From: T0Morrow@aol.com
Date: Sat Aug 26 2000 - 22:08:07 MDT
I've done a fair amount of desert hiking (including a solo hike across Joshua
Tree in late July without caches and in about 54 hours) and quite naturally
thought a good bit about equipment. For clothing, I prefer army surplus
desert pants. They fit loosely, have conveniently placed pockets, and tie
about the ankles to avoid snags on brush. For shirts, I've purchased
light-colored, long-sleeved, buttoned shirts from a "tall and big" store.
It's more important to get cover from the sun than to expose your skin to the
air, and the loose fit allows pretty good circulation. The buttons and long
sleeves allow you to regulate heat loss with the widely varying desert
temperatures, too.
I've experimented with a couple of hats, neither of which I rate as ideal.
The standard-issue army desert cap works OK, but has a fairly narrow brim
that won't protect you from sidelong light and reflected glare. I thus
currently prefer a modified baseball-style cap. I've ironed a dark,
glare-reducing patch to the underside of the bill and attached over the top a
sort of loose hood that drapes about the sides of my head and neck. It's
white cotton; silk would work better. The hat would also ideally have more
"loft" room to allow heat to rise off of my head.
A good backpack (and back) can easily manage 35 pounds. The water goes
there, natch. A fanny pack won't make much difference in poundage, though it
can prove convenient. Pocket will do the same, though.
Spike wrote:
> I have already begun to plan an optimal strategy. I hiked about
> 15 miles today thinking about it. First thing I need is a thobe, one
> of those flowing white thingies that the sheik-ey type Saudi
> Arabians wear in the desert. Then I need to figure out a way to
> carry about 30-35 pounds, but a simple backpack wont do, nor
> a fanny pack, but maybe both together might be the ticket. I
> figure I should be good for about 25-30 hrs or so. My goal is to
> traverse 100 km in that time.
SoCal Extropians interested in desert hikes ought to email me privately.
I've got a kick-ass Joshua Tree hike mapped out that will go from the
Colorado Sonoran Desert, over the park's southern range through
high-elevation forests, and back down into the Mohave desert. It'll take a
couple of cars to set up and two or three tough days to accomplish.
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