Appalachian Trail, 1 Day Out
Oh my goodness, to be one day out is truly surreal. I spent most of my last morning in Philadelphia running around like crazy person, going to the studios, cleaning, packing, etc. I was going right until the moment we needed leave for our flight. But I feel confident that I have everything I need, maybe more than I need. I said goodbye to my dogs, and I just know I’m going to miss them more than I can imagine. But around 12:50, Alex and I got into the car for the airport. As soon as we pulled away that giddiness set in, realizing it was finally happening.
The flight went well, despite Alex and I being super afraid of flying. Now we’re in Sandy Springs, Georgia, right outside Atlanta. We went to REI, got some groceries, and now we’re vegging out in a hotel before getting a shuttle to the trailhead tomorrow morning.
Gear Talk!
If you’re interested, here’s the gear I’m starting the hike with. I feel like I have a reasonably light kit, but with lots of luxury items. I think I brought too many clothes. But my reasoning is that I can always send stuff home with Alex when he heads back to Philadelphia at the end of the week if I notice I’m not using it. I’m also hauling a mirrorless digital camera, and that’s a pretty weighty item.
Tent: Durston X-Mid 1p (1st Gen). I love this tent so much and I’ve taken it on my last few major backpacking trips. It sustained some damage recently, but I think I’ve patched it up well enough to function.
Pack: Virginia Foothill Designs, made by Scott Burrill. I can’t recommend him enough, he turned my dreams into reality by creating a pack featuring the Philadelphia Phillies red pinstripes.
Quilt: Katabatic Flex 40, with 1 ounce overfill. Tbh, testing it out, it feels a little bit narrow and constraining . Plus I’m also nervous it might be too cold. If necessary, I might swap it out for one of my 20 degree bags as I head north.
Electronics:
Camera: Fujifilm X100V, plus 4 SD cards, spare lens cap, and a USC-SD card reader that can pair with my phone. I wanted something more robust than a cell phone to document the hike. This model is pretty small and it seems like there’s a really favorable consensus about the
Apple Watch: I really flip flopped about using this vs. a Garmin. I tried an Instinct 3 for some test runs and I just didn’t like it very much. The only downside to the Apple Watch is the battery is shit, especially when you’re logging a works out, so I’ll have to charge it every night
Other stuff!
If you’re curious about what I have in the kits I’ve packed, these are a few other things I have:
First Aid Kit:
Mini Scissors
Mini Tweezers
Tick Key
KT Tape
Bandaids
Blister Pads
Alcohol Wipes
Meds: Ibuprofen, Benadryl, Imodium, Day/Night Cold & Flu, Mucinex, Claritin 24 Hour
Repair + Accessory Kit:
Gear Aid Tenacious Tape & Patches
Sleeping Pad Repair Kit
Extra Bottle Cap
Rubber Bands
Extra Sawyer Squeeze Washer
Extra Lens Cap
Microfiber Lens Cloth
Sewing Kit (Thread, Needles, Straight Pins, Safety Pins)
Bath Kit:
Folding Tooth Brush
Hair Ties
Q-Tips
Floss
Nail File
Comb
Travel Brush
Cup
Dr. Bronners
Eye Drops
Chap-Stick
Nail Clipper
