Winter backpacking at FDR State Park

An overnight backpacking trip with the Trail Dames on the Pine Mountain Trail at FDR State Park in Georgia.

Lunch break on the Pine Mountain Trail.

The Pine Mountain Trail at FDR State Park is one of my go-to places during the winter because it doesn't tend to get as cold as the North Georgia mountains.  But that doesn't mean it's not cold.  Temperatures still dipped below freezing, and provided a good opportunity to test our winter gear.

A chilly morning. Photo by Jean.

 It was great seeing Jean and Kelly again- I've done previous Trail Dames trips with them and it was so nice to catch up with them.  It was the first time I'd met Tonya, and I was so glad she could join us for part of the time and I sure hope to see her again.

Tonya on the Pine Mountain Trail.

 Fall leaves were colorful.  We were delighted by a few late-season flowers.

Gentian still blooming.

Grass of Parnassus along a small creek.

Once again, so nice to spend the weekend with the Dames!

Having dinner at the Whiskey Still campsite. Photo by Jean.

Foothills Trail Thru Hike

While I’ve section hiked the Foothills Trail repeatedly, this was the first time I’ve completed the entire trail in one continuous trip.  I was thrilled to do this hike with my friend Susan (“Rewind”) who you might remember I started the PCT with (check out her blog here).  The really great thing about hiking with Susan is that she shares a fondness for the natural world and for plants in particular.  Perfect hiking partner for this trail with all the fall color!  We spent time examining colorful fall leaves, pulling apart seeds and fruits to figure out what they were, and lifting up rocks to look for salamanders.  This was quite a different mindset that I used to have on previous trips on the Foothills when I’d do over 25 mile days, back when I had something to prove.  But it was a fabulous way to enjoy this exceptionally beautiful trail.

Susan on the Foothills Trail.

Overview of the Foothills Trail
The Foothills National Recreation Trail extends 77 miles from Oconee State Park to Table Rock State Park along the South Carolina/ North Carolina border.  Highlights include the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River in the Ellicott Rock Wilderness, Gorges State Park, Lake Jocassee, Sassafras Mountain (the highest point in South Carolina at 3554 feet), and Whitewater Falls (second highest falls in the east). 

Whitewater Falls.  Photo by Susan.

Time of year
Our trip took place in mid-November, and we caught the BEST EVER fall leaf color.  I’ve section hiked the Foothills Trail pretty much all months of the year and do tend to like the spring flowers, but the leaf color made November a close contender for best time to hike.  The Foothills Trail stays at a lower in elevation than the Appalachian Trail in Georgia and North Carolina, so the weather remains relatively moderate during winter.  We had a few days warm enough to go swimming, but by the end of the trip a front came through that brought rain and then freezing temps.

Horsepasture River.

Trip duration and direction
I highly recommend allowing extra time to hike this trail.  We spent 5 nights which allowed for a very relaxed trip.  Sure we could have finished quicker (being the badass PCT hikers that we are- haha), but neither of were eager to get back to town.  So we dragged out our trip, exploring side trails that took us to additional waterfalls.  Because the days are short this time of year and evenings got cold, we also ended up going to bed quite early.  Like around 6 PM.  So even though we’d get hiking before the sunrise, we were glad to have planned extra days to account for these shorter days.  

We choose to start at Oconee State Park so that we could do the part of the trail with the least amount of elevation change at the beginning of our trip when our packs were heaviest with food.  It also allowed us to save the dramatic views at Sassafras and Table Rock for the end.

Susan and I at the Oconee State Park Trailhead.

Wonderful waterfalls
What makes the Foothills Trail really stand out are the waterfalls- more waterfalls than I’ve ever seen anywhere else.  This is because the trail goes along the Blue Ridge Escarpment, which is the 2,000 foot drop-off between the higher Carolina Mountains and the lower Piedmont.  This is an area that gets more rainfall than most other places east of the Mississippi, and all that water flows down a series of gorges.

Virginia Hawkins Falls.

One of the distinguishing features of this trail are all the steps and bridges.  Big iron bridges, and wooden bridges of all shapes and sizes.

Over the Laurel Fork.

