[at-l] Trail Food, How do you carry 7 days

[shane at theplacewithnoname.com (Shane Steinkamp)]

> >"...Gear is one of the least important factors."
>
> Except when you are on Katahdin or Washington, traversing the
> Presidential Range in winter, or other life-threatening places. Then
> gear is critical. If you are surprised you die, lose body parts, or
> you risk someone else's life rescuing you.

Cool...  I actually got a response out of some folks.  Amazing...

I didn't say that gear was unimportant.  I said it was one of the least
important factors.  Mr. Hillary, for instance, didn't have all this
wonderful lightweight stuff, synthetic fabrics, and lots of other 'modern'
gear.  That didn't stop him from getting to the top of Everest.  Sure, you
can have to little, and you can have too much.  Those who are able to do
what they can with what they have where they are the ones who will succeed,
however.

That's not to say that I'm willing to Summit Kathadin in February in shorts,
either.  It's not going to matter too much to me what brand of down pants
I'm wearing, though, so long as they are adequate.

> I've been in these places. I've seen rescuers die. I've seen the
> anguish of trip leaders who have lost friends and had to explain to
> parents and spouses. We talk of accidents. Few are accidents. Most
> are the result of poor planning, poor preparation, poor gear, and
> failure to appreciate the forces that nature is capable of
> delivering, often without notice.

I absolutely agree.  Is ANY of that the fault of gear?  I don't think so.
I've been in those places too.  I can tell you that 75 degrees below zero is
some desperately scary stuff.  I can tell you that running out of water when
it's 111 at 10:00 in the morning and your next water won't be for 9 miles is
some desperately scary stuff too.

My point is that the differences between modern gear are slight.  If you
make rational decisions, it's all fairly equal.  Yes, there's a difference,
but in the long run if you're making moderately educated guesses, you'll do
OK.

Three time Bob set out to hike the AT.  Three times we changed his gear.
All three times he came home.  All three times he blamed the gear.  In
reality, what beat him was his own mind.  I could have hiked with any one of
the three sets.  So could Weary, or Jim, or Sloe...  The gear just isn't
that important.

Shane