Springer Mountain through Great Smokies National Park Section Hike- Less than 24 hours until we hit the trail

     Tomorrow morning my daughter and I will fly to Atlanta, catch the MARTA to REI, buy a canister of fuel, and then catch an UBER to Springer Mountain, the start of the Appalachian Trail. We will then spend the next few weeks hiking north, with the hope to make it through Great Smokies National Park. 

  This will be our longest trip by far, both in miles and days on the trail. Our previous longest trips were 65 miles (a shakedown hike heading North out of Damascus, VA in late March 2016) and 45 miles (Middle section of Shenendoah). By the end of this trip, I hope to have over 500 miles of the Appalachian trail completed based on our various section hikes. That's a bit less than 25% of the total length of the trail. I guess I'll be a legitimate "Section Hiker" of the AT at that point. 

   If someone wants to fund an early retirement...I'll be happy to turn this into a through hike. And I know Sage would be happy to keep going. 

Gear and Supplies: 

   It is, of course, not much fun to carry over 20 days of food, so we will typically have 2-6 days of food. I'll need about 2 pounds of food a day, and Sage needs much less than that. We will resupply every few days along the trail. For an example of what a typical hike and resupply plan looks like, see "AWOL's" 12 mile per day average example plan: 

http://theatguide.com/PlanNobo2010-12.html

    While in town, we will also look for the nearest "AYCE" (All You Can Eat) buffet.

    So what will we be carrying on our hike?  Right now, my pack is about 24.5 #s with no water or fuel, and Sage is carrying 21#s. A lot of that weight is food.  I am hoping that our average pack weight with water will be about 20#s or a bit under.  This makes for a very comfortable hike. But...since I'm cheap, I'm bringing a bit of extra food at the start. 

 To ensure I have sufficient gear, I justed check the weather right now on Clingman's Dome (the highest point we'll visit on the hike). 

     Yes, it's 27 degrees right now on Clingman's Dome. On May 5th. Yikes.  Unfortunately, weather like that prompted me to throw some long underwear and a long sleeve top into my kit. My pack should have been 23.5#s.  I'm not worried about Sage, she already has the clothing and a down jacket good enough for weather in the 20's.  And of course, we will watch the weather forecast and make adjustments as needed. It is only at the higher elevations this time of year where the weather can still get really cold.  27 degrees is not nearly as cold as 35 degrees with wind and freezing rain...that's the "worst case" weather I need to ensure we can survive.  

    So what's in our packs:

1) Hammocks, tarps, hammock straps, and stakes

2) Ground pad for Sage and 40 degree Underquilt for me ( I also have a 3/4 length air pad as a "frame" in my frameless pack, so I can sleep in a shelter if necessary)

3) 32 Degree sleeping bag and 20 degree top quilt

4) 2 pair of socks, 1 spare shirt, 1 spare underwear each, down vest (for me), down jacket for Sage, Rain Jackets

5) Rain "Kilts" (sheet of Tyvek, also works for a ground cloth to sleep on)

6) Warm hats

7) 20000 mah battery, quick charger, cables, headlamps

8) About 14#s of food and coffee (way more than we need until the first resupply, but will save a few $ over trail prices. We've got about 2 weeks worth of candy, peanut butter and Nutella, and 3 days worth of meals)

9) 1 Ti mug each, a large ti pot with frypan lid, a small aluminum frypan  6.5oz (not neccessary, but really useful for frying and baking), Ti canister stove (1 oz).  1 Ti Spork each. I could knock a pound off of this kit by dropping the frypan and the large ti pot....but I like to cook real meals on the trail. 

10) A "pour over" coffee brewing setup

11) Camelbacks, Sawyer Squeeze water filter and 2 x 2Liter Evernew Water bags

12) My smartphone and a small smartphone for Sage to listen to books / music

13) First Aid kit with lots of Ibuprofin

14) 1 small shovel

15) 1 Knife

16) Tevas (me) and Flip Flops (Sage) as camp / shower shoes

17) Paper Journal (Sage)

18) Food Bag & cords to hang

19) AWOL's AT Guide ( just the pages we need)

20) Guthook's AT App (on Android) - Weight 0 oz

21) Mittens / gloves

  and perhaps a few other things I've forgotten. 

Or put more simply...about 15#s each, not counting food, water and fuel. As light as that is, there are folks who go lighter. I think we've struck the right balance, as the comfort would go down quite a bit if we cut anything more from our packs.  The next few days weeks will tell if we chose our gear well. 

  That's it for now...will try to post regular updates on our progress and trials on the trail.