 Parts of the trail are along the fall-line, and steps lead steeply up and down, providing quite a stairmaster workout.  Footing is often technical, the trail being rocky and rooty, and we had to adjust our pace and ended up going slower than we would on the PCT.

Endless stairs.

Water is plentiful along the route.  The longest water carry is over Sassafras Mountain, which is also a steep section so watch out that you don’t get complacent expecting water every few miles and run out here.   Also while it may be tempting to camp along the gorgeous streams and rivers, in winter these areas turn especially cold and damp at night, and we stayed much warmer by camping up on the ridges where the views of the sunrises and sunsets were better anyway.

Flora and fauna
The Foothills Trail passes through many botanically rich areas and the wildflowers in April and May are exceptional.  One of the most exciting botanical highlights of the Foothills Trail are the endangered (but locally abundant) Oconee Bells, which are endemic to the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains.  They grow along streams, are related to the more common galax, and bloom in March and April (see my photos of them here).  The famous French botanist Andre Michaux collected the Oconee Bell in 1787 and the famous American botanist, Asa Gray, found Michaux’s record of the plant years later, and kicked off a several-decade long hunt for the plant which wasn’t rediscovered until 1877 (read the full story here).

Witchhazel blooms in November.

The Foothills Trail also has a fair amount of wildlife.  One evening, we got to see a small black bear scamper up the far hillside one after we’d set up camp.  Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be interested in us and didn’t return to our camp.

Susan hangs her bear bag.

Overall, this is a gem of a trail and fall is a great time to visit.

Toad.

More information and Maps

Foothills Trail Conference- information and maps/ guidebooks.

Allen Easler- overview and more information on the waterfalls

The Foothills Trail Map (by the Foothills Trail Conference)
(Edit: the new 2014 map from the Foothills Trail Conference is suppose to be a big improvement- see comments section below)
Unfortunately, this is a very difficult map to read and use.  All the information you need is here, but it is not organized in a way that makes sense or that is standard for other long trails.  The use of a numbering system instead of place names is particularly confusing.  Distances between these numbered waypoints is given in a chart, but then you have to reference another chart explaining what the numbers mean.  The elevation profile doesn’t show mileages on the x-axis either.  I solved these problem by taking a perminant marker and writing mileages directly on the map and replacing the numbering systems with actual names of waypoints and trail junctions to make a functional map.  On the upside, sales of this map benefit the FTC and go towards trail maintenance and construction.  Some people like the FTC Guidebook, which has more detailed descriptions, but I’ve hiked the trail before so I didn’t find that information necessary.  The trail is very well signed, blazed, and generally easy to follow.

National Geographic Trail Illustrated Map #785 of the Nantahala and Cullasaja Gorges
If you are section hiking the Foothills Trail, the NatGeo map shows roads and is helpful for getting to the trailsheads.

Table Rock State Park with the Georgia and South Carolina Trail Dames

This post was originally published on the Trail Dames blog.

Women from both the Georgia and South Carolina chapters of Trail Dames met on a chilly fall weekend for camping, hiking, and bluegrass music at Table Rock State Park in South Carolina.  It was the first joint trip between these two chapters, and it was so much fun I’m sure there will be more in the future.

Dames goofing off. Photo by Wendy.

 Wendy and Julie, who founded the South Carolina Trail Dames chapter at the beginning of this year, greeted everyone in the parking area.  They direct us to the Owl Tree group campsite, only 1/4 mile down the trail and with a lovely view of the lake through the trees.

Jules and Donna show off their winter hammock setups.

 After settling in, the sun set early, as it does this time of year, and we came together around the campfire.  Women who have been with the Georgia Trail Dames chapter since its beginning (7 years ago!) were joined by a few who were brand new to the Dames.  As happens so easily in the outdoors, everyone started sharing stories, exchanging tips, and telling about our past adventures.  Laughter and conversations filled the night air, warming our hearts, even if our backsides remained chilly. 

Around the campfire.

 As the sun came up the next morning, women slowly emerged from tents and hammocks.  The freezing temperatures had provided quite a challenge during the night.  Some had stayed warm, but others hadn’t fared as well. 

Fall color.

We began the day with a 1.8 mile hike on the Carrick Creek Trail.  The fall colors were incredible!  Waterfalls cascaded over rocks covered in brightly colored leaves.  Fallen leaves crunched beneath our feet as we hiked. 

