Which Pencil for the JMT?

"Would it be appropriate to ask the golf course if I could keep one?"

Nick, you could offer to trade them some small condiment packages from a fast food place.

–B.G.–

Cut yourself with a titanium scalpel and use your blood as ink.

There, I just saved you 5 grams. Your welcome.

Nick…you're not thinking bushcraft enough.

The pencil solution is easier than you think. My method will add zero grams to your spreadsheet.

Using my Gransfors Bruks hatchet, I will chop down enough trees to light a sizable fire with my flint, steel, and char cloth. Incidentally, any birds killed in the process of harvesting the lumber for the fire will be saved for smoking later. I have an excellent pemmican recipe that works with all manner of game animals.

I digress.

Fire raging, now comes the task of carefully selecting a hardwood sapling for straightness. I use my $250 handmade Finnish Puukko knife to strip the bark and leaves, whittling it down to a suitable pencil diameter with a sharp point (Save the shavings for smoking your birds).
Then simply fire harden the entire dowel (slowly). Once this step is complete I will char the tip for writing. Incidentally, you might as well make all your tent stakes at the same time. It is quite easy to whittle them while your pencil is cooling.
If you do have birds, render a little fat to help burnish the handle of your pencil. It creates a nice luster.

It's all so simple.

Bushcraft paper is another story.

Nick, I STRONGLY suggest you take an eraser. Unless you're taking extra paper you'll really want to correct those spelling mistakes and wrong word choices in your trail haikus and deep thoughts. It's no fun later reading your scribbled missives and seeing what a dumbass you were. I believe REI has a Hiker's Eraser. Its a touch heavy (maybe drill some holes in it), but bright orange so if you drop you'll easily find it. I think it will even erase not only No. 2 lead, but No. 1 as well. Have fun! Nothing like the JMT with a solid pencil and eraser in hand.

lol.

It's easier than you think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Ad6tBdLbM

I wouldn’t trust anything but a blackwing 602 for the JMT.
It has silky smooth lead that glides over maps at half the pressure of a normal pencil.
The eraser is adjustable. The black color blends into the surroundings, instead of distracting you from them.

If you can’t get a blackwing in time, put off your JMT trip until you have one. You don’t want to risk tarnished memories.

Hope this helps,
–G.B.–

I used THIS on my JMT hike. The sharpener is useful for making shavings to start a stove.

How are you to fully connect with your surroundings with such distractions?!

One time, camped on the JMT, I heard the scribbling of an obvious newbie hiker hundreds of yards away scribbling in his notepad and thought "who brings such loud distractions to the wilderness!" Gosh, have some respect.

"you could offer to trade them some small condiment packages from a fast food place."

hmm… another Catch 22.

Craig,

I am concerned about the lack of quality control, regarding the ergonomics of a properly sized diameter pencil.

I don't want to develop a physical ailment such as Thin Pencil Syndrome or Thick Pencil Syndrome.

“I wouldn’t trust anything but a blackwing 602 for the JMT.”

Great idea. I think I’ll order the gift box set. 12 pencils and a long point sharpener in a wooden box. Only $130 here. Wouldn’t want to bring it on the trail, might break one.

"I wouldn't trust anything but a blackwing 602 for the JMT."

Oh, oh. Made in France. They still owe us a gazillion dollars in war debt.

LOL. The answer is of course any pencil as long as it's a 9H.

Use a sharpie instead! Multi-use – in addition to journal entry screeds on the decay of western civilization will allow you to leave waterproof, long-lasting messages on multiple surface types for other hikers when you steal their water cache and condiment packets.

A long pencil is clearly the answer. It may weigh more but is multi use.
1) tent stake.
2) a weapon to keep PCT hikers from stealing your food.
3) the stick for use in the PCT method bear hang.
4) a sign graffiti remover.
5) a Mylar balloon popper.

The choice is clear

Chaff wasn't all bad.

Well I know I'm opening myself up for UL harassment here, but I really think the pencil is bad and you should go with a pen. While far more UL, the pencil will, eventually, dull, the nub will wear thin and you will then your tool will be useless. Much like .31 cuben, it seems great on a spreadsheet but it practice it's just TOO light – stupid light, actually.

With a pen, on the other hand, you can send replacement inks into your resupply boxes and don't have to worry about the downing of trees to create your gear.

Someone has WAY too much time on their hands. You could have hiked the trail in the amount of time it took to write this post. BTW what did you write this post with?

"Chaff wasn't all bad."

It is entertaining; I just don't have this kind of time in my hands.

I don't understand you kids and your need to carry pencils. In my day, we'd just set a brontosaurus on fire and used his charred remains to draw with. Sheesh!

"…but I really think the pencil is bad and you should go with a pen. While far more UL, the pencil will, eventually, dull, the nub will wear thin and you will then your tool will be useless."

Wait..are we still talking about pencils?

"I don't understand you kids and your need to carry pencils. In my day, we'd just set a brontosaurus on fire and used his charred remains to draw with."

*Sigh* The brontosaurus' and cavemen of those days at least never stole your condiment packets, water caches and sweet rolls. Condiment packets your life could depend on! In those days a brontosaur would likely as not walk right up to the fire and throw himself in – just to help out!

Nowadays everyone is a pencil thief, and too lazy to char their own dinosaur, or even build their own fire.

Not so sure about the pen, they smear when wet, leaving bear attracting residue everywhere.

Thinking about it, he best plan is to bring a pen for day time use on the trail, but a nice pencil for use during stream crossings.

You don't need a dedicated camp pencil, but the weight is small, and it is a nice luxury to write with a clean instrument after a day of using a trail worn pen. Some people don't mind the filth in camp, but it's the little things that separate us from the animals.

–G.B.–

"Not so sure about the pen, they smear when wet, leaving bear attracting residue everywhere. "

Does that mean that you have to carry a canister if you carry a pen. :O

I wonder if John Muir even carried a pencil when he invented the trail.

"I wonder if John Muir even carried a pencil when he invented the trail."

The John Muir Trail was named after the man, but it was developed by others including Theodore Solomons.

–B.G.–