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Article 2
January 31, 2012

By Jim Dashiell, MD

Tribune Columnist

  Thanks to all who read my first article and liked it. There's so much to talk about in regards to the Appalachian Trail. It's really quite remarkable to think about a national park that is 2,200 miles long, 1,000 feet wide, encompasses 250,000 acres and is taken care of by locals who renew it, protect it and care for it as their own. They are all volunteers, many of whom have 'claimed' the same five miles or so of trail for many years just so total strangers such as us can enjoy the beauty of nature along 'their' piece of the trail. If that's not 'paying it forward' I don't know what is. I hope to meet some along the way and give them our thanks.

  I thought I would talk about gear. No, that's not a reference to speed. A typical long distance hiker is very pleased with an average speed of two miles an hour. I'm talking about the stuff you'll need to carry on your back to survive. The movement for 'ultra light' materials is in full force. Those are the people who carry only what they feel they MUST have. They are the ones who cut the handles off their toothbrushes, cut labels from their clothes, wear no underwear, wear the same shirt and shorts for twenty some weeks, buy the lightest possible packs and shoes, usually sleep under a small tarp and roll up in a fleece blanket rather than have a tent or sleeping bag. They may choose to eat all food cold rather than bring along a stove and fuel. All this, and more, to lighten their load. I won't be playing that game. The ultralighters are sometimes called the "cold, wet and hungry" people on the trail. Some of the extremists even consider toilet paper a luxury. Don't ask!

  Today's gear is much improved over 20 years ago when a 40 pound backpack was common. I'll be shooting for a maximum of 30 pounds loaded with food and water. Cotton clothing is no longer used because of it's tendency to stay wet. A saying on the trail is . . ."cotton kills" in reference to potential hypothermia. Fleece and nylon is much more practical as they dry quicker and keep you warmer for less weight. Wool blends are great too. An old joke goes..".What's the difference between a homeless person and a thru hiker?     Gortex."

  You'll need to have some way to treat water as water is heavy so carrying an excess is difficult. There are chemicals you can add to it, filters to clean it and even a UV light gizmo to sterilize it. Some hikers choose to drink it as they find it. I'm not going to be playing that game either. One hiker said her water was so full of pieces of 'stuff' she filtered it through her socks, which hadn't been washed in 5 days, just to get the biggest pieces out. I hate it when you have to chew your water.

  I'm combining this hike with a fund raiser for Tipton County's Mustard Seed, our only faith based non-profit. I'll mention more about that later. If you have a group that might want a speaker to talk about Mustard Seed and the Appalachian Trail, I'm your man.

  NE on the AT is NEAT!!

    “FUNNYBONE”