Hopping across the rocks during the hike.

 After the hike, some decided to go out to eat, while others grabbed a picnic lunch and then went to listen to traditional bluegrass music at the lodge in the park.  A few Dames joined in the dancing in the aisles.  What an (interesting cultural) experience! 

Local musicians playing bluegrass music.

Our second morning, the early risers in the group took Pam’s suggestion to watch the sunrise over the lake.  Morning fog rose dramatically over the water and provided a picturesque ending to a fun-filled weekend. 

Donna, Brenda, Joan, Leah, Julie, and Kathy. Photo by Wendy.

On a more personal note...

 I was so glad to spend a wonderful weekend with the Trail Dames. I definitely missed hanging out with these gals.  Some of these women have known me since even before I learned to backpack, and have given me so much support in hiking the PCT.  It was so cool how they'd read my PCT blog and asked me so many questions about my adventures.  Spending time with them out in the woods reminded me just how much they've taught me- especially about how to laugh about everything and how to slow down.  Sure love the Dames!

Food for the PCT

I got a request to write about my food for my 2014 hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, so here I describe my strategy for resupply, menu planning, my favorite meals and snacks.  All my food was no-cook/ stoveless, which is how I've been eating on the trail for a long time.  I prefer the simplicity and it saves me time.  Enjoy!

Maildrops vs. Buying in town
There are two general strategies for resupplying food on the Pacific Crest Trail.  You can mail yourself food (or really have your friend or family member mail it to you) or you can buy food in towns as you go.  I didn't know which I would prefer, so I planned a hybrid approach, preparing and dehydrating meals for about half of my stops, and figuring I could buy food in town the rest of the time.

Buying food in town.

This hybrid strategy turned out well for the first 940 miles before I had to get off the trail for the stress fracture.  They say sending yourself food works best for those with specific food requirements, and that's the case for me- I am hypoglycemic so that means I need more protein and fats with every meal and I'll crash if I get too much sugar.  The boxes of food that Still Waters and my parents sent me were filled with all sorts of delicious snacks from Trader Joe's, and whole-foods-type stores or International Markets, and dehydrated meals that I made from recipes I'd developed over the years.  More veggies, more nutrient-packed foods, less sugar.   So I found that I ate much better from my boxes than when I shopped in town where the choices were more limited. 

When I bought all my food in town, I found I had less variety, since there were fewer options in the small towns.  I mostly ate fresh foods like tortillas and cheese, but did pack out more veggies which was great.  But I had less energy when I ate the sugary foods common in convenience stores like pop tarts, hostess cakes, and candy bars.  It was a nice change once in a while, but I looked forward to my resupply boxes when I could get more variety.

Fresh tomatoes and green peppers taste delicious on tortillas.

Preparing and dehydrating meals for the trail
Last winter, I dehydrated many of my favorite winter meals.  These tasted great on the PCT.

When I was healing from the stress fracture, I prepared trail food for the second half of my hike while I was at Steph's house (Thanks again Steph!).  I had the advantage of knowing exactly what foods I wanted, and I could incorporate what I'd learned from the first 940 miles into my menu planning.  What I had learned was that I wanted to eat food that had flavors like I normally eat at home.  I also learned that the food I could make or buy myself was so much better than what I could find in towns.

I made meals by dehydrated a few ingredients and combining them with other ingredients that I ordered online.  I generally followed several recipes found on the Backpacking Chef website.  (Note: Below I only list ingredients, not amounts, because I didn't measure anything.  If you need a recipe, check out that website.)

I dehydrated rice that I'd flavored before dehydrating (see below) and also creamed corn to make corn bark.  I also dehydrated shrimp and deli ham.

I ordered pre-made dehydrated veggies (from Harmony House), freeze dried cheese, and freeze dried meat online to add to what I made.   

Mixing up dried veggies with other ingredients.

My favorite meals
The key thing was thinking up what dishes I like to eat at home, and then figuring out how to mimic those on the trail.  I love Indian, Mexican, and Asian food, so I took those as inspiration to create meals from the dehydrated ingredients I had.  

