On Monday at about 5:00 pm, I took off for my first run with a full pack along the Monroe Skyline section of Vermont’s Long Trail. I followed the LT on a roughly 20-mile out-and-back section south from Appalachian Gap across some of the state’s highest peaks: Mount Ellen, Lincoln Peak, and Mount Abraham.
The Aarn Marathon Magic 33-liter pack weighed about 23 lbs fully loaded. I’ll need to add a layer of clothing or two for Scandinavia, but otherwise, everything else was accounted for:
- 2 front-access 15-20 oz water bottles
- 1 50-oz water bladder
- 3 Good To-Go dehydrated meals
- 6 packets instant oatmeal
- Assorted bars, gels, and snack foods
- JetBoil Zip Cooking System and Fuel
- Enlightened Equipment Revelation 30 degree / 950 fill
- Therm-A-Rest Neo Air Xlite sleeping pad
- Big Agnes Fly Creek Ultra U1 HV Single Tent and ground cloth
- Marmot Modi Down Jacket
- Gore Running Wear Gore-Tex pants and jacket
- Marmot Microfleece Hoodie
- Skida Climate Run branded hat
- Extra pair running socks & shorts
- Atayne Climate Run T-Shirt
- Sawyer mini water filter
- Garmin/Delorme InReach
- Goal Zero Nomad 7 Plus Solar Panel
- Goal Zero Venture 30 Recharger
- Go Pro Hero Session 5
- iPhone 7 Plus
- Silva Compass
- Local map
- Personal hygiene items
The pack is *very* adjustable and took a few miles to get right, but for most of the 20 miles, everything fit well, and even over the technical terrain, I was able to maintain a reasonable pace.
For the first part of the afternoon, I affixed the solar panel to the back of the pack and was able to charge the tiny Go Pro camera at least a little. This will be much more effective in Scandinavia, where tree canopy will be largely absent. My plan is to charge the Recharger over the course of the day and recharge devices while I sleep — of course, the solar panel can do a fair bit of work overnight in the northern latitudes, too!
I’ve been trying out different foods, and I think I’ll stick to familiar things for the main meals and supplement with Norwegian-purchased snacks for daytime. Water is plentiful along the Arctic Trail, so dehydrated food will be one of the most efficient calorie sources, and powdered drink mix will be a great electrolyte supplement.
With only a month to go before the run, my emotional scale is tipped more on the side of ‘anxious’ than ‘excited,’ but I still feel on track and ready for the last weeks of training and planning before we leave on July 16th.
Thanks again, as always, for the support of all kinds I’ve gotten from friends old and new. This couldn’t happen without you! 🙂
