Gear and Other Matters

Last post before I fly to Georgia tomorrow!

The thought of being on a 5ish month long journey in the woods made me realize some profound changes I will about to be experiencing in my life.

• I will no longer be seeing money go into my bank account.
• My hair is short again.
• I can poop wherever I want (mostly).
• More than likely I will struggle to achieve my normal monthly intake of PBR.
• No more driving cars or paying for gas.
• No deodorant.
• Subsequently, I’m going to smell really bad, all the time.
• No more student loans!!!!! (just kidding, thanks Saint A’s…).
• The new beard will be epic.

After all of the build up these past couple weeks, it is surreal to be sitting in the airport now ready to get started. To answer common questions, I’m not afraid of bears, being alone, or thunderstorms; I’m most afraid of ticks or twisting an ankle.

One new neat addition to the blog is the ‘Location on Trail’ tab. With a satellite tracker (thanks mom), you will be able to see my present location updater (almost) everyday!

Something I wanted to address that many people have been asking is if I have a trail name. When thru-hiking, it’s tradition to drop your real name for something silly and new, usually given to you by someone on the trail. To the purists this is frowned upon, but I actually do have a trail name that was given to me over a year ago.

My friend Rachel and I often talked about me doing a thru-hike of the AT when we were out hiking or even at work. One day in the ER a patient came in having chest pain. While Rachel was triaging him, I put in an IV and she documented it in our computer system.

When I went back into the chart, Rach had spelled my name wrong and wrote ‘Booby RP’ instead of Bobby. She just couldn’t stop laughing after that and told me that it absolutely HAD to be my trail name when I do my hike. After Rachel died, there was no question that for my entire time on the trail, I would be known as Booby. It’s definitely an odd one, but it means the world to me.

Looking at the months ahead I feel lots of excitement and very little apprehension. The support of my friends, family, and coworkers this past month has been amazing! I am very very lucky to have so many incredible people in my life that take interest in my endeavors.

Lastly, as I have seen in other thru-hiker blogs, I thought I would post what I would be carrying with me on this trek! So far that seems to be the most commonly asked question, so here goes! Talk to you again when Georgia’s behind me!

-Booby

Halifax, MA- April 9, 2018

Gear List

• One 30 of Pabst.

And that should do it! Kidding…

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Pack

• Osprey Atmos 65L

Clothing

• Patagonia Capilene Midweight Base Layer
• Moisture Wicking Running Shirt
• Patagonia Polyester Full Zip
• Cotopaxi Pacaya Jacket
• Patagonia Houdini Rain Jacket
• Patagonia Quandary Trekking Pants
• Patagonia Torrentshell Rain Pants
• Patagonia Strider Running Shorts
• ExOfficio Underwear
• Injinji Midweight Toe Liner Socks x2
• Darn Tough Socks
• EMS Buff
• Dirty Girl Gaiters
• Marmot Connect Gloves
• REI Waterproof Mitts
• Wool Hat

Footwear

• Salomon Speedcross 4
• Crocs

Electronics

• iPhone
• SPOT Gen 3 Tracker
• Anker Solar Charger
• Headphones
• iPhone Charger
• Larry Light
• Black Diamond Storm Headlamp
• AA batteries

Sleep System

• Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1 Tent
• Sea to Summit Spark SpI Sleeping Bag
• Cocoon Silk Sleeping Bag Liner
• Thermarest Neo Air X-Lite Pad

Kitchen

• MSR Pocket Rocket Stove
• MSR 1L Titanium Pot
• Snowpeak Spork
• Mini Sponge
• Bic Lighter
• Small Towel
• 750mL Bottle
• Nalgene 1L
• Sawyer Mini Pump
• Sawyer Coupling Adapter
• Freezer Bags

Misc.

• Black Diamond Carbon-Z Trekking Poles
• AWOL AT Guide
• Two paperback books
• Garbage Bags x2
• Duck Tape
• Knife
• Rite in the Rain Journal
• Space Pen
• Paracord 50 ft.
• 4L Sea to Summit Dry Bag
• 14L Sea to Summit Dry Compression Sack
• 20L Osprey stuff sack
• Osprey Pack Cover

Medical and Toiletries

• Tylenol
• Ibuprofen
• Immodium
• Ciprofloxacin
• Doxycycline
• Bacitracin
• Band Aids
• Steri Strips
• Blunt Needle
• Ace wrap
• Nail Clippers
• Neutrogena Sun stick
• Insect Repellant
• Hand Sanitizer
• Mini Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Toilet Paper