    -Green curry- dehydrated Trader Joe’s Green Curry Simmer Sauce over cooked jasmine rice, then added dehydrated shrimp and freeze-dried peas.

Dehydrating Trader Joe's Thai Green Curry sauce mixed with jasmine rice.

    -Corn chowder- dehydrated corn bark, dried corn and dried potato, nido milk powder, cheese powder, dehydrated shrimp or ham.

    -Sushi in a bag- dehydrated sushi rice (prepare sushi rice as you would for regular sushi by seasoning it with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt, then dehydrate it), dehydrated shrimp, dried cabbage, and broken up dried seaweed.  I'd put it all together in a bag, then add cold water. It wasn't rolled since that would have taken too much time, and the seaweed turned sort of mushy, but all the flavors were there and it tasted close enough for me.

Making "sushi" for the trail.

    -Fantastic foods tabouli- with added dehydrated corn, carrots, and peppers.

    -Tortilla soup- dehydrated corn, peppers, tomatoes, squash, dehydrated refried beans, freeze dried  cheese, dehydrated beans, with fritos sprinkled on top.

    -Lime-cilantro rice with corn and beans- dehydrated rice with lime juice and cilantro, also added corn bark, dehydrated beef, and taco seasoning.

A favorite.

Meal plan
I followed a rough schedule for eating that involved frequent meals.  Breakfast at 5-6 AM, 1st snack at 8 AM, 2nd snack at 10 AM, lunch at 12, 3rd snack at 2 PM, 4th snack at 4 PM, dinner at 6 PM and evening snack right before bed.  Dinner was probably my smallest meal.  I felt more constant energy when I ate continuously and never had a big meal.  When I did fewer miles and didn't need as many calories, I skipped the evening snack.

Breakfast was always granola with nido milk powder and jerky or cheese sticks for protein.  I ate this every single morning and never got sick of it.  I mailed myself nido milk but bought granola in town.

Lunches and dinners were just-add-cold water meals.  Sometimes I had tortillas with cheese and pepperoni, or with peanut butter and dried fruit.  Because I am hypoglycemic, I always had protein with my meals in the form of cheese, tuna, nuts, or freeze dried meats.

Blue Yonder makes up some tortillas with peanut butter and dried cranberries.

Snacks were bars, pudding, dried fruit, dried veggies or veggie chips, or nuts.   Plus some protein like cheese or jerky at every snack break to avoid sugar spikes.  An equal number of sweet and savory snacks worked well.  The evening snack was usually peanut butter.  Salty snacks were especially important in the heat. High calorie snacks were really important in the Sierra.  We were all really hungry by that point, and needed extra calories in the cold and difficult terrain.

Snack break after crossing Forester Pass. Our shoulders are hunched over cause we are HUNGRY.

Bars
I didn't like bars as much as other people.  But they were easy to buy and carry so I still ate them sometimes.  Traditional bars were usually too sugary and boring, but made OK treats when paired with some jerky.  A few times other people gave me bars they were sick of like ProBars and these were great because I hadn’t had them before.  I liked bars that had higher calorie content like some of the protein bars, builder bars, and pemmican bars.  I also found a few unusual bars in natural food stores that were delicious and high fat (which was great!) like Halvah and Oskri coconut bars.

The key to bars is variety and not eating them too much. 

Dried fruits
I didn’t anticipate how much I would enjoy dried fruits and fruit leathers.  Especially tart and tangy fruits.  I didn’t dehydrate any fruit for the beginning of my hike because I thought dried fruit would be easy to buy.  I was wrong- all the dried fruit was too sugary and not nearly as good as my home dehydrated fruits.  (The exceptions are dried ginger which soothes the tummy, and Trader Joe's Mandarin oranges.)  So while I was healing from the stress fracture, I dehydrated bananas and made low-sugar fruit leathers (cranberry-orange and mixed berry were favorites).  I added yogurt to the fruit leathers to up the protein.  Most of the time I ate the dried fruit directly, but it was also delicious when I added cold water to it and let it soak and turned it into a “smoothie”. 

Dried fruit and fruit leathers.

Other sweet snacks
Instant pudding with nido powder and chia seeds.  Instant cheesecake mix.   Chocolate was also a very important thing to carry for chocolate-emergencies.  Tictacs and jolly ranchers for SoCal.

