I tried to talk about the sense of being alone on the trail and what that does to your mind. There were a lot of people there, and I ended up twiddling my thumbs for 4 hours beforehand, getting ever more nervous, before my turn to speak came. Overall, I was happy with the talk, definitely stumbled a bit here and there due to the nervousness, but I got all my points out. The other speakers were very interesting too, particularly Ryan Leech and JD Hare.

Read on after the jump for all the gory details.

For best results, have a waterproof case, otherwise you won’t be navigating in the rain.  I also would recommend at least an iPhone 4.  The 3GS chokes on the big tracks we’re going to load.

1. Buy GaiaGPS from iTunes and install it.  It’s currently $10, I think I paid $20.
2. Download the CDT tracks you want to use to a computer.  Starman has recently posted (2012/02/14) better tracks that you should probably use!  I used the Sly (that’s a trailname) track that, as I understand, someone hand-created from Ley’s maps.  You want to get the ones that are in the direction you’re going (NB or SB), and you want the ones that are per-state.  The caveats with the Sly tracks are that they start/finish at Antelope Wells and they’re not perfect.  I believe they were created in 2009, so they are already out of date in some areas.  I rarely found that I needed the track itself to find myself though, usually I could find where I was on the paper map and then I was off.
3. So, now you should have a collection of 4 gpx files, one per state.  You need to email them to upload@gaiagps.com, one per email, with an appropriate subject (i.e. “CDT CO” for the Colorado gpx).  The body of the email can be empty.
4. Go into your iPhone, and open the 4 reply emails from upload@gaiagps.com.  Each will have a link in it that you need to click.  After you click the link, it will open GaiaGPS and then freeze for awhile, and eventually tell you that it has successfully imported the track.
5. Turn on your WiFi.  Time to download maps onto your iPhone:  this is the step that will take you a long time.  It took me days!  From my tests lately, it seems that the topo map server is doing better, so hopefully it’s smoother for you.  So, why do we have to do this step?  On most GPS devices, you buy the device and then either purchase or are given the topo maps as a download or via a DVD.  When you buy GaiaGPS, they give you access to their topo map server, but it’s up to you to tell them which maps you want.  What we’re going to do is load each state’s track, and then tell GaiaGPS to download a swath of topo maps around the track.  Open GaiaGPS, then go to “Saved”.  Click the tracks button at the top left corner and then select your first track (i.e. “CDT CO”).  This will bring up a summary page for the track.  Touch anywhere in the little preview area (the map) then click on “Download Maps for Track”.  Repeat for each of your 4 tracks.

There are some other things you can do to make your iPhone + GaiaGPS combo most effective.  The main problem you’re going to run into is that having GaiaGPS open drains your battery alarmingly quickly.   Thus, your best bet is generally to figure out where you are, then get your phone turned off again.  Using this method, I figured I could use the GPS twice a day for a week without needing any backup battery (that’s on top of using my iPhone to journal every night and listen to music occasionally.  YMMV).  The bright side is that iPhones are pretty snappy at figuring out where you are using just the GPS chip (they’re even faster if you have cell service or wifi, but you generally won’t on the trail!).

It doesn’t help that whenever your iPhone is on, it’s going to be searching for a cell signal.  If you have an iPhone newer than a 3GS, all you’re really going to be able to do is make sure that you leave your phone in Airplane mode until you need to navigate (or just leave the iPhone off).  If you have an iPhone 3GS, and you’re technically savvy, I suggest you jailbreak your phone.  You can then install SBSettings and the Phone toggle.  That way you can have the GPS on but leave the cell tower searching off.  I haven’t discovered if this is possible for iPhones newer than a 3GS (so far it seems the answer is “not possible”).  On that note, if you do end up using a 3GS or lower, you’re going to have to break up the per-state tracks into smaller chunks.  GPSBabel can help you here.

GaiaGPS also supports OpenStreetMap as a map source, so I downloaded most of the 4 states in that too.  I didn’t want to carry the DeLorme atlas pages that are recommended by Yogi and Ley, so this was my solution.  I never used them, but it still seems like a good idea.

I recommend you check over the track when you are in trail towns, looking at the next section on the phone vs what your Ley maps show.  The route changes significantly in places and you could easily end up off the edge of your downloaded maps.  You’ll still be able to navigate coarsely back towards the CDT, but it isn’t as fun.  Also, any purple routes you want to take, you’ll want to manually download the maps for those areas (you can do this by scrolling around the map when you have internet connectivity, and using the “download” button right in the map area to select rectangles of map to download).

The pole tips on LT4s are glued on, meaning that replacing them either requires sending the poles into Gossamer Gear, or getting out some serious tools. Leki poles on the other hand, you can pop the tips off with a big rock or a picnic table (i.e. things you can find in the wilderness). The other finicky thing about the LT4s is the locking mechanism is very sensitive to temperature. I was lucky to have Chance with me early in the trip, as he had dealt with all the locking issues before and knew quite a few tricks to get them locked. Even so, I managed to rip off half of one of the grips while trying to expand a pole one time (mostly due to frustration).

I was amazed by how upset I got about all this, because it generally happened when I was very tired and making mistakes on the trail anyways. On Day 74, I briefly mentioned that I broke my pole. What happened was that I stepped over a blown-down tree, and dragged my pole over it behind me. It caught on a branch and snapped. Then I threw it into the trees nearby and stomped around swearing loudly, before retrieving it (after all, one of the sections wasn’t broken) and walking on. I actually carried it in my hand, continuing to swear continuously, eventually trailing off into mumbled curses. After that I stopped and strapped the remains to my pack, but you get the idea. I was angry with a pole.

