I'm going to Philmont scout ranch very soon. UPDATEUPDATEUPDATE: I'm back!

[Spaceception]

In four days, I'm going to Philmont scout ranch in New Mexico, I'll be gone 'till the 6th of July, and the trek will be 55 miles in 12 days, with the first and last day being in camp HQ, now here's the funny part, here in Florida, the only elevation changes I've seen are cracks in the sidewalk, and stairs, and I've been doing most of my training in the air conditioned YMCA, while my old troop back in Washington state has the freakin Olympic mountains they can train on, and I can't train on them anymore since I moved

 

I'M GONNA DIE!!

 

Probably not, but I'll have a harder time, luckily, when I did live in Washington, I had over 240 miles of hiking/backpacking under my belt, but I haven't done any decent hiking since December, and the longest I ever did in a weekend was 13 miles.

Any good tips for me? I know @Dman979 went, but are there any others?

Edited July 8, 2016 by Spaceception

[LordFerret]

Pace yourself, stay hydrated, salt pills... that's old skool. Don't forget to have fun!

[Spaceception]

3 minutes ago, LordFerret said:

Pace yourself, stay hydrated, salt pills... that's old skool. Don't forget to have fun!

Thanks

 

And doesn't salt make you more dehydrated?

[LordFerret]

16 minutes ago, Spaceception said:

And doesn't salt make you more dehydrated?

When you sweat a lot, you're losing body salts (electrolytes). Staying hydrated is good; but if you're not replacing the salts lost as well, that could turn into a problem. That's why sports drinks (like Gatorade) have salt in them. So, rather than carry around sports drinks, you carry your water and salt tablets.

[Tex_NL]

24 minutes ago, Spaceception said:

Thanks

 

And doesn't salt make you more dehydrated?

Yes and no.
Through transpiration you will loose water AND electrolytes. Just replenishing water won't suffice. You will need to replenish the lost electrolytes as well. Without electrolytes your body will eventually shut down. But too many salt tablets will indeed dehydrate you. Just like drinking sea water.
But if you must choose between drinking water without electrolytes and not drinking at all go for the water. You can go a lot longer low on electrolytes that you go low on water.

Edited June 17, 2016 by Tex_NL

[Bill Phil]

Elevation changes are more of an issue with the slopes. It's not Everest, so you'll just have to be prepared.

 

 

[p1t1o]

Im well Jell, I'd love to do be doing that in 4 days...

Get some *hydrocolloid* blister plasters. "Compeeds" if at all possible, though Im not sure if they are sold in the states..."Bandaid" might have an equivalent, its the same company, Johnson & Johnson. I worked in R&D there for a while, I've seen the clinical studies, I know how they work, and they do.

Not only are they just the _best_ for blisters (as in, bad blister before, walking like normal with minimal discomfort after, I cannot stress this enough. Based on experience, not because I worked there) but they are also the best general wound dressing available - they generally are not marketed for casual wound dressings as they are quite expensive for a plaster, but they are used by medical professionals and serious wound treatment routinely. Again, I cannot stress how good Compeeds are at treating blisters, especially when you are still mid-expedition and still need to walk. 

They sometimes don't stick as well though (if you can figure that problem out, give J&J a call, they have some $money$ for you), so some of that surgical tape is useful to have around as well.

General wound wisdom - it goes against the grain of so-called "common sense", but wounds (including blisters) should not be "aired" or allowed to "breath". Stick a dressing on, change it when it falls off and keep replacing it until healed. It will heal faster, scar less, have less chance of infection and will be less painful.

 

If you had more than 4 days, I would suggest slowly training yourself to need less to drink every day. NOT to intentionally dehydrate yourself, but most people in their day-to-day lives drink far more fluids than they need, and the kidney get very good at getting rid of the excess water, they will continue to do this even as you dehydrate. But if you slowly reduce your water intake over time, your kidneys learn to conserve your water. This is a real technique recommended for folks visiting desert areas and the like.

 

Also, 55miles in 12 days? I walk half that rate just getting to/from work every day (admittedly on the flat). You'll be fine, come back when its 55miles in 72 hours

 

 

[Spaceception]

4 minutes ago, p1t1o said:

Im well Jell, I'd love to do be doing that in 4 days...

Get some *hydrocolloid* blister plasters. "Compeeds" if at all possible, though Im not sure if they are sold in the states..."Bandaid" might have an equivalent, its the same company, Johnson & Johnson. I worked in R&D there for a while, I've seen the clinical studies, I know how they work, and they do.

