new hiker

“Chris V i'm 25 from caldwell nj anything else you wanna know feel free to ask me i'm not here to bother anyone or shun anyone advice i have my reasons for my trip same as everyone else we all have are reasons mine are alittle to personal to just post here considering to dont know anyone here but if you like to get to know me as a person i'd love to meet new friends
chris
p.s the reason i came here was because my friend pamela told me you guys can offer me some great advice for my upcoming trip, i am aware of the weather i will incounter and am only asking to help better prepare me .
last edited: 9/11/07 10:38:40 AM”

“what if i got lost off trail

where and when youre going, you could die.”

“LOL!

I mean this in the nicest way - this thread, coupled with your myspace page, makes me think you're one crazy mofo!

I would suggest editing your real name. There are crazy, as in spooky crazy, people here. Full names are dangerous.”

“Ok "Lil-c"...

There are no fires allowed in NJ.

If you think you need a hatchet for steep "terain" please stay home?

Punctuation and paragraphing would be great.”

“he's not a troll guys, i sent him here”

“he's not a troll guys, i sent him here”
Pamela
11:47:15 AM
9/11/07

What did he ever do to you? ;)”

“trust me, he is very determined to go.”

“jerseynewhiker-

Please do not take my comment about not giving advice as a personal affront. The fact is, I give the best advice I can and that is all I will do. You are perfectly free to do whatever you want and take the consequences of it. No problem there from me. But I can not help you do something I believe is not a wise idea. I would suggest to you that there are other ways of finding yourself, escaping from som something, or challenging yourself that do not place you in such risk. You are roughly half way on the Trail in NJ. The situation would be totally different if you had decided to go south.

Knock yourself out. But you will have to do so with out my contributions. I have given the best I can.”

“Go South, young man.”

“Pamela, we try to help. Whack him with something. He's not listening.”

“Ok, you are pretty much set on your gear list, so I won't bother to recommend more changes. Your best piece of gear is going to be your head. Fill it with knowledge and skills before you set out there. Go the library, seach the internet, and gain as much knowledge as possible about where you are going and how to take care of yourself.

There is a good reason most hikers don't set out to hike north this time of year, especially newbies. The reason is that it can be very dangerous once you reach the Whites, and maybe before that if the conditions are bad. Please be careful.

Maybe you should consider going south instead.”

“You can download a free copy of the Thru-Hikers Companion here:

http://www.aldha.org/

Lots of useful information.

P.S. Go south!”

“thank you i have been doing my research and plan to continue to do so until i leave”

“"Pamela, we try to help. Whack him with something. He's not listening.”
spindlette
11:55:33 AM
9/11/07

Put a hex on him or something, Spindlette.
You can doo eet!”

“Not sure what you are trying to achieve for yourself for these personal reasons, but I'd seek some professional help.

I'm not sure risking death is the way to deal with personal issues and you'll also be risking the lives of those who may be forced to come and find you.”

“you'll also be risking the lives of those who may be forced to come and find you.”
Y2
2:02:27 PM
9/11/07

That is assuming anyone would know he needs finding. Who is going to be watching out for his schedule? Who is he going to contact? How is any one going to know he is overdue? We are talking some desolate country up there at that time of year.”

“hey crash, rev, stove YGM”

“YGM You Got Mail?

all I got was an offer to be a cash mule for some bogus asian exporter. Didn't know you cared.... :)”

“cute! i don't think that was me. try again.”

“Wow! I'm so excited about your trip. Please keep us posted.”

“i dont have anyone so i guess its an unrevelant question”

“sheesh... the offer looked so good too. Such a pity. Oh wait... "thing" just knocked again.”

“Put a hex on him or something, Spindlette.
You can doo eet!” MarkO

Seems someone already did. No need. ;)”

“It is most decidedly not an irrelevant question. Your very life depends on it. I am all in favor of folks running away to sort things out at times. But to do so recklessly is not the answer. I deal with folks all the time who want to to get away from situations that suck. But there are other ways of doing it besides risking death.”

“This sounds a little too much like...

"Into the wild."”

“I was thinking the same thing WK.”

“Another thing to consider is a lot of work you could have pciked up will be the seasonal stuff around the tourist business which is coming to an end now.