Part of my anger was just that the hassle and cost (~$75) of the replacement was relatively high. The other thing was knowing I had a perfectly good set of poles at home that had made it through the whole PCT. Halfway through the trail,after breaking a pole for the third time, I had Hailey bring me my old Leki poles, which made it in perfect order through the rest of the trail. They also gave my arms a bit of a workout, as they weigh 3x as much as the LT4s.

Overall, I loved the LT4s though. I just think they aren’t appropriate for me on a long trail. I would happily carry them on weekend or week long trips, where if one were to break I wouldn’t have to hike for weeks afterwards with only one pole.

1. MEC Wool Hoodie.  I wore this to bed every night, and sometimes in cold weather I didn’t take it off for days.  It’s cheap for a Merino shirt too, and so versatile.
2. Kindle.  Apart from breaking one early in the trip, I loved being able to read as much as I wanted.
3. Montbell Ex Light Down.  I was amazed how warm this 5 oz jacket kept me.  I didn’t wear it hiking much, but whenever I stopped, it went on.
4. iPhone.  Great as a GPS, but also was so handy in towns.
5. MSR NeoAir Sleeping Mat.  I slept like a baby on this, and never had cold spots on my hips or shoulders.  Choosing campsites was easier than ever, as I could trust it to even out pretty rough ground.

Most irritating/useless/worst:

1. Gossamer Gear LT4 Poles.  They were finicky, broke easily and were expensive.
2. Mountain Laurel Designs eVent Rain Mitts.  The failure was entirely my own.  It takes someone very crafty to successfully seam-seal these, and I am not that.
3. Wigwam Rebel 1/4 socks.  The least durable socks I have ever owned.
4. Camera Tripod.  This falls under the “useless” category, as I used it a total of maybe 4 times on the entire trail, for that much use, I should have just figured out ways to prop the camera up on the few occasions I wanted to use it.
5. MSR Lightning Ascent Snowshoes.  I love these, but they were also just useless in the conditions I found (consolidated snow and steep side-slopes).  I should have known better, but I was nervous pre-trail and just piled on gear to make myself feel better.

I was in a lot of pain the last night. My hips and glutes were very
sore and even on my plush sleeping mat, no position was comfortable.
I took a couple ibuprofens expecting that to take care of it, but
nothing changed. Around midnight 4 Border Patrol jeeps raced by me,
headlights fully illuminating me as they went by. I expected one
would stop and check me out, but nope, not even a brake light.

I finally fell asleep, waking only briefly to choke on the dust of the
jeeps return trip. I woke up to my alarm in the darkness, feeling
like I’d lost a bar fight in a blackout, but still mentally excited to
get moving.

As I walked, I had fantasies of how I’d end at the monument at the
Mexican border. Throw my trekking poles to the side. Strike a Nixon
victory pose. Write a triumphant statement in the official CDT log
book. Reality was different. I barely even took a picture at the
end. Sam Hughes was there and I spent most of my monument time
talking to him and his dogs. Then the ride out was spent staring out
the window, not thinking. Not able to think. Way too tired.

I have more time now, but still not much to add. I finished, the real
world intrudes and calls to me. I have a series of notes and TODOs
I’ve written to myself in the last 4 months, from which I hope to
retain my frame of mind as I reenter society. I hope

I was met by Sam Hughes at the border and after a quick photo snap, that was it – we hit the road. I’m now embarking on the trip home, and I’ll write more once I’m there. So far I’m not having any deep thoughts or emotions about finishing, except relief. Hopefully more to say later.

June 25th to October 26th. Pretty good!

At lunch I found shade in the form of a CDT info sign by a highway. There was nothing else around for miles. Again I got lucky in the afternoon with some clouds and a cool breeze… Still hot enough though!

I ran into a guy late afternoon, doing basically a Minuteman patrol, looking for illegal immigrants. He knew Sam Hughes and told me he was reliable – I was already counting on that, but good to hear.

The evening was a bit of a slog, so I listened to a bunch of podcasts to distract me. Now I’m cowboy camped for my last night on the trail, eating my last dinner out of a bag (and my first dinner in 3 nights!). I’m lacking any deep thoughts right now, just deeply tired.

For comparison, I slept through a rain storm in the night last night an usually I wake up at the first drop.

Onto the good – I made great time into Lordsburg, including a nasty bushwhack through the desert, where even the meanest grasses had it out for me in some way. In town I got everything done and then thundershowers rolled in! So I got out there and enjoyed the rest of the day sun-free. Knowing I had to make miles these last days, I sadly wasn’t able to do laundry, so I will be one stinky dude by the end.

I could barely eat in town, no appetite, and it all came up rather quickly after town. I think I may have to go the rest of the way on Gatorade and Jolly Ranchers, because everything else upsets my stomach pretty badly. I also took some Immodium, fingers crossed on that one!

I hiked well into the night, following a “hard to find in daylight” cross-country route. So I mainly just checked my GPS regularly and followed vague compass readings in between (hard to dead reckon with no landmarks!).

So the good news! I’m still on track to finish Wednesday evening! Keeping that in the forefront of my mind