Don't forget the chocolate!

Dried veggies

Veggie chips were a favorite.  Also, wasabi peas and kale chips. 

Loved all things veggie.

Nuts and nut butters
Nuts were one of my favorite things in SoCal.  Then I got sick of them by the end of the Sierra.  Nut butter single serving sizes were good at the beginning, but once hiker hunger set in, I always carried a jar of nut butter.  One time I mixed nutella and chunky peanut butter half and half and it was divine, though probably had too much sugar for me but I didn't care at that point.

Nut butters.

Jerky
I ate a lot of jerky.  Lightweight and packed with needed protein.  I loved Simply Snacking jerky strips.  Krave brand jerky (Pork black cherry barbecue) was another favorite.  Jerky was really expensive on the trail, so I tried to get it sent to me because it's much less expensive at Costco or online.

Cheese
I usually carried a block of cheddar, but occasionally got something fancier like gouda.  String cheese was another favorite.

Drink mixes
EmergenC, gatoraide (low sugar), and any kind of drink mix packets added flavor.  These were especially good when water was scarce and I would want to “tank up” and drink a half liter (or a liter) at the water source to rehydrate. 

Drink mixes.

Fresh food
Packing out fresh food added nutrition and tasted delicious.  Things that held up especially well included apples, tomatoes, and carrots.  Other favorites to pack out included baked goods and hardboiled eggs.  Tortilla, cheese, and pepperoni was my standard lunch fare. 

Nothing like packing out a fresh apple.

To be honest, I didn’t do as much fresh food after the stress fracture because it tended to weigh more and it was more important to me to keep my pack weight down.  To make up for it, I did take more zero days and ate a lot on in town.

Final notes
The thing about food on the trail is that everyone is different.  Some people say they get more variety from buying in town, but I just saw they could get more variety of poptart flavors.  Read a lot of different blogs about food on the trail, and try to read between the lines to see what strategy fits your tastes.

My experience was hugely shaped by having to get off the trail due to injury.  I imagine I could have gotten sick of my food if this hadn't happened.  But then again, I had a lot of variety and a specific diet, so perhaps not.

Gear review for the PCT: pack, hydration, kitchen, electronics, etc.

This is the third part in my gear review series from my 2014 PCT hike.  Here, I describe what I liked and disliked about my pack, hydration system, kitchen, electronics, and other misc. gear.  If you just want to go directly to my gear list, that link is here.  I covered my hammock related gear and clothes in separate posts.

My base weight (no food or water, and without counting the clothes I wore) on the PCT was 12-13 pounds.  I get cold easily so I used more insulation and I carry a hammock.

Pack
Pack: Gossamer Gear Mariposa Pack  (25 oz w/out pad)                      
I got this pack for free since I am a Gossamer Gear Trail Ambassador.  Overall, this pack fits me well and I like the design.

Pros:  My favorite thing about this pack is that it was extremely comfortable and made the pack feel like an extension of my body.  I also liked that my sit pad could be used as the backpanel and could be easily removed for rest breaks.  Especially after the stress fracture, I must have taken that sit pad out at least a half dozen times every day so I could sit and rest my feet comfortably.  I also loved that I could access the right side pocket without taking off my pack.  That allowed me to take out (or stow away) my umbrella, gloves, and buff as I hiked.  The mesh pocket was great for storing damp items like water containers and a ground cloth.  It was also large enough to carry 7 L of water and 6 days of food in SoCal or a bear canister (vertically) in the Sierra.  

Cons: I had a problem with the straps on this pack.  Over time, the shoulder strap rubbed against the hip belt pocket, and eventually made the pocket zipper break.  I told Gossamer Gear and they eventually sent me a new, modified hip belt which was great because it fixed the problem that I was having.  But getting the new belt took months which was frustrating.  Gossamer Gear is working to improve their customer service, so hopefully this sort of thing won't be a problem in the future.

Gossamer Gear Mariposa.

Pack Liner: Trash compactor bag (1 oz)
Simple, effective, and inexpensive.  I always keep my quilt, hammock, sleeping clothes, and puffy jacket in it so they wouldn’t get wet when my water containers leaked.

