Things are beginning to materialize with preparation for the planned unsupported Colorado Trail Speed Record attempt. In the last few weeks gear and food from sponsors has started to trickle in and I’ve had some time to get out on the trial for some shake down hikes to kick off the training season. I was able to put in about 300 miles along the PCT in early May and have since had some time to reflect back and assess my strategies pertaining to food and gear I’m planning on incorporating into the hike. Other logistics like flights, rides to trailheads, and glazing over maps and data are quickly getting ticked off the to-do list. You may ask why so much planning ahead of time given that my planned departure isn’t until August 18th? Well, two fold. I love to plan, which gets me excited for the challenge and given the fact that my work schedule this summer is relentless, that leaves very little time between now and when I put foot on trail for all these little detailed items. For instance, in about a week I will begin work and work straight through until August 6th. From there I will head out on a 6 day jaunt along the JMT on the 8th for some last minute physical training and altitude acclimation and then be prepped and ready to fly out on the 18th for Denver. Whew, my head is already spinning. Needless to say, it will be a sigh of relief when I can finally get my feet onto the trail and have something singular to focus on for awhile. In this post I wanted to cover some of the strategies I have in mind regarding my food and gear choices, so if you have any thoughts or concerns I’d love to hear from you.

GEAR

    I had a few criteria I was keeping in mind while selecting which pieces of gear would work best for this type of trip. Obviously weight would be a major theme, but also space and comfort. I knew carrying 13-14 days of food was going to be really freakin’ heavy, but also that it was probably going to take up most of the space in my pack. I had to strike a balance between being prepared, yet condensing everything to an absolute minimum. How much of a gamble am I willing to take for things like weather, warmth, comfort, injury, motivation, accurate maps, etc? I’m heading into Colorado in August in hopes of a more stable weather pattern (re: no afternoon thunderstorms), cooler temps and less mosquitos. The flip side is that I will have pushed my maximum day light potential back by 2 months or about 1 1/2 hours each day, which adds up to 21 more hours of night hiking. With planning on hiking around 18 hours each day, that means more time with the headlamp on, which could slow my pace and add potential for mis-navigation.

    Pack: Granite Gear Crown 60

    Shelter: Mountain Laurel Designs Cuben Poncho Tarp

   Sleeping Bag: Katabatic Gear Palisades 30 degree

    Sleeping Pad: Klymit Inertia X-Lite

    Clothing: My main objective in this category was to take articles that serve multiple functions at the absolute minimal weight. My thought is that with maintaining a quick pace and minimizing my time at breaks, the heat generated from hiking will keep me warm enough on it’s own. Once I hit camp, I’ll immediately get into my sleeping quilt to negate the need for extra layers and camp clothes. I will be taking Montbell wind layers top and bottom and just a single 8oz Montbell UL Parka. I will use a fleece beanie and the hood on my Montbell parka as the hood for my quilt. An extra pair of socks will serve as mittens for those chilly mornings and evenings. I routinely hike with this system and feel comfortable maintaining warmth with just wind layers down to below freezing. I’ll throw the puffy on for quick breaks and incorporate the poncho in the case of rain/snow. In knowing that Katabatic underrates the warmth of their quilts, I’m confident I will be warm while sleeping even if all of my clothing gets soaked.

    Cooking: I considered going the no cook route with my food selection, but having a hot meal during the day is such a huge motivator for me that I consider the time and effort worthwhile. Plus the fact that dehydrated and freeze-dried foods pack much smaller in size and weight, it seemed like a win-win to find a cook system that met the weight and space categories. I found the perfect system in Zelph Stovework’s Fosters Beercan pot and home made alcohol stove. I’ve used my own version of homemade beercan pots on several 2000mi hikes without issue. Zelph takes their’s one step further by molding ridges into the sides of their beercan to extend durability, so I’m not worried at all about get a 1oz pot to last for 2 weeks. With the Alpine Aire freeze dried meals I’ll be taking, I only need to boil 2 cups of water per meal, which is exactly what these minimal cook sets are intended for. The entire cook system weights under 3.5oz including lighter and spoon with all components nesting inside the pot.

    Electronics: Unfortunately this is one area of my kit that has become a necessary evil in some regards. The reality is not any single one item in this category is actual essential, they each all serve their purpose for either documentation, entertainment or safety.  For a camera I’m planning on taking a Canon S95, which has quickly become my favorite camera for stills and video due to its compact size, HD video, manual capabilities and outstanding image quality. At 7oz it’s not the lightest camera on the market, but photos are one area I don’t ever want to skimp on.

   

    For verification I’ll be utilizing a SPOT2 device. There are other lighter verification options ranging from nothing to handing out cards to passer-byes to photo documentation, but they all lack in their accuracy. I’m hoping the SPOT device will mitigate any discrepancy and I’m willing to sacrifice a few extra ounces in order to record accurate results. I was able to rent a SPOT device through lowergear.com for a fraction of what it would cost to purchase a unit and subscribe to the yearly activation service. I couldn’t justify the added expense of purchasing my own unit, as I’ll probably never use a SPOT device again, so the rental option seems like a practical compromise.