Not only are they just the _best_ for blisters (as in, bad blister before, walking like normal with minimal discomfort after, I cannot stress this enough. Based on experience, not because I worked there) but they are also the best general wound dressing available - they generally are not marketed for casual wound dressings as they are quite expensive for a plaster, but they are used by medical professionals and serious wound treatment routinely. Again, I cannot stress how good Compeeds are at treating blisters, especially when you are still mid-expedition and still need to walk. 

They sometimes don't stick as well though (if you can figure that problem out, give J&J a call, they have some $money$ for you), so some of that surgical tape is useful to have around as well.

General wound wisdom - it goes against the grain of so-called "common sense", but wounds (including blisters) should not be "aired" or allowed to "breath". Stick a dressing on, change it when it falls off and keep replacing it until healed. It will heal faster, scar less, have less chance of infection and will be less painful.

 

If you had more than 4 days, I would suggest slowly training yourself to need less to drink every day. NOT to intentionally dehydrate yourself, but most people in their day-to-day lives drink far more fluids than they need, and the kidney get very good at getting rid of the excess water, they will continue to do this even as you dehydrate. But if you slowly reduce your water intake over time, your kidneys learn to conserve your water. This is a real technique recommended for folks visiting desert areas and the like.

 

Also, 55miles in 12 days? I walk half that rate just getting to/from work every day (admittedly on the flat). You'll be fine, come back when its 55miles in 72 hours

 

 

Thanks

And it's 10 days, the first and last days are just at camp HQ.

[p1t1o]

1 minute ago, Spaceception said:

Thanks

And it's 10 days, the first and last days are just at camp HQ.

If its hot, high and hilly, it will be tough enough for anyone. Enjoy! 

[LordFerret]

28 minutes ago, p1t1o said:

..... I know how they work, and they do.

Any experienced hiker knows that you don't wear a brand new pair of shoes/boots on a hike! You wear something old and quite 'worked-in'; Doing so will all but guarantee no blisters.

Compeeds are sold in the US. You can buy them online as well as in some pharmacy chains (like Walgreens, which should be in Florida).

I totally agree with your view on wound care (I have to deal with an elderly patient's skin tears). I'm also a big fan of non-stick surgical dressings, and proper surgical tape (no-stick, breathable).

[p1t1o]

41 minutes ago, LordFerret said:

I totally agree with your view on wound care (I have to deal with an elderly patient's skin tears). I'm also a big fan of non-stick surgical dressings, and proper surgical tape (no-stick, breathable).

Its not a just a view, its medical best-practice. But since nobody goes to the doctor for minor cuts and scrapes, and no marketing department wants to put the word "moist wound" on their packaging, the general public just dont know about it.

Plus, when attempts are made to inform, people generally don't believe it. At J&J this was a major headache, because we couldn't get across the major selling point of our product, people would just refuse to take it in! Even when presented with hard clinical data! Or they would tick "Yes" on the questionairre, then go straight home and remove their dressings!

[Dman979]

Anyway, back on topic.

@Spaceception, do you want me to resend you the whole shebang from the PMs? 

With 4 days, it's not that much time to prepare. Can you post a list of everything attached to and in your pack right now? I can go through it here or by PMs, if you want.

Of course the main rule is less weight is better.

[Spaceception]

36 minutes ago, Dman979 said:

Anyway, back on topic.

@Spaceception, do you want me to resend you the whole shebang from the PMs? 

With 4 days, it's not that much time to prepare. Can you post a list of everything attached to and in your pack right now? I can go through it here or by PMs, if you want.

Of course the main rule is less weight is better.

  Clothing:

  3 bandanas

  1 pair sunglasses

  1 Rain Jacket

  1 pair trail running shoes

  1 pair Hiking boots

 

Toiletries/medications:

  1 toothbrush

  1 travel size tooth paste

  1 refillable 2 oz bottle of camp suds

  1 microfiber towel

  1 body glide roll on small

  1 1-oz sunscreen

  4 oz Anti Monkey Butt powder

  1 small pill kit with Aleve & ibuprofin

  25 Crystal Light, Mio style.

  1 folding shovel

 

Electronics/gadgets:

  1 headlamp w/rechargeable batteries

  1 camera

 

Camping Gear:

   1 65 backpack

   1 Back pack cover

   1 sleeping bag liner

   1 Thermarest inflatable sleeping pad

   1 folding spoon

   1 22 oz plastic bowl

 

Water:

   2 one Liter Nalgenes

 

That's everything in my pack right now, clothes are coming soon

 

Edited June 17, 2016 by Spaceception

[Spaceception]

I'm going out soon, who else is going to see Finding Dory today?

