Even though we have hiked a lot of miles, each trail and each year seem to teach us something new. We decided to compile a list of our “favorite things” from this past hiking season. Some of these things will be old hat to some hikers, but they are new to us this year. Hopefully this list will provide some ideas for others to try out when the next hiking season gets under way.
- Dollar Store Socks – Beardoh has switched to exclusively using Dollar Store dress socks for sleeping on the trail. SweetPea is jumping in on this idea too and has already bought some Dollar Store socks for next year’s hiking season. They are really light-weight and pretty thin, so your feet can still breathe and not get too overheated when you sleep. And, of course, they are cheap! The socks don’t work so good for normal wear, though, as they become uber stinky! Best to stick with merino wool socks for daily wear.
- Gallon Water Jug – When we hiked the GET this past spring, we expected some long water carries due to the dry winter and our late start date. During the first three days, we just used our Evernew collapsable bottles and carried all of our water in our backpacks. That felt like so much weight as we were walking in the desert heat. So as soon as we got a chance, we picked up a heavy-duty gallon jug (some kind of iced tea jug) and Beardoh would carry the extra water in his hand. That really saved our backs/shoulders a lot of pain, as we rarely carried more than two liters on our backs, and this was easily the favorite new find of the season.
- Small Sunscreen Sticks – We have certainly seen these around…one of our friends on the PCT carried one the whole way, but we had just never used them ourselves before. In the past, we have always carried liquid sunscreen…most recently we had been using containers which had about 4oz of liquid sunscreen. Since we were both wearing long-sleeved shirts and calf compression sleeves this year, we figured that we really only needed the sunscreen for our faces and the tops of our hands. We ended up not even finishing our small 0.5 ouce sticks over the course of 15ish weeks of hiking.
- Banana Chocolate Chip Larabar – As part of our meal planing this year, we decided to include 3 Larabars for each person per day. We managed to find a wide variety of flavors to help with the monotony…some of the flavors were a good surprise (Mint Chocolate), while others are ones we will definitely not buy again (Hazelnut Swirl – sounds good, right? Like ‘Nutella in a bar’ – But it’s not). Our clear favorite of the season was definitely the Banana Chocolate Chip which was a new flavor for us. It smells and tastes just like banana bread, which is dreamy when you’re out on the trail.
- Inflatable Pillows – Another thing we have seen before…we’ve hiked with several folks over the years who used them, but this was our first season trying them. We decided to purchase pillows for the Grand Enchantment Trail, where we would be sleeping on the ground with short inflatable pads. We mostly hammock when we backpack, so we knew that sleeping on the ground would not be easily comfortable for us. However, the pillows made a really big difference in terms of comfort on the ground. The one drawback is that they can fly off if you are cowboy camping when it is windy…you might just need to keep it tucked away in your pack on those nights.
- GAIA GPS App – When we were planning for the Grand Enchantment Trail, we knew that we would need to have a GPS app to help with navigation. We started the trail using OSMand, which is a free GPS app. This app proved to be really irritating and not very reliable. We could never be sure if we were seeing a current GPS view or a cached one. So, partway through the hike, we switched to GAIA and were extremely happy with it from day one. We used the app on the Great Divide Trail, and hikes in Guatemala as well and will continue to renew our subscription each year so that we can use it on future hikes.
- Winged Scapula Exercises – Beardoh has struggled with pain in his back near the shoulder blades when we backpack. Since SweetPea is always carrying a massage ball for her hip, she has often used it to roll around Beardoh’s shoulder blades to relieve the pain (it is quite effective, by the way). Last year, Beardoh was told by a chiropractor that he has something called Winged Scapula, which, we understand to be – a lack of muscle between the shoulder blade and back (not uncommon amongst the tall & slim). So, it was recommended to him to start doing exercises with a band, where he can, over time, build up more muscles in that area of his back. He has been doing a modified version of the exercises in this video using a resistance band during the off-season. These exercises were pretty effective in reducing the shoulder pain.
Starting Position with the stretchy band - RAVPower Quick Charge 3.0 10,000mAh Charger – In planning for our hikes this season, we felt that several factors dictated an external charger with more capacity than what we have previously used. The factors we considered were (1) we planned to take a dedicated camera with us this year, (2) we expected that we would be using Beardoh’s phone often for GPS navigation on the GET and GDT, and (3) we expected to have longer stretches between towns, meaning that we wouldn’t be able to charge in towns as frequently as past years. This charger allowed us to use our phones freely for GPS, take as many photos and videos as we needed, and even listen to podcasts a bit during the day or watch an episode of Fraiser while laying in our sleeping bags at night. This single charger was adequate for both of us using an iPhone 6.
