Author Archives: Michael Waring

As the clock winds down to the two week mark, I’ve started obsessively (I do seem to use obsessively and obsess a lot) going over the contents of my pack. Take the stuff out of the pack, look at it, ponder whether or not I need this item or that item? Or do I need some more stuff?Wouldn’t that piece of equipment give me peace of mind in the case of a statistically very unlikely event? Or hey, look over there, something really shiny and high tech, and I must have it, even though I don’t really know what it is, but it’s sooo cooool! I haven’t gotten to the point where I’m actively considering getting the mini-espresso maker yet, but I’m getting perilously close.

Submitted for your consideration (in my mind, that’s intoned by Rod Serling), I present the optional, yet seemingly semi-obligatory, equipment display photo. Look at it, in all its glory! Everything is there, well, mostly. In the picture, I am missing the electronics, because they won’t be in the pack till the day I step foot on the trial. So add an iPhone and an iPad, plus charger, and a supplemental battery back-up. And the A.T. Guide. Of which I will carry only the first half, at the beginning of the trail. But otherwise, the photo shows all the gear that will be in my pack when I set off on the next great adventure.

There are some minor items that I’ll be carrying in my pockets, that are not shown. Like a bandanna, sunglasses, wallet, lighter, Swiss Army Knife and so on. I suppose I should have included them in the gear photo, but by the time I thought about them, I’d already packed it all up again. So instead, here’s a picture of the backpack all packed up. Note, in an earlier post, I did say I was striving to keep all my gear inside the pack with nothing hanging off. Well, I forgot a last minute addition, and that is the foam sitting pad. I cut it down from an old sleeping pad, but it’s still too bulky to fit inside the pack. I may still do some trimming on it, because it’s still a little bigger than I need, and it’s something else I can fret over for a while. Continue reading →

Around about now, it seems it is obligatory to post a gear list. Because that’s what everyone else who writes up a trail journal does, and I like being part of the herd. Harder for the wolves to get you … Continue reading →

I’ve been able to get back on the trails this last week. Usually here in the Front Range, February is a bit of a dry month, and the temperatures are often in the 40’s and 50’s. So it’s prime hiking … Continue reading →

Arghh, after a month at sea level, getting used to the altitude again here at home has been a bit of a struggle. I wanted to get back out as soon as possible to my usual hiking paths, but a … Continue reading →

It occurs to me that my last post does contain a few terms widely used among thru-hikers, which the general public might not understand. I thought I’d add a post to shed a little light on trail terms. Like any … Continue reading →

And the Antarctic cruise continues, giving me plenty of time to write between bouts of penguin, seal, and killer whale watching. Still not terribly effective as a training regimen, but the scenery is amazing! Before dashing off for the Antarctic … Continue reading →

Well, the Antarctic has been a blast. It’s not really helping me prepare much for the hike which is now just eight weeks away. The total extent of the hiking I’ve done on this voyage, consist of jaunts from the … Continue reading →