Summer 2009

 

Objective:  To finish the Appalachian Trail.

 

Initial Plan:  Start out where I left off at Bennington, VT and head north until completing the trail.

 

Planning Concerns:

Bugs:  Last year I used a tent instead of my hammock and tarp to deal with the numerous mosquitoes.

Do I modify my hammock and tarp or do I stick with the tent?  If I use a tent, then which one – the lighter MSR Hubba or the rock solid Eureka Backcountry-1?  If I go the hammock or Hubba route, I already bought a light-weight poncho to replace last year’s defective one.  If I go the Eureka Backcountry-1 route, then I have to sew four velco strip to my old heavy poncho to fine tune it into a more effective rain-fly for the tent.

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It is likely that I will be heading into the end of black-fly season.  Do I sew mosquito netting around the perimeter of my tarp to make a huge comfort zone for camp chores?

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Pack:  Do I strap everything onto the pack-frame or do I keep using the pack?  The pack (bag portion) weighs 2 pounds.  Two pounds is a lot of weight.  But I will have to drag the pack through Mahoosac Notch.  Since there are so many swamps, do I skip the pack-bag and use a fully sealable large bag like I use for canoeing?

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Footwear:  Do I pack my Neos-overboots along with a pair of sandals and my good hiking boots?

Which pair of sandals?  One pair is heavier, but provides more impact protection.

 

Bennington, VT to Mount Katahdin, ME