Breakdown of the Shakedown

Typical Sight Along the Trail

A few days ago, I posted a rundown of Ramius' and my first proper hike along a couple of sections of the CT. I attempted to include a fair amount of detail, but I did very little to tease apart how I will use the shakedown hike to improve future experiences. Here, I attempt to sift through my thoughts on gear choices, each of our performances on the trail, and some realistic expectations and goals for our attempt at the full 486-mile trail. 

Gear Selections
Going into this hike, I had the following gear list:

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This list represents a moderate improvement over the gear that I carried on the Long Trail - specifically, I reduced the base pack weight by about 2.33 pounds. I removed a few things (e.g., trail towel, water filter, etc), switched some things into Ramius' pack (e.g., his jacket), and added even more (e.g., Aquamira, a fuel bottle, etc.).

Photo from Big Agnes' Website

Since the shakedown, I have made further alterations based on gear performance in the field and a desire to get my base pack weight below 10 pounds prior to the start of the trail. This goal is quite lofty, though I think I'll be able to forgo a few relative luxuries that I was attached to on the LT. Perhaps the most surprising thing I've decided to give up is a proper tent. In order to save a full 1/2pound, I've decided to pitch my Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1 in its 'fast fly' setup. This means that I will only carry the tent's poles, fly, and footprint while leaving the tent body at home.

Ramius Sleeping in the Shade (Vermont)

I've also opted to treat this blog as my finished journal, thus allowing myself to drop 3/4 of a pound by carrying notebook paper rather than a sturdy Moleskine journal. I'll miss having a keepsake from the trail like I have from the LT, but I think this change is a step in the right direction in terms of maximizing my time enjoying the trail itself. Along those same lines, I'll be removing Ramius' personal sleeping pad. He and I share the same sleeping bag/pad each night and barely use the pad during the day. He typically lays on the edge of the Z Lite mattress when we take a break or in some cool grass.

Photo from Mountain Hardwear's Website

I'm also considering either selling my current pack and purchasing something lighter. At this point my 'big 3' weigh a total of 93.33 ounces (5.83 pounds). This is getting me into the ultralight range, but I'm intent on more than simply minimizing the 'big 3' - I'd also like to get my overall base pack weight down to less than 10 pounds. Heck, I'd like to get my skin-out weight down to 10 pounds, though I'm not sure how likely that is. The pack comes with a removable lid (not quite sure of its weight), and has straps that are in excess of what I require at my size/weight. I'd wager that removing these items/features should reduce the pack's weight by at least 1/2 pound. I'm also considering removing some of the outside pockets and other superfluous features to decrease the Fluid 48's weight. Hopefully I don't end up ruining the pack, but if I do I can always sell some other gear that I have lying around to get a suitable lightweight pack.

I wanted to comment briefly about the switch from a water filter to Aquamira: it was a discerning and necessary choice. Sure, there are some issues associated with the use of chemical purifiers rather than a water filter (e.g., cloudy water, 30 minute waiting time, etc), but saving over a pound in weight made my hike so much more enjoyable. I had no trouble getting water into the Platypus and didn't detect any distinct chemical taste. Ramius was even willing to drink it - surprising only because he is sometimes very picky about his water sources.

Trail Performances
This trek was a hard one for three main reasons: we're out of shape, the sun is ever present, and we consumed water faster than we could find it.

Following Cairns at ~12,500 ft.

Getting back into shape before we start the trail will not be an issue. We've been running most days, taking trips to the dog park, hiking, and camping.Acclimating to higher elevations is another story. I've planned on multiple occasions to bag a few 14ers over the past couple of weeks, but have been perpetually barred from climbing them due to rainy conditions. Side note: how wonderful has all of this recent rain been? Between helping to prevent wildfires, making things moderately green again, and providing us with nearly a week of temperatures that aren't above 95F, how could anyone be unhappy with it?

In any case, I think that after a few 14ers we'll be well enough acclimated to the average elevation (10,000 ft) of the CT. One of the many things that I realized about myself and Ramius when we tackled a total of 7 peaks in as many weeks during the late summer of 2010 is that the first one is quite hard and the rest get progressively easier.

Feeling the Heat

Now to the problem of the sun, its heat, and our inability to ever stay cool in Colorado woodlands. I burned somewhat on our hike, which didn't surprise me at all. Most of the time I had my sleeves rolled down, my boonie on my head, and my collar high up on my neck. This didn't really affect me in terms of overheating, and did a great deal to protect me from the sun, but being completely clothed like that does cause me to lose a lot of fluids. I'm not sure what to do about this other than carry an extra water bottle for those dry sections and to consume as much water as possible. While two liters of water weighs just under 4.5 pounds, this is one realm of weight-cutting that I won't ever test for fear of the consequences of being trapped somewhere without adequate water. In terms of Ramius' handling of the heat, I'm not really sure what to do about it. He hydrates as frequently as I do, though he is stubborn at times. I always have the option to carry his pack and plan on doing so relatively often as the heat demands it (and to add a few miles to our day). I think we just need to get out into the heat so he adjusts to performing in it.

Goals and Expectations for the Future
Perhaps the best way to sum up the experience we had on the LT is to (loosely) quote the Stones: you can't always get what you want but, sometimes, you get what you need. That trip taught me that all the planning, training, and optimism doesn't get you anywhere when random events occur. Thus my hiking philosophy has changed to something closer to that of Kolby Kirk's billy goating. The term has been defined by Kolby as the following:

Billy Goating
noun
The act of hiking a long trail, such as the Pacific Crest Trail or the Appalachian Trail, simply for the enjoyment of being outdoors. The desire to enjoy the trail outweighs the motive of thru hiking. This definition fits between thru hiking, which is the act of hiking an entire trail from end to end, and section hiking, which is the act of hiking a defined section of a long trail. Billy goaters might start as thru hikers, but as their journey progresses, their intentions change from the act of getting somewhere to the act of enjoying where they are.

Examples:
“I’m going to billy goat the Sierra Nevada Mountains this summer. I have a general itinerary, but really hope to find some new areas to explore.”
“I’m currently billy goating through Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness, hiking a few trails in the area.”

So, while I would love to finish the trail as a proper thru-hike, I'm not going to sweat it. I will be making no itineraries. I will be setting no strict time-frames. I am not even going to reaffirm my commitment to bag the 14ers that I previously listed on this blog.

The goal of this endeavor is simple: pure and utter enjoyment of the trail.