72 Hours Til FT

It’s almost time to start packing

Most of the time when you find somebody’s pre- or post-trip report online, it is accompanied by a beautiful photo of all of their gear, meticulously positioned for optimal “pop.” It says “look at all my cool gear!” Yeah, I’m too lazy to do that. Note: Some of my gear is “cool” and some of it is rather pedestrian but quite functional.

Instead, I piled my stuff up on top of a cabinet in front of a window (you see that slick computer monitor in the reflection?) next to some of the clutter in my office. You can pick out some of the individual items, but a lot of it is buried in the pile. Kinda like how it will be in my pack.

Do notice however the beautimous SWD Long Haul 50 pack, about to go on its maiden voyage. I am cautiously optimistic that my search for the so-called Perfect Pack (for me) is about to yield a winner.

Notice also the bear canister. It’s my “beloved” Wild Ideas Blazer, which I have written about previously. I would’ve been under 10 lbs. baseweight if I didn’t have to bring this behemoth, but A) I’m hiking through Florida’s densest population of black bears, and B) I’ll be camping in at least one area with a problem bear history. With a little luck the canister will return with some battle scars that I can show off and a tale that I can embellish if not outright fabricate.

Even for Florida the forecast is calling for unseasonably warm temperatures, in fact as high as 81 degrees, with lows in the 50’s. This combined with Florida humidity means that my EE Apex 40 degree synthetic quilt gets the call. And I will only be bringing minimal extra clothing- one extra pair of socks, a rain jacket, a rain kilt, and my Nanopuff, which doubles as my pillow.

I had planned to tarp if it had been cooler, but the expected warmer temps raise the possibility of Dipteran horrors, so also getting it’s debut will be my Tarptent Notch Li. The bugs can suck it. I’m one of those people who gives off a pheromone or something that brings in mosquitos like crazy. My ankles are apparently filet mignon to a mossie.

A few other items will be in my pack or on my person for the first time, but I’ll write about those upon my return. What I’m most excited about, besides getting outside for a week in a new environment, are the 6 new dinner recipes…..a variety of cuisines to include Mexican, Uruguayan, Sri Lankan, Thai and French fusion. It’s looking like 6 days of food is going to fit inside the Blazer comfortably too.

I have worked really hard the past few years to overcome packing my fears, but the prospect of drinking skanky Florida swamp water is putting that to the test. I am bringing some AquaMira tablets in addition to my BeFree filter, and a handful of flavored electrolyte tablets to mask the potential flavor of marsh muck.

I am thankful today that I decided NOT to do another AT section hike. My last hike ended in Pearisburg, where it will get down to TWO degrees tonight, with a wind chill of minus 10. And you know it’s significantly worse up in the mountains. That kind of weather will perform cryotherapy on your cajones. I spent a night in the Smokies once when it got down to 5 degrees, and that shan’t be repeated if I can help it, even if I do have gear that would be up to the task.

Oops, the trail is coming for me…..this may be my last entry…..until around February 10th!