Hydration system
I switched between the sawyer mini filter and aquamira.  I used the sawyer filter in SoCal but I hated  how long it took to filter water.  So I switched to aquamira for simplicity in the Sierra.  After the stress fracture when I was hiking alone, I ended up carrying both the sawyer mini and aquamira.  I felt better having a backup system when there was no one else around, and I also liked that I could use the aquamira if I didn't want to stop, and I had the option of tanking up at water sources with the sawyer before the longer water carries.

Sawyer mini.

For SoCal, I had 9 liters capacity for water, though the maximum I ever ended up carrying was 7 L.  I had a mix of shapes and sizes of collapsible bottles so that they fit into my pack and served various functions.  I liked being able to sip my water from a platypus.  I had two 3-L platypus hosers that I switch out.  I also had a 1 L platypus collapsible container for drink mixes.  The 1 L size fit perfectly on my side pocket so I could reach it without taking off my pack.  In addition, I had a 2 L “dirty water only” platypus, which is what I used to collect water.   After SoCal, I tossed one of the 3 L platypus containers.

Kitchen: Stoveless
I’ve been stoveless for several years, and it really suits my hiking style.  I always had a meal rehydrating in cold water in my pack, so when I got hungry I could eat whenever I wanted.  It made things easy in SoCal where water sources were spread out- I would filter water directly into my meals at water sources so I didn’t even have to plan how much water I’d need for meals.  Super easy.

In the Sierra, I was worried I might be cold due to not having hot food.  But being cold for me was due to not enough calories or having cold, wet feet, not the temperature of my food.  On cold nights, I’d have spoonfuls of peanut butter before bed.

I ate everything out of plastic bags.  No bowl, plate, or cup.  I preferred ziplock brand pint sized freezer bags.  Lighterweight or cheaper bags leaked more often.  I always double bagged the food I was rehydrating. 

Cold lunch and boiling hot fumerole, Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Spoon:  Sea to summit alpha light longhandled spoon (0.5 oz)            
I love this spoon.  The long handle allows you to reach into quart sized ziplocks instead of pint sized which trust me you will have to resort to at some point.  The squarish shape allows you to really scrape the sides of the bags or jars.  A metal spoon doesn’t break like plastic.

Food bag: Sea to summit, ultrasil stuff sack (1 oz) 
Light, durable.  This is not waterproof, but it dries quickly.

Opsack Odor proof bags
I stored my food in Opsack odor proof bags.  I still don’t know if it mattered because I typically camped in lesser used campsites, or where no one had ever camped before.  I usually hung my food at night too though.  I never had critters get into my food.

Bear bag rope: Kelty Triptease
Most PCT hikers sleep with their food.  I hung mine in trees with rope.  It is reflective, which really helps for finding it in the morning because I'd usually be up well before dawn.

Skin care (soap, sunscreen, foot care, toilet bag, pee rag)

Soap: Dr. Bonner’s peppermint soap repackaged in a Mini-dropper bottle
I used a drop of Dr. Bonners in a ziplock bag for washing.   I washed my socks frequently, and found adding a little soap really helped when they got really gross.  I used a drop of soap in a plastic bag of water to wash my hands (if water was available) after I pooped.  I always make an effort to disperse the soap as far as possible from water sources, and I only used a tiny amount of soap.  Even though it is biodegradable, that doesn’t mean it isn’t harmful to aquatic environments.

Sunscreen: Neutrogena SPF 70 (2-3 oz)
I burn easily, so I had to frequently apply sunscreen.  I carried a 3 oz bottle of sunscreen, because I used it so quickly especially crossing over all the snow in the Sierra.  At first I was pissed off that some other people didn’t use any sunscreen, but then I thought about how many times my dad has had to get the skin cancer removed from his face and I hope these extra efforts spare me from all that in the future.

I used various brands of sunscreen but these were my two favorites: Neutrogena ultimate sport 70+ and Neutrogena ultrasheer liquid 70+  They didn’t feel as slimy or have terribly offensive odors. 

