CDT SUL Hiker

[Ron Bell / MLD]

If you've never heard of him, he is one of the most ardent SUL long distance hikers around. Francis Tapon is currently on a CDT Yo Yo. He previously completed the AT and PCT in SUL Style.

His tale of a CDT Colorado snowstorm under a small Cuben fiber tarp is wild.

Check out francistapon.com. Click on the CDT link on the home page and then to the bottom of the CDT page for the trip updates.

***On his base pack weight: Note the late winter type temps/weather he is undertaking by starting much earlier than regular for a NB CDT hike.

http://francistapon.com/

[Sam Haraldson]

When asked,

> How fast will you hike?

Francis responded with this,

>My strategy is simple: use New Mexico
> as the warm up and the cool down. Go
> like hell the rest of the time.

[John S.]

His website says the base pack weight on the AT was about 7 pounds. For the PCT he says ultralight but gives no gearlist. On the CDT he says less than 10 pounds. SUL this is not ; ).

[Benjamin Smith]

Hey John,

Francis lists his base pack weight for the CDT at 6.64 pounds here. He notes elsewhere that if he ditches the digital camera, MP3 player, and solar panel, he's under 5 pounds total.

I'm sure Doug Johnson isn't impressed (since he managed to get a camera and MP3 player into his sub-4 gearlist), but I am!

Ben

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