Today was a day that we took off in Independence to rest our bodies. Not much happened besides eating, cleaning some gear, resupplying for our next leg and eating some more 😜. So since we don’t have anything to post about hiking, I wanted to answer a few questions that people have asked. I may not get to all of them but we will try to over the next few weeks.

Tent – we chose a Tarptent for how light it is and the the room it provided us. It uses our trekking poles for support which cuts down on weight but because it doesn’t have a very rigid support system it can be tricky to set up in really windy conditions. The tent also has a inner mesh/bug net that could be set up on its own without a rain fly.

Contacts – we both wear contacts and prefer them over glasses. Many hikers use classes so it’s a personal choice. We definitely use hand sanitizer or soap to clean our hands before dealing with our contacts (sometimes 😬) for obvious reasons. Double Down has a pair of prescription glasses for back up just in case.

Navigation – We are using GPS navigation a lot on this trip but also have maps and compass for back up. The Guthook app is a very useful app for hikers as it is a community sources app. What I mean is that hikers make comments and update information in real time on the app allowing hikers behind them to have the most up to date info on; water sources, tent sites, river crossings, snow levels etc. It can be used to plan out days as well since we are able to view information in a map format or elevation profile, so it is quite handy when planning each days.

Power Source – We both carry an Anker 20,100 mAh which gives us about 7 IPhone charges if we need it. We can also use it to recharge our InReach or camera if needed. The batteries are heavier but having the ability to keep things charged is worth it to us. Some hikers are using a Goal Zero solar charger but we have heard mixed things on those. Again this is personal preference.

Shoes – We converted to trail running shoes (Brooks Cascadias) years ago for their comfort and lighter weight. We try not to carry more than 35 pounds in our packs so we don’t feel we need added support from a hiking boot. We see a huge variety of shoes on the trail which is to be expected since everyone’s feet are different and each hiker has their own needs in regards support and sizing

Well I hope this helped answer a few questions. It is late and I am off to bed as we will be hitting the trail in the morning. We have about 10 days to Mammoth and our next resupply. During this time we will not have cell service so again, posts will be delayed. So expect a group of posts to pop up in about 10 days. Until then we hope you all stay safe. Link