Food, water and shelter

The necessities of a trail life

Greetings from the trail town of Marion, Virginia!

This post will demystify parts of the AT adventure, and answer questions asked by some friends and subscribers.

As in most of life, the three necessities out here are food, shelter and water.

Today I’ve had a town stop as, after five nights in the forest I was running low on food, was filthy, and out of clean knickers. It has rained most of the week so all my clothes and camp gear are muddy and, let’s be honest, I was pretty stinky.

The above photo represents my food resupply. Straight up I’ll tell you I am extremely uncomfortable with the amount of packaging I am consuming. I carry all my trash with me and empty it whenever I pass a bin or stay in town. Trash, along with food, must be kept safe from bears at all times, so it’s another thing to be thinking about.

I’m also not proud of the food choices, but am forced to make concessions. Most towns I visit are tiny and many don’t have a large supermarket. Today was unusual in that regard.

Calories, and protein, are paramount when walking the trail. I am constantly hungry and mostly bored with available food options.

The photo above represents about five days worth of food. It all must be stored in a bear canister, seen below.

I couldn’t fit it all in today 🥴

Bear canisters are designed so that a bear cannot get access to the food, and the canister itself is made from rigid plastic that can’t be broken. When camping, I hide the canister under a log - a good distance from camp - and try to camouflage it a bit:

Some people use bear bags to store their food. These are smell proof dry bags, which must be hung in a tree, such that a bear cannot climb up to reach the food.

Here’s an example of a bear hang:

It seems pretty tricky to me - requiring a good throw of a small rock bag over a suitable limb, and then some kind of rope magic involving pulleys and carabiners which I don’t understand…

The requirement for lots of calories means either carrying huge amounts of food, or stopping in town regularly to resupply. I’ve found five days is about my limit for what I can fit in the bear can and what I can comfortably carry.

The next most important consideration in the trail is water - where to get it, how much you need and how you carry it.

Fortunately we are walking through the mountains so there is abundant water.

Most people carry a water filtration system. I have opted for a small bottle of iodine and another of an antiparasitic herbal concoction, a drop of each of which goes into every bottle I fill.

Many of the small streams and springs are ‘piped’ meaning a small pipe funnels water into a stream for filling water containers.

Some are not!

Regardless, the quality of the water is amazing and my primitive treatment system has kept me healthy.

I generally only carry about a litre of water as we cross streams quite regularly to refill. The longest I’ve gone between water sources was 8 miles, and that was a hot day, so I carried an extra litre. As well as the iodine and herbs, I’ll add electrolytes or a hydration multiplier.

Shelter is the third necessity, and the next heaviest requirement after food. I carry a lightweight hammock, and underquilt (-10 rated), a bug net, a top quilt (0 rated) and a lightweight tarp. Altogether these take up about half of the space in my pack. But I love my hammock! It is so cosy and comfortable and it provides a sliver of privacy no matter where I am.

I’ve camped in the rain, in high winds and in subzero temperatures and, though there has been some discomfort, I’m still alive and kicking!

I’m super grateful for town stops which give me a chance to shower and clean my clothes, and sometimes to sleep in a bed. It’s also a good chance to spend some downtime with other hikers. If camping is available at a hostel then I will string the hammock up, otherwise it’s a bunk bed or the occasional private room. Tonight is a treat paid for by a trail friend - a private room in a swanky hotel and a belly full of fresh vegetables prepared and cleaned up by someone else!

While I’ve enjoyed the visit to civilisation today, I’m also looking forward to getting back to the forest tomorrow 😃

I hope all is well in your world/s.

❤️