New Trip Report posted by Mort

Trip Name: Solo Two.

Entry Point: 37

Click Here to View Trip Report

I liked reading about all the things you'll be cutting from your next trip.

Thanks for the trip report, Mort. It was an especially interesting read for me since I'll be going solo through EP #37 in 6 weeks. I'm always looking for ways to simplify things and lighten the load when solo. Like you, I've also made less ambitious trip plans with shorter days and more layover days. I've also simplified meals and the kitchen about as far as I'm going to go. Looking at shedding some clothes weight and some odds and ends type stuff like you. I rarely bother with a fire anymore, so don't take a hatchet or even a saw. Glad you had a nice trip.

Nice report, love reading solo reports.

Your right about gear and a need to NOT bring it. I take a shower system when group camping, but rely on a collapsible sink and one of my pots...dumping the pot over me to rinse. Dual function then. Same with camp suds. Agree with Boonie that a saw is uneccessary also.

Loved this report. It sounds all very familiar to me the way you like to trip. And I also like your list of things to cut. I'm gonna leave the saw home for the first time this year. Another way to reduce weight is to not take a frying pan. I filet fish and cover in oil and seasonings and wrap in foil for a no mess dinner.

Glad you like your hammock system. Maybe use a very thin closed cell foam pad underneath to stop the skeets. Maybe 1/8 inch. It will keep you warm down to 40 degrees too.

Great report - I'll be at EP37 in one week. Love the book choice - I feel illiterate that I don't take time to find stuff like that. I like the granola bar idea, but I wouldn't give up on the gorp because it's about as good as you get for calories per ounce. And for goodness sake don't take fewer coffee packets.

I use this website called backpackinglight.com, and look at other people's posted gear lists for ideas on how to save weight. There are too many ideas to mention - like powdered toothpaste or just baking soda in a baggie for toothpaste. But, in general, that website is kind of gadgety for me. Lately, I've been more interested in the more primitive. I read about this 66 year old lady who supposedly hiked the entire Appalachian trail with just a blanket and a shower curtain - kind of like George and Lennie and their tight bedrolls and 2 cans of beans. I also found this link on civil war soldiers and what they carried really interesting. Perhaps if you read history you might also find that at least a bit amusing. Anyway, for me, I used to start my thinking at: "what can I possibly cut from my current load". But now I think more like: "what am I carrying beyond a shower curtain and a blanket that if that 66 year old lady or civil war soldiers were to see me, I wouldn't be embarrassed to be show them I was lugging around." I'd like to get down to close to what they carried around, at least once, although it would probably be a silnylon tarp and a waterproof down bag and a Ti mug instead of a shower curtain and blanket.

Thanks everyone for reading my trip report. Thanks also for your comments and suggestions. I really appreciate your input. Hope your trips in the future turn out better than you even expected!