[at-l] Hike ended short after 13 miles

[jbullar1 at twcny.rr.com (Jim Bullard)]

At 12:49 PM 3/4/2005 -0500, Bror8588@aol.com wrote:
>  My goal is to lose 44 pounds of weight this year, build muscle and 
> strength, get in Aerobic health, and get proper braces (knee wraps, etc.) 
> and a new pack (I need one with a chest strap that keeps the shoulder 
> straps from slipping) and Sleeping Bag (my present bag sucks when it is 
> very cold at night).  The Alcohol Stove worked well in terms of getting 
> food hot and water hot but I like the manipulating factor of a different 
> kind of stove.  This summer I will experiment here in the Northeast.  My 
> boots were fantastic (Vasque) and the Hammock was good though I found in 
> Georgia that there were many flat places to set up a tent.  I like the 
> stability of the ground (in dry weather) but in wet weather the hammock 
> seems the way to go.
>
>Well, it is winter, there are people on the trail now.  God Bless 'em!

Weight loss and getting fit is a good plan, though more easily said than 
done. I wish you success. If the lack of a sternum strap is the only 
problem with your pack you can just add one. I have sternum straps on two 
of my packs and found that I had to move them anyway. They were too high to 
be comfortable. Depending on what hammock you are using you may be able to 
use it as a tent when camping where there are no trees handy or other 
conditions make a tent preferable. Boy is it ever winter. I took a 2 mile 
walk this morning. Nice going but when I turned around to come back the 
wind was in my face. Brrrrr!