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Equipment Information

The cost of necessities for the entire trip have been estimated at a minimum of $900. Of course, this estimate is a based on the bare essentials of food and personal hygiene. The other cost concern is outfitting with the gear for a cross country walk. I have included below a list of some suggested equipment.

Eighteen Essentials

1. A tent. ( I am using a two man tent so I can have room for my backpack too.)

2. A sleeping bag.

3. A frame backpack with hip strap.

4. Mess kit.

5. Cook set including biodegradable soap and a nylon pot scrubber.

6. Nylon or parchute cord. ( 25' minimum)

7. Rain parka or poncho.

8. Matches in a waterproof container.

9. Extra clothes

10. Pocket Knife

11. Grab rag. (bandanna)

12. Whistle

13. Flashlight

14. 2 - One Quart Water Canteen

15. Food and Emergency Rations. (More about this below)

16. A personal First Aid kit.

17. Hiking boots

18. Personal Hygiene items including a towel and a few wash clothes.

Here is a list of additional equipment that would be helpful but not neccessary. However, there are few things that are marked with an asterick that would be very helpful.

1. Backpackers Trowel *

2. Water Purifier that eliminates bacteria.*

3. Sun Blocker

4. Sleeping mat

5. Backpackers cooking stove* ( I suggest a stove like the Sierra Zip Wood burning stove like the one sold by Campmor item# 86111-j for $39.99 at web site http://www.campmor.com/ )CAMPMOR'S WEBSITE

6. Portable shower*

7. Hat

8. Pot holder.

9. Backpackers grill

10. Sewing kit

11. Compass


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Emergency Food

This is a partial list of food carried by a team climbing Mt. Everest:

Hot cereal Noodle soup mix Powdered milk Potato soup mix Sugar Onion soup mix Sweetened condensed milk White bread Sliced, canned peaches Frying potatoes Ovaltine Chocolate Sustagen Jello Lemonade Canned tuna fish Instant vanilla pudding Metrecal cookies Meat bars Fruit cake Breakfast cereal (dry cereal, coconuts, Pepper and salt freeze-dried bananas) Malt crunch Consomme Vacuum-packed peanut brittle Mixed nuts Tea Pemmican Jam Assorted hard candies

Here is a receipe for an excellent emergency food which most people like. Supplemented with some of the above items depending on your taste make a perfect emergency food pack.

FRUIT PEMMICAN

Fruit pemmican is an excellent source of carbohydrates for quick energy. It will also last without refrigeration for an indefinite period. Here are the directions:

Ingredients: Equipment Needed:

Graham Crackers Crank Grinder Honey Large Sauce Pan Peanuts Tin Foil Moist pack apricots Large Handled Spoon Lemon juice Mounting Block for Grinder Raisins Moist pack peaches Pitted prunes

Step 1- Mount grinder on the top of a table; put sauce pan below it

Step 2- Start grinding up the fruit; alternate fruit with graham crackers and peanuts until everything is completely ground.

Step 3- Mix all ingredients thoroughly; add lemon juice (this will take some of the sweetness out of the taste); add more graham crackers if the mix is too gooey (the crackers will help absorb the fruit juices).

Step 4- Add honey to mixture and stir well; The honey is your preservative; the pemmican will last indefinitely.

Step 5- Cut sheets of tin foil in half and make them 8" to 9" long. Take a handful and roll it like a rope, seal in foil and store until needed.

PROGESS AND STORIES FROM THE TRAIL