Re[4]: [at-l] fleece/cheap gear

[Bob Cummings <ellen@clinic.net> (Bob Cummings)]

"... Tell me, just how do you keep a sheep from farting?" asks Jim.

 You can't. To compensate for wearing wool, I heat my house with wood and use a
 Zip Stove on the trail.

 (All wood eventually decays and in the process emits the same global warming
 chemicals into the atmosphere as burning, so wood burners speed up a natural
 process but over the decades add nothing extra to global warming. Please don't
 ask me to explain the chemistry. A wise college professor and energy pioneer
 insisted this was so 30 years ago and I have yet to see evidence that he was
 wrong.)

 As for waiting to do the trail "right," I guess "right" depends on your
 knowledge and perspective. You say one guy did the trail for $800. I assume
 that was right for him or her. Paul Magnanti a few minutes ago posted very wise
 advice about how to buy gear more cheaply, though at a penalty probably of
 between two and five pounds in pack weight.

 Some of us don't have eight years to wait. Most hikers on the trail seem to be
 folks in transition -- before college, between college and first jobs, just
 retired, between jobs.... A few create opportunities for long distance hiking.
 Most of us, I suspect, just take advantage of whatever opportunities life
 offers.

 I know you can eat well on the trail -- though perhaps not as conveniently --
 for far less than most hikers spend.

   I do know what damage too many sheep in too small a range can do. I also know
   that sheep farmers are rapidly disappearing as society moves to synthetics
   made from non-renewable resources. Eventually, we need to go back to a
   sustainable planet. Why not now?

  Weary