[Dman979]

22 minutes ago, Spaceception said:

  Clothing:

  1 bandana

  1 pair sunglasses

  1 Rain Jacket

  1 pair lightweight, quick-drying camp shoes (I used crocs. Store them so you can get them quickly if you cross a stream.)

  1 pair Hiking boots

 

Toiletries/medications:

  1 toothbrush (cut the handle down a bit)

  1 travel size tooth paste

  1 small bar soap (it works for hair, too, if it's short enough)

  1 microfiber towel

  1 body glide roll on small (ABSOLUTELY NOT! NO SMELLABLES, AND NONE ON YOUR BODY AT NIGHT!)

  1 1-oz sunscreen (go a bit larger if you can)

  4 oz Anti Monkey Butt powder

  1 small pill kit with Aleve & ibuprofin

  25 Crystal Light, Mio style. (Ok, but keep them and other powdered drinks out of your personal water bottle.)

  1 folding shovel (is this crew gear? If so, ok. If not, then leave it. Also, a plastic trowel works better. Remember to use a stick for pushing. The shovel only touches dirt.)

1 roll toilet paper, in resealable plastic bag (it'S yours. Try not to let the others know, because if theirs gets wet then they ask you and you run out.)

 

Electronics/gadgets:

  1 headlamp w/rechargeable batteries

  2 sets of batteries for said headlamp, in plastic baggie

  1 camera

 

Camping Gear:

   1 65 backpack

   1 80L Duck's Back pack cover

   1 CoolMax sleeping bag liner (north county or south country? You should be fine in a set of sweatpants and a cotton shirt. They are your sleep clothes, keep them dry and with your bag.)

   1 Thermarest inflatable sleeping pad

   1 folding spoon

   1 22 oz plastic bowl

   1 sleeping bag, duh.

   1 drysak for the sleeping bag. (Trust me, it's a lifesaver wheb it rains.)

 

Water:

   4 one Liter Nalgenes

 

That's everything in my pack right now, clothes are coming soon

 

I changed it a bit.

Don't forget to add a cup, and a personal 16 oz Nalgene. And pack some extra biners and 2 dark plastic trash bags and a bag of ziplocs.

Edited June 17, 2016 by Dman979

[adsii1970]

And suntan lotion... lots of it. And a couple of cans of Solarcaine - it will take the sting out of burns (and even the sting out of the stings).

[Spaceception]

3 minutes ago, Dman979 said:

I changed it a bit.

Don't forget to add a bowl, spoon, cup, and a personal 16 oz Nalgene. And pack some extra biners.

The shovel is pretty small/lightweight, and I'm adding toilet paper soon.

I have plenty of batteries.

My liner is pretty good, no bag required.

 

[Dman979]

1 minute ago, Spaceception said:

The shovel is pretty small/lightweight, and I'm adding toilet paper soon.

I have plenty of batteries.

My liner is pretty good, no bag required.

 

Ok.

Are you sure about the bag? It can get cold. I had snow on july 6th. North country or south?

Edited June 17, 2016 by Dman979

[legoclone09]

What I've learned about hiking is to make sure your backpack is adjusted (really helps comfort) and you can never have enough water.

[Spaceception]

1 hour ago, Dman979 said:

 North country or south?

No clue.

I also have fleece stuff.

Can you tell with this?

itinerary

2016 Itinerary Rendezvous Locations

Day 1 Camping HQ

Day 2 Minnette Meadows

Day 3 CIMARRONCITO

Day 4 CYPHERS MINE

Day 5 Mt. Phillips

Day 6 Comanche Creek

Day 7 APACHE SPRINGS

Day 8 APACHE SPRINGS

Day 9 FISH CAMP

Day 10 ABREU

Day 11 Stockade Ridge

Day 12 Camping HQ

[Dman979]

North to mid country.

[Spaceception]

10 minutes ago, Dman979 said:

North to mid country.

Cold or warm?

[LordFerret]

2 hours ago, Spaceception said:

... I'm adding toilet paper soon.

If I might suggest - and don't laugh - instead of toilet paper, a package of 'baby wipes'. They handle the job just fine, plus they're also handy for cleaning hands and faces... and they're biodegradable.

[ProtoJeb21]

49 minutes ago, Spaceception said:

Day 4 CYPHERS MINE

Uhh...

You might want to bring some mind protection while you're there...

(Also, do they have Beryl at that mine?)

[Dman979]

5 hours ago, Spaceception said:

Cold or warm?

My bad, you're south-mid country. warmer. At least you're not up in the Valle Vidal up north, where it's really backcountry.

 

Also, you mentioned that you're in Florida. Go to sleep. You won't get much there, so stockpile it now.