IAT Hike: How I planned it.

So you've seen my picture dump, and my itinerary, my recounting of the trail and my post-trail thoughts, and I though today you might be interested in how I planned it. It all began with the very vague awareness of a number of parks I've camped near being situated near the Ice Age Trail. Turns out that a couple of them I had actually been mis-remembering, and they are actually near the (far less interesting) military ridge trail. Said trail DOES connect to the ice age, but it lacks a lot of the considerations that the Ice Age Trail possesses. It's not a national scenic trail, and does not aspire to be. I actually don't understand how anyone would actually be expected to traverse it entirely on foot, as it lacks anywhere to stop and camp. But I'm getting off-topic here. Knowing, then, that the IAT passed through, or near several familiar campgrounds, and most conveniently, through one of the nearest campgrounds to me I decided to use that as my starting point. I would find a spot roughly 10 miles out from the park, and walk my way in. I decided that I wanted a base camp to return to, so that I would not have to tend camp after a day of exhaustion. It was quite simple to convince Bob to play that role. Really did not have to twist his arm hard at all to talk him into a spring camping trip.

Next came the IAT Guidebook, put out by the Ice Age Trail Alliance. An inter-library loan got it into my hands, and I began planning. Erroneously I initially set my sights on starting in Iola. Until I noticed that the relatively short segment of trail there led to a 13 mile connecting road stretch, longer than my entire executed hike. Revising that, I wound up with the trip you saw me describe already. The guidebook is one I intend to purchase, and it seemed quite worthwhile for planning anything like this, particularly since the Ice Age Trail is only roughly 50% complete and you'll need to plan accordingly. I have difficulty envisioning how anyone actually through-hikes the entire thing, primarily because something like two thirds of it does not afford camping along the trail. I also obtained through the library, the IAT Atlas. The maps from this were vital to my naigating the trail, though the same information was represented, albeit a bit smaller, in the guidebook. I was glad for the larger map pages however, and would definitely plan to employ them again.

Finally it came down to choosing a time. And the main consideration for that was weather. Everything else I could influence, but I was at nature's mercy for weather considerations. I kept an eye on Weather Underground's forecasts and once the right conditions presented themselves, I went for it. Other than that, Reddit, OutdoorGearLab, and obsessively prowling for information got me informed on what I'd need and what I'd want to bring with me.

Would I recommend the guidebook? Definitely. Would I recommend the atlas? Possibly. I did fine just making photocopies, but I can certainly see occasions where it'd be handy to own the whole thing. Where's my next stop? the Harrison Hills segment.

Backpacking: Why I'm Doing This.

So, those of you who know me (and I know many of you have for some time now) might find yourself wondering why I of all people am getting so dedicated to what is essentially repeated, exhausting, constant activity and exertion. Others of you might already know, or might know in part. If nothing else, this should help fill in the gaps for you. I know that if any of my old gym teachers were to happen upon this blog, and somehow recognize me that their reaction would somehow resemble the 'choosing the wrong grail' deaths from Indiana Jones. I am not a person renowned for activity or athleticism. I do however love the outdoors. Those of you who don't see my obsession with backpacking as unusual are probably thinking of my love for camping and the like, and not focusing on how much walking is really involved.

And it's true. I've always had a very difficult time with more traditional sports and gym activities and the like. I'm not fast on my feet. Not for very long, anyway. My legs have always been long, and my tendons not quite long enough, this has always made it a challenge to move fast for long without it getting painful. Never been a runner at all. I can recall a few instances where sadistic gym teachers refused to accept my 20 minute mile, and cruelly put me through it again. No. I'm still not over it. Yes, it was in like... 5th or 6th grade. No. I haven't forgotten having to do it. Nor have I forgiven whatever neanderthal had nothing better to do than collectively waste our time with it. So why walk all day long? Well, Walking's a different story! I don't have to go fast, I just have to keep going.

This all takes root in a ski accident the better part of a decade ago. Fell at the end of the season, and snapped parts of my tibia off. Now they're bolted back on with Titanium. Go Cyborgs! But, getting back to some semblance of functional after that necessitated a lot of working out. The whole thing just drove home over and over again how little I cared for exercise for exercise's sake. Despite being a hedonist at heart and absolutely loathing what a painful, unpleasant experience it is on a treadmill, or lifting weights or riding an exercise bike, the hardest part of it is the banality. I'm Extremely ADD, and I have no love for painful things, but compared to how I feel about boredom, it makes me look positively masochistic. Going to the gym is an incredible challenge for me. The actions performed there are dull and repetitive and performed in a relatively sterile and unengaging environment. Even worse, they're painful and grueling. This prevents me from my usual solution, escaping into daydream or entertainment media. I just can't engage with it, and escape into netflix, music, or television when my body keeps reminding me that it's there.

