the east; y9u should be able to get some good ones, corn on the cob, for one, and strawberries–all right so they aren’t veggies; they are good for y9u.