- Snacking VS Meals – In the past, we have always planned out our backpacking food around meals. Our typical hiking schedule has included a long “lunch break” and then we eat dinner once we get to camp. This was the same whether we cooked on the trail or went stove-less. This year, we decided to try the “snacking” approach. Our daily food plan consisted of two shakes, one granola bar, three LaraBars, a dark chocolate bar, beef jerky and some nuts. We each had our own schedule for when we would eat our food. We actually came to like this style of eating on the trail because of it’s flexibility as well as the likelihood that we were eating just small amounts, so we weren’t dealing with food comas in the afternoon. The fact that our food weight went down quite a bit with this method was an added bonus.
- Robic 1.2 Material – After the Grand Enchantment Trail, we took some time to sew up new hammocks for ourselves. We decided to use some material that was new to us. We had heard that this material was less likely to stretch over time (and under load), while still being extremely light. An added bonus of this material is it’s soft feel. After almost eight weeks of use this summer, the hammock has held up very well and has not had any noticeable sag. We have noticed that RipstopByTheRoll no longer sells the Robic 1.2, however the Mountain Hybrid 1.2 seems to be the closest equivalent. We plan to use the Mountain Hybrid 1.2 in our next hammocks, for several reasons – The 1.2 oz/sqyd seems to be an ideal weight for an ultralight hammock as it very light, yet strong enough to not sag or stretch -PLUS- it comes in XL (68″ wide) which is great for larger hammocks.
Hi guys! Lizard and forever50 here. Can you tell me what kind of shakes you had and did you dehydrate your own jerky with recipe details, if so? Thx!
Hi Lizard and Forever 50! We hope you guys are doing well. We kept expecting to see you guys walking around the corner when we were on the Tahoe Rim Trail again this year. We do make our own beef jerky. We use the Hi Mountain brand of jerky seasoning (here is a link to one of their flavors: https://amzn.to/2EAiRhQ). We prefer to use ground beef instead of steak meat, because the jerky comes out softer and more flavorful. But, making jerky is super easy. We have been making it since 2015 and we will likely continue to do it in the coming years. As for the shake, it is one we made ourselves. We found some recipes on the DIY Soylent website and then combined and modified several recipes to get one that we really liked. We’re hoping to put up a post in next few weeks on our process of making beef jerky.
Thx a bunch and thx for remembering us!! I’ll look forward to your jerky post and check out the shakes too. We are just doing PCT sections for now. Will likely do Agua Dulce to Kennedy Meadows in April. Going to Ecuador and Galápagos Is. in June. Busy spring/summer. We did hike the Mount Lafayette and Franconia Ridge Loop last October 2017. Great hike! Also did the Franconia Notch. I lived a year in Londonderry when I was about 8 and it is so pretty in the White Mountains area. You must love seeing the beautiful seasons. Anyway, thx again! Good to hear from you!
Of course we remember you guys! We think of you guys and your awesome trail angel-ness a lot. Enjoy your time on the PCT and in Ecuador this summer….sounds awesome!
Big fan of 1.2 fabric for UL hammock. I made a Robic 1.2 XL eleven foot Half Wit clone, with nano noseeum. At 9.2 oz it’s an awesome solution.
That sounds great! We love seeing some other DIY hammocks out on the trail.
Banana chocolate chip Lara bars are the BEST! Definitely thought of you two when I discovered them a while ago. Miss you guys and love seeing your hiking adventures. 🙂
Hey DreamCatcher! We miss you too – So close last year as we were in Seattle before and after your hike. Any hikes planned for 2019?
I’m planning to hike from Hwy 74 near Paradise Valley Cafe to Big Bear with Proton in early May and check off those two fire closures that are now open. My partner Erik is coming along too for his first backpacking trip so really excited about that! What about you guys?
Erik and I are also moving to California this July, hopefully Mammoth Lakes or somewhere in that area. Maybe we’ll be there the next time you two are passing through the Sierra!
Awesome DC. We hiked (last year) the stretch from Big Bear to Cabazon that was closed in 2016. The flowers were still blooming and it was cool to see. That is great that Erik is joining you and you both can hike with Proton.
We do find ourselves passing through Mammoth, here and there, and look forward to seeing you! Such a great place to relocate to, lots of great stuff to do in the area.