Getting back to California
Since I got back I've been training and preparing for the trail. I recently walked down to the American River near where I grew up and tested everything that I plan on bringing on my hike.
Overall I am happy with all my gear that I'm bringing. I was thinking about just bringing a minimal list water filtration system. But during this test hike I had some problems threading my filter into a platypus water pack. So I decided to bring my heavier but more reliable system. It consists of a large MSR water bladder and a Sawyer filter. This water filter system can be used as either a gravity filter or it can be used as just a water bladder that you drink out of.
A tick
Also one more thing that was a little bit concerning on that happened on my hike was I got bitten by a tick. I woke up in the morning and my left arm had a pretty sharp pain and I thought that I got a bad case of poison oak. But when I checked to see what was on my arm there was a tick, and it was not coming out. Then I remembered a trick that I learned when I was a kid to remove tick from a dog.
What you do is take a match and light it. Then you touch the tick with the hot part of the match. Then the tick is supposed to come out. This I think was a pretty bad idea.
So I took my lighter and burnt the tick. This killed it but in the process I think I made the tick throw up all its gross stuff into my arm.
Then I dropped the tick on the ground and I couldn't find it. Later after I got home I learned that it's not good to burn a tick while it's still on you. I guess what's good for dogs isn't necessarily good for me.
Also I learned that it's very important to keep the tick to get tested for Lyme disease. If you don't have to tick then it takes around two months to get an accurate test. You can take a series of antibiotics but most them have negative side effects, especially if you plan on being constantly in the sun like I am in a few days. So I've decided to see if there's any early symptoms like fever, headaches, flu-like symptoms. If that happens I will try to find antibiotics. But nevertheless this whole scenario has been a little concerning.
Now let me talk about my gear and what I'm bringing. Most lightweight backpackers will weigh each item to make them more aware of how much they're bringing. I did not do that because I can't be bothered to buy a scale just for that. Instead I try to use common sense and bringing things that I know I will need.
For example my first aid kit is pretty minimal. I think most people might bring more but I found through experience what is useful and if I need something else like find it on the trail. I'm bringing sunscreen, mosquito repellent, Chapstick, a toothbrush, some antibiotic ointment, and a repair kit that has a sewing needle, some duct tape some other types of special tapes to repair cuben fiber.
I also have a mosquito net and an ace bandage just in case I sprain my ankle or twist my knee really bad. I have some other things I like superglue, and extra battery for my light, and a razor. Last year when I did a section of the PCT people were quite surprised that I wasn't growing a beard like everyone else. It's just not for me.
I also got some giardia meds for later on in the trail when there will be more cows and livestock around.
As far as water filtration goes I have lots of different things. First I have my 6 L MS our water platter. I chose this because it's very strong I've heard that for military officers test these by driving over them in their Hummers. So I chose to bring this just to have something strong. The downside is it does have a slight taste to it like a tire or garden hose. But if you can get past this very good water platter. They also have a 2 L Platypus bottle. This I can connects the 6 L MS are bladder and hang it to create a gravity water filtration system. I also have one backup 16 ounce Sawyer squeeze bottle and I have a bicycle water bottle I forgot to put in this picture. I also am bringing aqua Mira droplets. Which are basically chlorine droplets that have little to no taste to them. I will use this when I am re-hydrating my food and cleaning out my tupperware container. If I can dry my dishes properly I can use this to sterilize also. You need to be careful, especially if you're not bringing a stove like me, to sterilize your water for everything, even cleaning.
The next thing I have is the clothes that I am bringing. I am bringing a lots of down products. I have a down jacket made by Mont Bell which weighs about 12 ounces. Down pants also at our made by Mont Bell and they weigh about 7 ounces and lastly I am bringing down vest from Feathered Friends that weighs about 6 ounces.Which are excellent if you keep them dry. But if they get wet could be a problem. Therefore I might change out some of my down for fleeces later on on the trail.
I am also bringing two pairs of socks some gloves and wind jackets and wind pants.
Next I will go over my sleeping system. Basically I plan to sleep in a bivy sack most of the trip. The only time that I will be sleeping inside my shelter is when it's wet or when it might be wet. I'm bringing a Zpacks 20° down sleeping bag. I tested this bag a couple times and it's a lot cooler than my other Mountain Hardware down sleeping bag. But it's a lot lighter. I'm also bringing a Gatewood Cape which is basically a poncho. That you can also use as a tarp like shelter. I used last year on the Pacific Crest Trail section hike quite a bit. Because there were lots of thunderstorms and I recall even one day it was raining all day into the night and it served its purpose. The only tricky part is if it's raining and you're wearing your poncho then you have to set up your shelter very quick.
Next my cooking system. My cooking system is very simple and I am using this for the first time. Last year I brought a alcohol stove but I am trying to save some weight since I'm bringing more warm clothes in the desert. So I will re-hydrate foods like beans, potatoes, couscous and in a Tupperware. It has a locking lid and seals fairly well so I can also use this for water, or for making drinks if I need to. Also I am bringing a bag for my food, and putting that in a plastic Opsak bag that will help keep food odors inside the bag. I hope with this system I'll have little to no odors to prevent any encounters with critters.
My electronics are not so simple in my opinion. Also they're not the lightest thing for carrying in my backpack. I'm bringing an external battery to charge my camera and my phone. I'm also bringing my Sony DS X 100. This camera I have been using for over a year now and it is very small and it takes some really great pictures. For all you people that are into photography also takes raw photos in JPEG's. I got a Wi-Fi memory card for this camera so I can transfer photos from my camera to my phone. The only thing it's not the fastest thing to do and in the process you would waste your camera battery and your phone battery. Oh and that brings me to my phone I am currently using. my phone to take these pictures. So it's not included but it is an iPhone 5 with a waterproof case. Also I have a zebra lights headlamp that requires one AA battery and a Swiss Army knife that also has lights some chords the charger and it's and next for battery for my camera.
I am going to bring these things with me also mostly I'm going to be wearing or using everything here. I have a baseball cap at all use with the bandanna to keep the sun off my head and neck. I have some running shorts that are made by New Balance. And a Real Raiders long sleeve shirt that has ventilation to keep me cool. I also have all Altera running shoes with a wide toe box, kinda look like clown shoes, but I just got them and I really like them. They're a little bit bigger than most running shoes but they have a lot of room. This helps prevent blisters if the shoe is breathable which these are. I just wish they had different color because black will get hot in the desert. I also have some socks which are nothing special they are Marina wool and the person I talk to at my local running store told me they would be very durable and cool. So I am giving them a shot. Normally I would use Darn Tough running socks but supposedly these are better. Also lastly I am bringing gators they're made of spandex and they're called Dirty Girl gators and I really love them. They keep stuff out of your shoe and they're very lightweight.
That is all my gear I hope you found this posting useful or interesting or neither. Really soon I will post a blog on my food. I still haven't gone through everything in my food box but it's very daunting thinking about going through all the towns and putting all my food in boxes and dividing out. But I will get to it very soon because I plan to be on the trail in a week or less from today. I don't have a specific date that I plan to go to the Mexican border. I just want to feel healthy and have everything prepared and taken care of before I go.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Until next time thank you again for purchasing my photos and helping me fund my hike.