Foot care bag  (duct tape, sports tape, anti-friction cream, moisturizing lotion, knife)
I took out my foot care bag at every rest stop and used it in the morning and at night before I went to bed.  I used a baby wipe to get the dirt and sand off.  I massaged my feet with anti-friction cream (trail toes) during the day, and then with moisturizing lotion at night.  The scissors on my Swiss army knife classic SD (0.8 oz) worked great for trimming toenails, and I kept it in my foot care bag because that’s where I used it most often.  Duct tape and sports tape were used to tape up blisters.

Toilet bag  (ziplock with pre-cut paper towels, pack of baby wipes)  (1 oz)
I prefer paper towels as toilet paper- they hold up better.  I used natural material first (i.e. sticks, smooth rocks, certain leaves, snow), and buried them deep in the hole with the poop.  Then I polished off with a small amount of paper town and a baby wipe (if needed).  I always packed out used TP, baby wipes, and tampons- double bagged in ziplocks.  Then, I wiped my hands with a baby wipe and washed them with soap and water if possible.  Regular hand washing helps prevent GI problems!

Bandana: pee rag w/ snap (0.8 oz)
A pee rag may sound gross at first, but let me tell you what’s gross: finding toilet paper along the trail.  My pee rag is a cotton bandana with a snap on one corner.  The snap allows the bandana to be attached to the shock cord on my pack (for easy deployment without taking off the pack) or to my hammock ridgeline in camp.  You want a snap because the PCT is windy.  You don’t want your pee rag getting blow off your pack because then someone might pick it up and give it back to you and then how awkward is that going to be?!?

The UV light from the sun kills any bacteria that may be on your pee rag.  I also rinsed out my pee rag using my ziplock bag washing machine and scattering the dirty water far from water sources.

Pee rag attached to pack via snap and shock cord.

Electronics
Thoughts about technology on the trail:  When I was planning my hike, I had mixed feelings about using my iphone while on the trail.  But on the trail I naturally found a good balance.  I wasn't overly distracted by social media or email because the trail was so absorbing and fulfilling.  I usually didn’t even want to make phone calls unless I was in town.  Disconnecting helped me focus on being in the moment, rather than checking my email or facebook ever few seconds as a way to escape like I do when I'm off-trail.  But I also really liked keeping a blog and being connected with friends and family with my posts.

Thoughts about not carrying a camera: I did send home my camera and just used my iphone to take photos.  I carried a camera the first 500 miles but I didn't like having to take time in town to find wifi to transfer my photos to my iphone and charging the camera battery was a pain.  I was much happier with photos that I could share instantly from my phone. After the stress fracture, I got more interested in photography, but I found that I could still take adequate photos on the iphone when I put more effort and thought into lighting and composition.

Phone: iphone 5S with AT and T (4 oz)
I used my phone as GPS unit, camera, computer, ipod, kindle, and (rarely) a phone.  It was easier to have one unit do everything rather than have to fiddle with multiple devices.  Fewer cords, easier to get everything charged in town.

I was glad I took my friend Pathfinder’s advice and waited (and saved) to get a new phone right before my hike.  I like iphones but that's probably because they are all I've ever used.  I should have gotten more memory so I could store more photos because 16 GB filled up quick.

Phone case: Lifeproof fre (1 oz)
Waterproof.  Lightweight. Expensive but totally worth it.

Phone battery: itorch 5200mah  (4.4 oz)
Charging my phone on the trail with an external battery was easy and didn't require any fiddling like a solar charger does.  This size was more than enough for me, but I tended to use my phone less than others.

Satellite GPS messenger: SPOT Gen2  (4 oz including 3 AAA batteries). 
Pros:  I felt that it was the responsible thing to do to carry this in case of emergency, especially for when I went off bushwhacking to find a hang site.  My family and friends felt better when they received my “OK” messages.

Cons:  It doesn’t allow you to receive messages and you have no way of knowing if your message got sent.  It also doesn’t do text messages like the inreach.  You have to get to an open space without tree cover to improve the chance that the message will go through, and often times it didn't.

Watching the sunset and sending my evening "OK" message using my bright orange SPOT.

Headlamp: Petzl Zipka plus (2.5 oz  including 3 AAA batteries)
I debated whether to carry this or my lighterweight but dimmer eLite.  In the end, I was glad I used this one because I ended up nighthiking a lot.  Also, when I stealth camped in my hammock I was often far away from the trail, so I’d be starting my day bushwhacking in the pitch dark.  

