The Ten Essentials
Don't Drink the Water?
Should you purify your water? Most references say, yes. Organic parasites like Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium contaminate many water sources even in the backcountry. The Pacific Crest Trail Association recommends one of three methods: boiling, filtering, or using a chemical purifier. Boiling works well for hot meals, since you need to boil the water anyway. Filters, like the Katadyn Hiker work well, but are heavy. They do have the advantage of providing instantly drinkable water though. The traditional chemical method, iodine tablets also work, but have a disagreeable taste. This can be mitigated with powdered citric acid or a flavoring. Iodine may build up in the body after long use, however. Craig and I used Aqua Mira, a two-part chlorine dioxide chemical that works well and has no flavor. The downside to chemicals is that you have to wait 20-30 minutes before drinking the treated water. This is easy to plan for though, since there are few places along the JMT that lack water. There are other treatment methods like the MIOX Purifier and the SteriPEN, but I haven't used either.
Some hikers feel that the Sierras, especially at higher elevations, are so pristine that water purification is unnecessary. The theory is that if you get your water from fast flowing sources above the trail, there will be a low risk of contamination. On the off-chance that Giardia is present, it takes a few weeks for the infection to show up and by that time you'll be home and can easily treat it. This sounds dicey, but some very experienced hikers do it, and never seem to have a problem. Robert L. Rockwell, PhD, wrote a scholarly piece on the subject if you’re interested in going the no-treatment route.
You need to carry the ten essentials which depending on your sources might be 12+ essentials. In any case be sure to carry sunglasses, sunscreen, knife, map, compass, fire-starters, and a flashlight. Some items, like rain-gear and extra clothes, we’ve already discussed. Others like extra food, water and a water purification method seem to be common sense, but sometimes get overlooked (see the side-bar). For maps we used Tom Harrison’s JMT maps, and highly recommend them. They are handy, 8.5 x 11, waterproof maps with a scale of 1”=1 mile which is ideal for thru-hiking. You can find these at REI and other outlets, or just order them from Tom’s site. Frankly, the JMT is so well-traveled and well-marked that you almost don’t need a map, but even if you never get lost, it’s great to see where you are and what’s coming up.
Make sure your fire-starting gear works well. If you carry waterproof matches, test them before you hike to make sure they’re really waterproof. Remember, if they require a striker patch, it could get wet and become ineffective. If you get wet, and need to start a fire, your method must be quick, easy and completely reliable.
Emergency gear:
What about emergency gear? Of course you should carry first aid items, but how much? Brian Robinson, carried a minimal first aid kit during his thru-hikes of the PCT, AT and CDT. He reasoned that any serious problem would force him to get treated in town anyway. Many thru-hikers carry only a few Band-Aids, and perhaps an ace elastic wrap. In any case, tailor your medical kit to your own particular needs. Avoid the temptation to bring a lot of items “just in case.” After gaining experience, re-evaluate your first-aid kit, and sort out items that you really don’t use.
Should you bring a cell-phone or even a satellite phone for a true emergency? Most stretches of the JMT are fairly well traveled, so it’s reasonable to expect someone will come along in a few hours at most. Cell phones won’t get a signal over most of the JMT. Satellite phones will, but they are heavy, expensive and don’t have a long battery life. Also unless you’re in a National Park, like Yosemite, it is likely you’ll have to pay for an emergency extraction. So it’s up to you. Few hikers carry one, but if you’ve had a close call, you might think differently.
Other gear:
As mentioned, this is not a complete gear list—just some thoughts on the main items. You’ll almost certainly want to carry a camera. I carried a Canon PowerShot, and got some great pictures. Eric Tay, who traveled with us part of the way, carried a much heavier Nikon, but he’s almost a professional level photographer. Eric took some very striking photos—you can see a few of them in the Pictorial Section.
Whether you want things like trekking poles, or a music player are subjective choices. So are things like your choice of water bottles. I used a Platypus water bladder, and Craig used a Nalgene bottle. Both worked well. It’s also a good idea to bring something to fill your bottle with, especially if it has a narrow top. I’ve used an empty Gator-aid bottle and a Zip-lock bag at various times for this task.
Once you’ve got all your gear together, weigh the final result. Pack up everything and dress just like you would on the trail. Get on the scale, and subtract your body weight. If the scale and the “feel” on your back is scary, look for ways to get the weight down.
Shake-out hikes and tests