Day 12: April 9, 2022
AT mile 136.9
No hiking today
AT miles hiked to date: 6.2%

It snowed lightly on and off throughout today and we appreciated being out of the elements. After a hearty breakfast we spent most of the day checking email and Ros had a few uninterrupted hours for medical reading and listening to recorded medical webinars.

At 3pm we acquired the key to tonight’s accommodation which is definitely a step down in luxury as well as about 50 steps down from a toilet which is accessed from outside! That will be fun during the cold night! Nothing to drink after about 6 pm for me!

You asked about the gear we are using so here is a brief run-down:

The tent we share is an ultra lightweight frame less tent which uses our hiking poles for structure. It is the duplex from zpacks and weighs about 650g including pegs but not poles. We put a sheet of Tyvek under as a groundsheet.

Ros has an osprey lumina 60 pack – the very same one I used on the PCT but now with the addition of a garbage bag for a liner and an official Osprey pack cover because we knew this trail would be wet and the pack by itself is not waterproof.

Rob has a KS60 backpack – made by a cottage industry guy in Japan. It is the first major trip with this pack and so far it is proving great.

Our stove is a tiny Soto Windmaster which comes with a 1 litre pan and lid. It uses propane gas cylinder – easy to buy along the trails. We don’t really cook but boil water to rehydrate the freeze dried meals, couscous, potato flakes and ramen noodles.

We have Montbel rain jackets, rain pants are from Enlightened Equipment and down jackets are from Mountain Hard Wear. We had the jackets on the PCT and they are still going well but we have yet to really test the waterproof pants.

Other clothes are – thermal underwear, general underwear + a spare pair, 2 pairs of socks (Ros also wears injinji liner socks), warm hats, sun hats, warm gloves and waterproof gloves that we haven’t had a need for yet. We both have Altra brand trail runners instead of boots. They are light and dry quickly and, most importantly have plenty of toe room to prevent blisters.

Sleeping mats are Nemo Tensor inflatables and we have Zpacks down sleeping bags and liners to protect them and add warmth.

Water filter is a Sawyer Squeeze. Toilet trowel is Deuce of Spades.

We each have a Nitecore headlamp and Ros has a medical kit which I can detail another time if you like. Rob carries a phone and a camera and a battery for recharging our tech with the necessary cords.

All this gear except for Rob’s pack and the rainpants are the same as we used for the PCT.