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Registered Member #16
Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 02:22PM
Location: New Wilmington, PA
Posts: 554
So, one of my resolutions this year is pretty optimistic, and, if you listen to my family, more than a little crazy. I've decided to stop putting it off, and start preparations for a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. I figure if I tell everyone, I'm less likely to get lazy and decide to just camp in my back yard instead. I'll feel like I have a reason to do it.
For those who aren't familiar, the AT is the Grandpappy of cross-country hiking trails. It runs from Katahdin, in Baxter State Park in northern Maine, 2,181 miles south to Springer Mountain, in northwest Georgia. Most thru-hikes take about 5 months, though I think I can probably do it a shade faster than that. It is unlikely to happen this year, though it isn't out of the question. Most likely it will be summer of 2012.
There are a few different electronics projects that are going to come out of this, along with a couple non-electronic gear construction projects that I might post a bit about here. First off is preparing my ham radio setup that will accompany me on the trail. I'll be starting a project thread for that shortly.
Registered Member #3546
Joined: Tue Dec 28 2010, 08:24AM
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Posts: 18
I have often thought of hiking that trail right after I get out of college but with the way the economy is right now I don't think I will be able to differ my loans and wait to get a job for 5 months.
Also I am a little shocked you are planning on bringing a ham radio. I haven't ever dealt with hams but I assume that would be some fairly heavy equipment and from my backpacking experience I have always tried to travel as light as possible.
Good luck though! Undertaking this requires a lot of planning, and I look forward to seeing some of your ideas, electronic or otherwise...
Registered Member #16
Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 02:22PM
Location: New Wilmington, PA
Posts: 554
wpk5008, at this point, it appears my entire radio package, including a 10AH li-poly battery pack will weigh less than 4lbs. If I were willing to give up VHF FM and HF Single sideband operations and stick strictly to morse code (an idea I have not completely written off) I could get it under 3lbs. Ham radios have come a very long way when it comes to size and portability in the last few years.
This FT-817 is my intended radio, but I have removed the electronics from its heavy aluminum and steel chassis, and will be replacing it with a much lighter frame, reducing the radio's weight by about 50%.
If I opt to use morse code only, I'll be carrying The ATS-4 , which weighs only 6 ounces, and can work 4 different HF bands.
Chances are good that I will actually end up alternating between the two options. On more rugged sections of the trail such as the White Mountains and the Smokies, I will probably opt to cut the battery pack to 5AH (only 12oz), and carry a two band morse code transceiver. This will likely get my entire radio package in the 2.5lb range, if that. I can send my FT-817 ahead via the post to the first town beyond the rugged terrain, and swap out the radios there. I can leap frog using the 'bump boxes' I'll already have in circulation for resupplying in this way.
Registered Member #16
Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 02:22PM
Location: New Wilmington, PA
Posts: 554
Some of my projects underway or in the making:
Construct a Bridge Hammock and necessary accessories (suspension, rainfly, under-insulation) to use as my primary shelter.
Modify FT-817 and/or build a CW only HF transceiver kit. Construct Z-match antenna tuner.
Design and build a rapid charger for Li-poly battery pack.
Finalize details and construct Bushwacker type wood gasifier camp stove.
I'll likely be doing a shake-down hike on the ~90 mile section of the North Country Trail that passes through Pennsylvania some time early this spring.
Proud Mary, I've done the Pixie style morse code radios (that's the most popular design of simple crystal controlled CW radios using DC receivers) but I'm hoping for a bit more flexibility and capability this time around.
Registered Member #3040
Joined: Tue Jul 27 2010, 03:15PM
Location: South of London. UK
Posts: 237
Have you read "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson? Defiantly worth a read. I'd love to give it a go, but it will have to wait till my mortgage is paid off (2016) before I can afford the time/money to do it. When I was a lot younger (living with parents and had disposable income) I travelled a lot and really miss it these days .
Registered Member #3040
Joined: Tue Jul 27 2010, 03:15PM
Location: South of London. UK
Posts: 237
Dave Marshall wrote ...
Martin, I have read it, and found it funny and a great read, but much of I just spent shaking my head and muttering 'noob!' under my breath.
Yes, I wasn't recommending it as a guide book While he was obviously a "noob", at least he realised that fact and the observational humour about the other people he met on route was great. I need to read it again sometime as my memory of it is a bit rusty now.
Dave Marshall wrote ...
AWOL On The Appalachian Trail was a great read, and is available for $4 on Amazon (ebook edition).
Thanks, I may well buy that. It'll go nicely in the travel section of my bookshelves alongside :-
How to S**t in the woods Up S**t creek The Modern Backpackers handbook and Bear Attacks Their Causes and Avoidance
... not Russel! Registered Member #1
Joined: Thu Jan 26 2006, 12:18AM
Location: Tempe, Arizona
Posts: 1052
Martin King wrote ...
Bear Attacks Their Causes and Avoidance
That sounds a lot more practical than "How to Survive a Robot Uprising," but I'm somewhat consoled by the fact that there are more robots than bears in the immediate vicinity.
Registered Member #1334
Joined: Tue Feb 19 2008, 04:37PM
Location: Nr. London, UK
Posts: 615
Dave Marshall wrote ...
Martin, I have read it, and found it funny and a great read, but much of I just spent shaking my head and muttering 'noob!' under my breath.
AWOL On The Appalachian Trail was a great read, and is available for $4 on Amazon (ebook edition).
Two "how not to" hiking books that are on my shelves are the classic "A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush" by Eric Newby and "Into the Heart of Borneo" by Redmond O'Hanlon.
Even if you think these aren't appropriate for your task in hand, they are classics, should be read and the o'Hanlon book will have you laughing out loud.
My wife and I spent several years travelling & hiking, mostly in South America and SE Asia (and mostly before we had kids!) - some of the best travel writing is Victorian - many of them were genuine pioneers.
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Going overboard with a New Year's Resolution
.
While he was obviously a "noob", at least he realised that fact and the observational humour about the other people he met on route was great. I need to read it again sometime as my memory of it is a bit rusty now.