Pros: This headlamp didn’t turn itself on in my pack like other headlamps that I tried.  The cord is retractable so it didn’t tangle up.  I used the same set of lithium AAA batteries for 940 miles.  I like that the headlamp uses the same type and number of batteries as my SPOT satellite device so I didn’t carry extra batteries.  I just figured if one ran out, I could use the others until I got to the next town (though that never happened).

Cons: Weight.  There are lighter options available.  Next time I’d check out the lights that run on a single AAA battery.

Bushwhacking by headlamp.

Watch:  Timex expedition indiglo  (1 oz)
A watch is a very helpful tool for backpacking.  It is key for measuring distances/ dead reckoning.  In the Sierra, it was critical for timing the passes to avoid postholing.  And for estimating how fast I needed to hike to get to various stores, restaurants, or the post office before closing.  This watch is simple and durable.  It lights up so I can tell the time in the dark.

Everything else

Notebook + pen: Rite in Rain (1 oz)
I wrote notes as I hiked so I could get the thoughts out of my mind or make notes about names that I’d likely forget.  I typically wrote in my paper notebook during the day, and then typed up my blog entries at night from my notes.  I don’t think the waterproof paper was necessary but this sized notebook fit in my pocket.

Writing in my notebook.

Poles:  Black Diamond Distance FL (15.5 oz)
Loved these poles!  They are very light and they never collapsed, unlike so many other poles I've tried.  They folded down super small when I wasn't using them.

One trick- I put reflective tape on them.  Then I could use them to mark my hammock campsites when I went off to go watch the sunset.  Otherwise, it'd be hard to find my way back to my hammock in the dark.

Reflective tape on my hiking poles.

Halfmile paper maps
I am somewhat old-fashioned in that I used paper maps in addition to the navigation apps on my phone.  I made notes on my maps about potential hammock hang sites and water sources.  It also saved my cell phone batter to not have to always rely on it for navigation, so I could carry a smaller battery charger.  After the stress fracture when I was doing more off-trail exploring and side trails, I was especially glad I had the extra information on side trails and off-trail lakes (for swimming!) contained in the paper maps.  

Wallet (with ID, cash, credit card, PCT permit)
I carry a butterfly wallet (0.3 oz) and preferred it to a plastic bag because it was more durable and easy to carry in town in my pocket.  I did carry more cash than I normally do.  Most places took credit cards.  Only got asked for my PCT permit once, but definitely have one.

Gear used in the Sierra
 It was a low snow year, but I entered the Sierra early, leaving Kennedy Meadows on May 24th.  I encountered lots of snow.  I found the snow terrifying but also totally exhilarating.

I used microspikes in the Sierra, but not an ice ax.  I took a snow course (highly recommended) where I was trained in self-arrest, but I decided not to take an ice ax anyway.  When I crossed over Forester Pass and a few other passes, I was with other people that did have ice axes.

Crossing the chute on Forester Pass in my microspikes.

Traction: Kahtoola microspikes
Pros: I was a fan of the microspikes for the Sierra.  They griped the ice which made me more confident on the traverses.

Cons:  It took extra time when I took them off and put them back on very frequently whenever the terrrain switched from rocks to snow to rocks again.  Eventually I learned from another hiker (Thanks Red!) that you could just leave them on in the rocks and it wouldn’t damage them too much. 

Bear Canister: BV500
Loved my bear canister.  Bear canisters are required in the Sierra, and it made me feel good that I was doing my part to help protect the bears.  This bear canister is inexpensive, and I liked that I could see through the sides to find what I wanted to eat.  Opening the BV500 was fine for me because I used the library card trick.  It wasn’t as horrible to open as it had been in the winter in Georgia when I was practicing carrying it.  I suspect because there was less moisture so it didn't freeze shut. 

Bear canister.

That's it for the gear reviews.  As I said, my clothes and hammock gear were reviewed in other posts, and I discuss apps here.  Let me know if you have any questions or comments!

Disclaimer: I am a Gossamer Gear Trail Ambassador, and I got the Mariposa pack from them for free.  All other gear was purchased by me.