On any expedition, gear is usually our third most common topic of conversation, running behind food (the clear favorite), and plans for our next journey. We complain about our gear. We brainstorm strange new ideas that probably wouldn't work. We love our gear. It's the thing that keeps us from sitting naked in the devils club in the rain.
Hig and I started doing long-distance off-trail wilderness travel years before we knew anyone else who was doing similar things. As a result, we developed most of our system with very little outside input, passing through some uncomfortable intermediate phases, such as huddling under krumholz spruce trees with no sleeping bag and traveling 800 miles with a Sevylor Trail Boat.
So we're pretty much self-taught. Which is probably for the best, since neither of us is very good at following advice. In planning the gear list for our Journey on the Wild Coast, we considered four major factors:
Weight: This becomes particularly important in the more remote areas of the trip, when we may have to carry 13 to 16 days worth of food at a stretch between resupply points.
Water: Torrential rains, rivers, and ocean fjords are major features of our route. Everything we carry and wear must be ready for a swim.
Brush: Our route is lacking trails, but replete with lush forests and thick bushwhacks. Our gear must be able to survive these shredding conditions, and where possible, be rugged enough to do so for nine months.
Record Keeping: Photography, writing, and communication are key parts of the environmental mission of this trip. Therefore, our arsenal of electronic gadgets is decidedly not "ultralight."
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I just thought the first one a was wee bit too squat. A little taller yeilds better interior room (critical for three four people) for the same floor plan and sheds snow/rain/hail/marmots better.
Of course too tall could be problem with wind. I think I hit a good in between balance.
I haven't had a chance to get through everything, but this:
"A pizza fell out of the sky for us "
…made me laugh
It has been a while since erin and Hig have had an audio update posted. That is in part because I was away backing in Scotland (taking part in The Great Outdoor Challenge, 2008 – some of you may already have known that) and because we had a technical snag that has now been resolved. Suffice it to say they'll have plenty to talk about in future updates.
It appears that the epic trek to the Aleutians has ended. Congratulations and infinite reverence to the driven, visionary couple. I don't think Mary and Joseph could have pulled this one off. And they're with child? Hm…
Welcome back, Erin,
Thanks for your regular expedition updates. I found great pleasure in your written accounts, photographs, and in the end, the trip's safe conclusion.
What do you all find exciting these wilderness less days?
For anyone in the Seattle area, Hig and I will be giving a slideshow presentation on our Journey on the Wild Coast expedition.
Wednesday October 8, 7PM
Mountaineers Building, 300 3rd Ave W
Seattle, WA
download pdf flier
For anyone in Anchorage or on the Kenai Peninsula, visit the Events page for info on our talks there in late October.
I know it’s short notice, but please spread the word to anyone interested!
-Erin
Resurrecting this thread to pass on the announcement of Erin and Hig’s film from their trip being aired at the Anchorage Film Festival in December.
This link connects with the short preview
http://anchorage.bside.com/2010/films/journeyonthewildcoast_gregchaney_anchorage2010
They haven’t sat still since finishing their trip in 2008. Erin’s book came out last year and they visited us here in Juneau on the book tour. I last saw them in Kotzebue this past August as they were starting a month-long walk along the northwest arctic coast with their 18 month old son. Oh, Erin was five months pregnant. Tough and wonderful people.
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