Coleman Lake to Adams Gap ~ well, almost

[fungi]

Blister Bob gave us a ride to the Coleman Lake trail head for a week long hike to Adams Gap.  Before leaving, he told us to call anytime, day or night, if we needed him and he would come get us or help anyway he could.  We didn’t think we would need anything but thanked him and headed down the trail.
 
We got a late start and only made it the 3+ miles to Laurel Shelter where we spent the night. The next morning we headed on.  Right after Sweetwater Lake we saw some signs that said the trail to pine glen was closed but weren’t sure if it meant there or on up the way a bit, so we just kept on hiking the trail.  Wasn’t too long and we got up to the new bridge construction.  There were to construction workers there and we just walked over the mound of dirt and walked right across the bridge and they could have cared less. 

We picked the trail back up across the bridge and made it to the lower shoal shelter.  That was a great shelter where 2 streams forked together and made for a really nice place to sleep with the trickling sound of the water.  The next morning we headed out again and that's when it started getting tough.   My dad had already developed some good blisters on his feet and by the time we got to FS 531 they were really giving him trouble.  We pressed on and got about 2 miles from FS 500 Railroad Trail Head.

We had to make a tough decision and decided to take Blister Bob up on his offer to come get us if we needed.  He dropped what he was doing, actually he was out for a ride on his scooter on a beautiful fall day.  He said he would meet us at the FS 500 Trail head within an hour.   We made it there to find Blister Bob waiting with some very welcomed cold drinks and an understanding smile.
 
This being our first hike of this nature, we really learned a lot.  Our packs were just too darn heavy for this kind of trek.  I know you read about that so many times but you don’t  actually know till you do it.  My dad’s was 40lbs and mine was 45.  We had way too much food and we clearly see the need for some equipment changes.  We both have Gregory packs that weigh in at 6 lbs empty!  That’s about 3 lbs more than some other really good packs.  We also had way to much food.  We could easily cut out almost 5 lbs there.  Some lighter clothing would help too, jackets and stuff like that.    My goal is to get it down to 30lbs and I think that would be a lot more doable for me.  My dad is 77 and he has decided that maybe a 3 day hike is more in line for what he would like to stick with, in addition to getting his pack weight down too..

All in all, we made it about 20 miles and had a great time.   Thanks again Bob for the shuttle service and thanks to all the great post on this forum that helped me prepare for a great trip!  We’ll be back!

[Cuffs]

At least you got out there!

Regarding the gear...  I know the dry weight of your pack is on the heavy side, but work on all the stuff IN your pack first.  I portion out every meal, that way I dont carry more than I need, and one extra meal for incidental needs.  Work on the clothing.  Base layer, insulating layer and shell layer.  Thats all you need.  And only 1 set for hiking in and a dry set of top and bottoms for sleeping.  Yes, wear the same clothes every day. 

I dont know what shelter you are using, but Im sure there are lighter options for you.  Right now Lightheart gear has the solo and duo on sale.  Judy makes a fantastic tent!

Once you have the contents of the pack down, that will dictate the volume of pack you need. 

Also, Now that you are home, spread the contents of your pack out on the floor.  I suggest to new hikers, analyze whats there.  Make 3 piles. Items you used daily (pack, shelter, cookset, water treatment...)  Items used part of the trip.  Items you never used.  (if your rain gear and 1st aid kit were never used, be thankful but move them to the daily use pile)  Really look at what is in the second two piles.  Are any of the items needed for safety or other special purpose?  Keep them.  If not, would you have been ok if you left them at home?  Consider not taking them again. 

I still go through this procedure about once a year.  I used to take a journal and write nightly, so I always took it.  After a while, I was only writing about every 3rd night, so it migrated to the partly-used pile.  Took the journal one more time, never wrote in it on that trip.  Now my journal stays at home...  (I still take pencil and write on the back of my maps/ data sheets if I need to notate anything)

Start planning for your next trip and let us know what gear changes you make, we are all gear heads in our own right!


Relax, recover, work on your gear. 

[Woody]

Sounds like you had a really good learning experience but a good time as well which is awsome! My dad also hikes with me some though he is only 59 and he prefers overnighters or maybe two night trips which is fine with me as long as we can get out together.

As far as lightening your pack goes, I agree that you should probably look at the stuff in your pack first and then get a lighter pack last. The best decision I made regarding my gear was to go with a tarp instead of a tent. Right now no bug net would even be required meaning you could have a two man tarp for like 1.5 lbs instead of a 5 lb two man tent or two 3 lb one man tents. After that it is all about the money or your sewing skills as far as your sleeping bag is concerned. If you can use a sewing machine you can make a light  bag for low cost. But if you have to buy one you may have to put out some money. Either is worth the time or money. After that it is just weeding out the unnecessary stuff (i.e. heavy stoves, too much food, big cook sets, too many extra clothes, heavy sleeping pads, flare guns, cots, tvs, inflatable furnature, etc...)

[blisterbob]

Thank you for the kind words funguy,
kinda makes me want to use my own service LOL.
bb