    On every trip I usually take a small MP3 player. Hiking to music is one of my favorite things about long distance hiking, and it really helps me find that extra motivation in the 11th hour. I’m hoping to upload a few books on tape to further pass the time. I chose the Sony E Series because of it’s long (50+hr) battery life and 16g capacity.

   

    Footwear: Oboz Lightning

  

Toiletries/Data/Misc.: I really try and keep all of these categories to a minimum because I feel this is where a lot of pack weight can add up. For maps and data I’m going with Erik the Black’s CT Pocket Atlas. At 2.7oz when trimmed, it’s about as light as you can get with having proper maps and data. I always hike with paper maps and feel like there is no substitute when it comes to navigation. I’ve never hiked the entire Colorado Trail before and like the added challenge of not knowing the route and detailed info like water sources and trail conditions.

    For toiletries I’m keeping things sparse. Beyond sunscreen, toothbrush and tooth powder, I’ll take some DEET for bug stress sanity, some Ibuprofen to take prophylactically at the end of each day, a few compeed pads for any really ugly blisters that crop up and a small amount of toilet paper. I’ll have a few yards of duct tape on my trekking poles for repairs/blister prevention and my bandana serves a thousand uses.

    Here’s an updated Gear List of all items I’ll be carrying.

Tentative Gear List.xlsx

FOOD

    I spent 10 long hours the other week confined to a small room weighing, repackaging, calculating and sorting my food scene. I ended up packing over 76,000 calories weighing in at just over 37lbs. That’s roughly 2.75lbs of food per day. In talking with current record holder Paul Pomeroy, he apparently lost 16lbs of body mass when he set the current unsupported record back in 2006 with a pack weight of around 60lbs. My goal was to find a balance in foods that were high in calorie, nutritious, quick to prepare, pack small, lightweight and most of all, TASTY! Not an easy combination when you’re packing for 14 days of food and wanting some variety into your diet AND have a gluten intolerance. My usual hiking strategy is to hike for 3 hours and take a15-20 minute break to consume 700-800 calories and air out my feet. I am hoping to begin hiking at 5am every day and finish by 10pm. That means packing for 6 meals a day while allowing me about 6 hours of sleep each day. I see 6hrs of sleep as a minimum to sustain my energies for 2 weeks. If I was embarking on a shorter sub 5 day endurance challenge, I would only plan for 3-4hr of sleep a night, but over the course of 2 weeks and 500 miles, it will be critical that I don’t wear my body down too fast and allow time for recovery at the end of each day.

    As much as possible I try and find foods with a calorie per ounce ratio of 150 or more. Anything below 100 cal/oz generally means that you’re carry excessive water weight. Straight fats have around 240cal/oz while carbs and proteins are lower at 115cal/oz. Eating straight butter for 2 weeks could be an option, but maybe not the most palatable. So finding foods high in fat is one quick way to boost your calories per ounce ration and insure that you’re carrying calorically dense foods.

    One thing I was trying to wrap my head around was just how to pack 14 days of food, let alone insure I had enough. I’m more accustomed to packing 4-5 days of food at a time so I rationalized that if I just pack three 4-day food bags, it will be an easy way to ration out my food and manage my meal intake. The last thing I wanted to try and do was carry a giant bag of m&m’s and try and restrain myself from eating it all in one sitting. I have no will power, especially when I’m hiking :) By breaking the 14 days up into 3 smaller quantities, it was also an easy way to break up the meals to add variety. Even just swapping the flavor of an energy bar or granola after a few days is enough to keep things fresh and interesting.

    For two meals a day I’ll be eating a variety of KIND energy bars and will boost the calorie count by slathering either PB, Nutella or Almond Butter on them. These two meals will most likely be my first and last meals of the day because they require little to know prep and I can eat them on the go. This way I can break camp, start hiking and eat while I’m moving. Same with when I finish up at the end of the day. This is all in an effort to maximize my sleeping and time efficiency.

    For the first planned break of the day, I’ll munch on some Udi’s granola and again put a big spoonful of PB into each bowl for more calories. This way the cooking pot serves multiple functions than just dinner.

    Lunch and dinner I may interchange depending on desire, but ideally I would like my hot meal to be about halfway through the day for a moral boost. The Alpine Aire freeze dried meals are perfect for cooking up quick and adding some tasty variety into the meal plan. I’ll also add a tablespoon of olive oil to each dinner for yet even more calories (240/oz).

    Lunch is generally a mix of cheese, pepperoni or meat stick with some crackers and candy bars. Crackers, pretzels and chips are great because they usually have around 150 cal/oz and are a great way to replace any lost salt in your diet. I’ll be carrying some Flackers from Dr in the Kitchen.

    For afternoon snack I mixed up some of my own trail mix with a variety of nuts and chocolate. I also have some dried fruit bars to try and get some element of fruits and veggies into my diet. I’m not sure how quick scurvy sets in, but a nice green salad will be high on the list as things I’ll be craving!

    One trick I’ve started doing over the years to ensure that I drink enough water throughout the day is by carrying a variety of powdered instant drink mixes. They weight next to nothing and I can usually drink a liter of water at each break, which would mean I would get at least a gallon and a half of fluid in me each day. The last thing I want to do is start cramping from dehydration, especially at elevation.

    Below I have some shots of the food pack process and a spreadsheet of all the food I’ll be carrying.

Workbook1.xlsx