So tonight I have the strange contradiction of being in town while still writing this from my tent in a thunderstorm. I hitched out into Gorham today from Ponkham Notch (-319.4 miles) and told the nice guy who drove me out all about gear and trail life. He wants to go ultralight, which means the lowest base weight possible, typically under 15 pounds. My base weight is around 20, and with the winter gear it’s crept up to something closer to 22-23. While a difference of 5 pounds might not seem like that much, carrying less on every step of a 2,180 journey does amount to something significant. My bag, the Osprey Atmos 65, is heavier than most, but it is the freaking Cadillac of packs as far as I can tell, and the way it distributes weight makes it feel lighter. A lot of ultralight packs simply collapse if you go over weight on them, and when you need extra food or water that’s going to happen. I have a 20 degree Enlightenment (get it?) quilt instead of a true sleeping bag, which saves me some ounces and has proven warm enough as long as I keep the seam under me, and it’s versatile enough that I didn’t need to switch it out for something lighter. I am on the heavy side because I have a tent. It’s an “ultralight” Big Agnes Fly Creek 2, which means 2 person, but actually means 1 person and a pack. I sleep better at night because I’m enclosed, and I can organize my stuff and get dressed in here. Hammocks are lighter until you account for the rigging and under quilt (you basically need a second sleeping bag because you are open to the air on all sides.) I don’t think I’d be comfortable wide open under a tarp of sealed up in a bivy. So those are the big 3.
The reason I’m in my tent with my pack and barely under the quilt since it’s warm is because the hostel was full. I sleep better out in the tent anyway compared to a bunk room, and was hoping the rain would let up. So here’s the dilemma, I’m not done with the Whites, and the first thing I do out of Pinkham Notch is climb 2,000 feet in 1.7 miles. That’s pretty steep. You can do the trig and figure out the average slope, or just take my word for it. Not the kind of stuff you want to do in the rain and definitely not in thunderstorms. 50% chance tomorrow, 50% chance Sunday. I’m not taking 2 zeroes to wait for better weather which might not show. The plan right now is to go tomorrow, do 15, 8 on Sunday back to Gorham (there are two ways into town and the AT is never a straight line) and on Monday night go to sleep in Maine. If the weather is ugly when I get up I might zero and that plan gets pushed back a day. Otherwise it’s a coin toss and I’m taking my chances.
Station on the Appalachian Trail 