I forget where I read it, but I know it gets discussed. If you want a fitness program to be effective, it can't just be a thing you do for awhile and then stop. You'll just backslide. No, it needs to become a way of life. And, I'm still me. I don't want to subscribe to most of the fitness-oriented ways of life. I don't want to become one of those guys with 26.2 stickers plastered all over the back of a subaru. I don't want to constantly talk people's ears off about crossfit. I don't want working out to become my life. Theres too much... saccharine and testosterone and motivational posters that have no effect on me floating around in there. I can't make that my life. I could pretend for awhile, but I'm no good at living lies.

Then we get the winter of 2013/2014. I don't know how it went where you were, but in Wisconsin it was one of the least pleasant winters we'd had in awhile. Constant assaults from polar vortices and a winter that just would not die left me rabid with cabin fever. I put a lot of effort into collecting all my old camping pictures, contacting friends for albums that had long since vacated their original homes on facebook, and tossing them all on my server. Prowling the outdoor-oriented sections of Reddit, obsessing over gear. At the time, I was still pretty focused on the Car Camping thing too. But then I stumbled on some videos. Outtake reels from some through-hiker documentaries.

Enchafe The Brutality was the first. Followed by Coloradon't. Then Roaming Wyoming and The Last Best Takes. All of them, outtakes from a northbound hike up the Continental Divide Trail. I watched them. Rewatched them. Devoured everything else on Team Bad Wizard's Youtube Channel. I wanted to do this. I wanted to go on adventures like these. Still thinking about getting their documentaries, but at $40/ea, I feel weird buying DVDs when I bought a hammock for $30. I feel like gear ought to come first in my budget. I haven't stopped watching videos of hiking stuff either. I really like what they did in this one, Halfway Anywhere's Three Second Thru Hike of the PCT. "Mile, Mile and a Half" on Netflix, that sort of thing.

One thing I noticed in these videos? Through Hiking works up a monster appetite. These people were devouring whatever they could get their hands on, and still staying in shape. This appeals to the glutton in me. I've heard tale of a challenge where halfway through one of the major trails, there's a general store. Legend has it that through hikers attempt to devour a whole box of icecream there. I don't necessarily want to consume that much ice cream... but being able to do so without worry would be awesome.

So here we have it. Here's a lifestyle I can get into, actually live for this thing that'll get me out there and active. Something I don't have to force myself into doing. Something that looks like it can build quite the bond with your fellow hikers. I don't need motivational sayings, or a pep rally. I don't need a training coach or an armband for an ipod. Hiking isn't a repetitive, rote action done solely for the end result, no, it's rewarding in and of its self. Going on a hike is it's own reward, and it's constantly rewarding! If it's anything like car camping, even the unpleasant parts will be rewarding, as stories of what you've endured or as experiences to learn from.

And it's outdoors! I might struggle to complete an entire hour on the treadmill, but I'll tell you, my segment hike of the Ice Age Trail was 200x easier than that hour on a treadmill. I walked 4 times as far, through much tougher terrain but time flew past like a rocket. My love for the outdoors anesthetized me from most of the unpleasantness of the exertion. I was seeing new places, doing new things, testing gear out. I was not for a single second bored on my hike. I was exhilarated, confused, overtaxed, thirsty, hungry, happy, amazed, sore, frustrated, surprised, in pain, and relieved to reach my campsite... but not once was I bored. Not once did I want to quit.

Also it involves gear! Not only do I get to hunt for my own gear, but if I have any hope of talking friends into joining me, I'll probably need to find them the best, cheapest options so they're equipped to join me. (none of them seem to be taking it serious yet, so we're hoping for next year). I thrive on one, being well equipped for things, but also two being able to make recommendations to others. Just the other day a poster on Reddit was asking what people thought of a $50 50L backpack being sold by wal-mart. I happened to be in one of the local wal-marts and I put it on, sent them my impressions of it (it was way too small for a 6'2" 250lb person, and it felt cheap compared to the Jansport Katahdin 50L which can be had for virtually the same price)

Yeah. This is my way of getting in better shape without lying about who I am. It's about getting out into the outdoors and branching out from car camping. It's about gear obsession and cabin fever. And I'm doing this blog because I don't have enough ears to chew about it. There aren't any active IRC communities I can find. I haven't been able to sell people on joining me yet. I keep forgetting to get in touch with a local meetup group focused on it.

