Preparing for the hike
Equipment I will be taking, preparations etc.
I have a good idea of what I will need but I'm sure something will come up that I did not think about but here is a summery of what I will have at the start of the hike. After a week or two of hiking I will know what to get rid of and what to keep in order to be as lite as possible.
Back pack is a Eureka. Height 29.5 in - Capacity 3900 cu. in. - Weight 3 lbs. 7 oz.
Outdoor Products - Small side pack and water bottle holder. Holds 2 - 32 oz. Poly Carbon shatter resistants bottles.
I think this sleeping bag will provide enough warmth. I don’t think it will drop below 40 - 45 degrees at any time on my hike. I almost decided to get one of those mummy bags and I still may have to as the hike progresses.
Grappling hook with about 35 feet of nylon rope. There might be places that I could save a lot of time by going over instead of going around.
Thanks Sgt. Ed Smith for the M.R.E.s and heating units.
4-16 07
I have been walking with all my gear from were I live to the tattoo shop and back. I been doing this or an equivalent route for about 6 weeks now once a day and twice on my off days. It’s about ten miles round trip. I will need to walk about 18 to 20 miles per day to make the whole , approximately 1800 miles in the time I have. I have found that if I eat an apple or banana every hour or so it really makes a difference in how my legs feel and how fast of a pace I walk. My gear weighs about 45 lbs without any food. I will have to have about 4 days of food with me. I'm estimating that the food will weigh 4-5 lbs. I think I will be able to find a store or food stop with in 4 days all thru the hike.
This is a letter my boss ask me to write for the Honda news letter. I work at Honda Proving Center in Cantil , Ca. ( HPCC ) , as an E.M.T / Security Officer. I am a contract employee with Guard System Inc.
On 5-1-07 I’m taking a 4 month leave of absence to hike the west coast trail from Mexico to Canada. It’s about 1800 miles of walking and I think I can make it in less then 4 months. I’ve heard the trail is not clearly marked so I’m sure I will get lost a few times but I learned that sometimes when you’re lost is when real good things happen. I’m very confident that I can complete the hike and very excited to get started. I am glad that G.S.I. has given me the time off and a job when I get back. I feel very proud to work at the Honda site and will miss some people very much. I have a web site and I will be documenting my trip with photographs and commentary. The address is:
www.mikerice.freehomepage.com or I will have a link on my main site at www.outsiders.freehomepage.com .
If any one has any relatives or friends that live on the west coast beaches please tell them it’s o.k. to feed me, let me use there shower or charge my cell phone. Tell them I will be wearing a Honda hat.
Mike Rice
The Magellan eXplorist 200 GPS Receiver has both numbers and maps and has many tracking options. This will take out some of the guess work. Click on photo for more info.
I tested 7 different pairs of shoes. The best for the conditions I will face are these. I pair of what are called alligators or Lizards for soft sand and two pairs of Nevados that I purchased at Big 5, Ridgecrest, Ca. The Nevados are perfect all terrain shoes and are very light and well vented.
Its Saturday night , 4-28-07 , I have 8 more hours of work left and I will be unemployed and in about 72 hours I will be sleeping on the beach for about 4 months. Wow, life is good. Thanks for the hat Maria and thanks for all the cookies, Candy and the Cake Nina.
I am taking a CD player / Radio and the music I'm bringing is: Neil Young - Harvest , Neil Young - Harvest Moon , The Beatles - Abbey Road , John Lennon - Legend , Pink Floyd - The Wall , David Crosby - If I Could Only Remember My Name , Best of Moody Blues and some Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms and Bach.
In my side pack I have : 1 - Wind up Flashlight / Cell Phone Charger. My Glasses , A ware on your head flashlight, scissors, notebook, gloves, 2 pens, nail file, nail clippers and Ca coastal trail maps, GPS, bug repellant. 2 - 32 oz water bottles.
In my back pack I have 2 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of boxers, 2 t shirts, 6 pairs of socks, 4 hats, 1 note book, 1 mess kit, duct tape, string, box cutter, sun block, bar of soap, wind up flashlight/radio, tooth brush and paste, Cooking fuel and a can of sterno. I also have two sets of rain gear and rain gear for my pack.
I am also taking my Res-Cue mask, latex gloves, B P Cuff and stethoscope and some first aide bandages, peroxide, and antibiotic ointment in case I need to help someone along the way.
I am bringing some rice, beans, coffee bags, hot chocolate, honey, canned meat, 8 pks of top ramen noodles, wheat crackers.