You prepared for dealing with a lot of snow? Snowshoes? Snowpegs? What about priming that alcohol stove if it's struggling to light in the temperatures, how to use it if you've had a couple of feet of snow?”

“Heya Chris! i shoulda said hi when i dropped in, huh? a duh moment. i've been doing 3 or 4 things on the 'puter at the same time. sorry.

i told you that you would get a lot of response here. i also told you that the people here were good people and that they would be frank with you and try to talk you out of the north going trip. it's because they care.”

“the way i see it my 2 major obstacles are the weather via cold and snow and getting lost now to put mind at ease alittle i am prepared for the cold weather and the snow i have elimanated the cotton and have my layers plan vapor barrier, then insulating layer, then outwear, i also have a homemade acholol stove for where there is no firewood.
i have a compass and basic maps of areas i will be traveling”

“Ya know, I have a gear list that I use for cold weather backpacking, a 3 day/2night list. It's not something I ever bothered showing you Chris because you don't have it and couldn't afford the stuff, now I wonder if I should've shown it to you.

Do any of you have a gear list for a trip like this?”

“hey pam these people are rough lol i know they are only looking out for my safety thanks”

“have you used the stove in the wild yet?”

“the one positive part is that things won't be too bad when you start, and at that stage you won't be too far from civilization. You;ll have a good time to work out a lot of stuff before the Weather becomes too harsh.”

“I almost died on my first bp trip. Baptism by Fire! You need to post a TR, even if you get only 2miles. I wanna read it.
last edited: 9/11/07 11:30:09 AM”

“no but i tried it out already even tried it with a fan blowing on high to simulate mild winds it works and when i put a wind shield up it will increase efficeny”

“Are you ready for 3 days of 40* rainy weather followed by a 10* - 20* drop freezing everything that is wet? The trails turn icy. Any wet cloths will become frozen solid and you won’t be able to put them on. This is common weather for that time of year. You can almost count on this happening at least once or twice during you're trip if you're lucky. If not it will happen more times. This is far more dangerous weather than when the mercury drops below 0.”

“If the gear list is non-negotiable and the route is cast in stone, and the timing is locked in, what exactly kind of advice are you actually looking for?

You did catch the fact that Baxter State Park will be closed long before you get there, right? (Um...do you know where that is?)”

“yeah they are Chris, but they do it for a darned good reason. and YOU are lucky, you came in here with me. anyone else would have been chewed up and spit out by now.”

“My alky stove worked great in the kitchen with the fan and all that. Took it out on the trail and the sucker wouldn't stay lit, wouldn't boil water, wouldn't do squat. Spindlette knows. She was there. Almost tied me up until I agreed to use her pocket rocket. Never... ever... under any conditions go out without a field test of important gear. Even a lot of the die hard alky stove users here switch to canisters or white gas for winter conditions.”

“Would it be a little presumptuous to make a nomination for a Darwin award at this time?”

“If the gear list is non-negotiable and the route is cast in stone, and the timing is locked in, what exactly kind of advice are you actually looking for?

I was wondering the same thing. You come asking for advice but don't want to take it when it's offered.

What kind of experience do have? Other than starting your stove in front of a high powered fan...which by the way, simulates nothing, IMO. Try that on day where the winds make it -20*F and you've been slogging through snow and over ice when your fingers are numb and you are flat out exhausted and freezing. Not quite the same.”

“you can't lure flies with vinegar nimble.”

“i am lucky pam i see there is alot of advice in here thank you

i will field test my stove out now
and yes i know where baxter state park is”

““you can't lure flies with vinegar nimble.”
Pamela
2:51:20 PM
9/11/07

Yeah you can... but they taste nasty when you try to eat them.”

“A Couple comments:

Plastic raingear will be shredded

Wool will be soaking wet and heavy

How long are you taking to do this?

Really a Hatchet?

Bring some salt for our food

Good Luck!
last edited: 9/11/07 11:46:01 AM”

“anyone else would have been chewed up and spit out by now.”
Pamela

That's not exactly the case Pamela.”

“no one said i list was locked in stone if you can make changes to better me than feel free just keep in mind i dont have money”

“Jersey, Pamela thinks you're a fly.”

“I always find it silly when people ask for advice and help and then disagree with it when given.

Have a good hike dude.”