And now you know why.

Advice/Musings: Getting outfitted for backpacking

If you're here, I'm sure you've noticed how much of what I post is about my gear. In part, this is due to the fact that I've started the blog in what is still (for Wisconsin) the off-season. In part this is also due to the fact that I am all about being well equipped. That's one thing that stuck with me from my boy scout days, is a drive for preparedness. Just ask my friends, I've got everything we need for most of our adventures. Whether it's heading north for a car camping trip, holding a LAN party, or trying our hand at EVP Recordings in an asylum graveyard I'm the guy with the gear. And while I've been researching gear, I've not only been looking out for top of the line equipment to outfit myself with, but also frugal options to try and help my friends get equipped. It's just not practical for me to bring everything the way I do in car camping, backpacking is going to require them to invest in a bit of gear.

I don't want to make that an extreme burden though.  You can invest any given sum of money and then some in gear like this. But you don't have to to have a great time in the wilderness. With a combination of savvy shopping and a bit of research you can build nearly your entire kit for a little more than I invested in a backpack. I went with a high end Gregory Baltoro 65. The 2014 version is what I bought, but the 2015 version sounds even better. And they're great packs, but you don't need all the bells and whistles. You can get a closeout Jansport Katahdin 50 liter or 60 liter for way less. And I've handled the 50L at fleet farm, it's a decent pack for the price. CampSaver has them too! a 50L pack means having to think a little more carefully about your gear, but it'll help you keep things light. There are some interesting military surplus packs, and inexpensive external frame packs out there too. The most important thing with your pack is to try it on, try it with a load in it, and make sure it fits YOU.

Rather than a MSR Pocket Rocket you can go with the $6 Cannister Stove I reviewed here. I couldn't be happier with that purchase. Or, if you want to go extremely frugal/hardcore/lightweight, there's always the Cat Can Stove. If you're one of my friends reading this, I know several of you already have cats. And those of you who don't have cats also know the ones who DO have cats. So there should be cans available. I might have to see about getting some cans and trying my hand at this.

Instead of going with a MSR Sweetwater Purification system, most through hikers seem to rely on the Sawyer Mini. Those who don't mind the taste of iodine or other treatment chemicals can get by even cheaper and lighter with Portable Aqua or Aquamira. Really wouldn't be all that big a burden to bring both a mini and some purification drops/tabs.

I LOVE my Titanium Pot more each time I use it. But it's far from the only option. This GSI Pot/Mug was on my radar before I went with the titanium pot. It's a little smaller so some of the recipes, like the Knorr Rice sides I've been doing might need to be adjusted, or cooked in two batches, but it's a perfectly serviceable size for doing something like boiling water for a mountain house meal, or making hot chocolate at the end of the day.

Sleeping-wise, if you can find a Kelty Cosmic Down 20 for $160 or less (and with closeouts on 2014 models, that's entirely feasible. If you've got one like we do at the Fox River Mall, check Scheel's Sports to see if they have any left. Anyhow, if you can find a deal like that, it's going to be hard to beat. This is going to be more important for camping in the "shoulder" seasons or in terrain where you can expect varying temperatures. If you're going places where you don't expect the temperature to get down below 40 degrees at night, you might be able to get away with nothing more than a Polar Fleece Sleeping Bag. I spent the night at Flint Ridge in one, and it got down into the 40s. With the tarp coocoon around my hammock, I was toasty warm all night! Just make sure to get a closed cell foam pad like this or the sort that you can buy at wal-mart for $10 to insulate you from the ground.

Shelter-wise, I've already spoken on the dangers of buying a cheap hammock but entirely affordable options still exist there. You can also get some rather inexpensive one person tents. I can't make any particular recommendations in this area but...

I've been reading other gear lists and blogs like this $300 Gear Challenge and this lytw8 gear list which echo some of the things I've already said, and provide some good suggestions/starting points for sundries that I haven't covered. Depending on what route you're willing to go, there are a variety of solutions available. Want trekking poles without spending trekking pole money? Grab some garage sale ski poles and a roll of hockey tape (or similar) to improve the grip. Don't want to spend $100+ on a tent? Try a tarp and a dropcloth.

Gear is great, and gear that works for you, is one of the best things. But people have been surviving in the wild with far less than what I've been detailing here for a long time. There's no reason you can't get out there and be comfortable on the cheap.