EDDIE BOYD aka OILCAN ~ THRU HIKING GEAR & TRAIL WISDOMS
“The best part of all of the trails; not the mountains, not finishing it. It’s trail magic. It’s the people that you meet out there and make friends with.
You don’t want to leave them.”
GEAR
FEET
• Salomon XA Pro
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• Altra Lone Peak
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FOOD
• Ramen
• Mac & Cheese
• Instant Mashed Potatoes
• Misc bars for snacks
PACK
• ULA Circuit
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• Superior Wilderness Designs Long Haul 50
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• Hyperlite 2400 Southwest
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SLEEP
• Therm-a-rest ZLite Pad
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• Big Agnes Sleeping Pad
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• REI Igneo Sleeping Bag
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• Enlightened Equipment 10 degree Quilt
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• Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL2 Tent
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• Hyperlite Ultimid 2 Tent
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MISC
• Harper’s Ferry – Appalachian Trail Headquarters
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• FKT (Fastest Known Time)
• Leukotape
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• Calf Compression Sleeve
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• Greater Yellowstone Traverse
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WISDOMS
FOOD
• A great breakfast if the weather is cold…I started eating bagels and cream cheese with deli meat.
• If it’s dipping below 40 degrees at any point during the day or at night, you can totally bring cream cheese, cheese, butter; whatever you want.
• Only the sharpest of cedars. That’s what would do the best out there.
• Resupply boxes are really expensive because you have to buy the food but you also have to pay $20 to send the box and then its like some of those spots make you pay even more money to even pick up the box. There’ll be places on the PCT and AT where you’ll have a $10 box fee.
• You could get away with sending 5 (resupply) boxes on each of the trails. And that’s nice too because you can eat what you want to eat. You’re not stuck with this box you made for yourself 3 months ago.
• I was excited being on the CDT at having options. If I want to see this instead of this, I can do that. It was kinda empowering honestly to make those choices about where I was walking.
FOOD
• I had really bad blisters on the PCT because of all the sand. I would definitely recommend gaiters on the PCT and CDT because of the sand. The sand will destroy your feet.
PACK
• Packing the heaviest thing on the bottom is Rule #1. Food, which is the heaviest thing.
It was really nice to be able to have everything I would need for the day snack wise (in the hip-belt pockets)
so I wouldn’t have to get my food out.
THRU HIKING
• Harper’s Ferry, which is the psychological halfway point (of the AT) and where the ATC headquarters are,
that’s where most people do their flips from.
• The first thing I sent home was extra clothes.
• In Washington you can get a foot of snow instantly. I think really in Cascade Locks PCT thru hikers
should pick up clothes to stay warm and gloves, rain mittens, rain pants, everything.
They should really be gearing up like it’s a fall hike.
• There’s going to be terrible days, yeah. But those terrible days pale in comparison to the amazing days you have out there. You just kinda have to keep in mind that, ‘yes today might be the worst day of my life, but in two days I could be having the best day of my life’. You’re always just kinda chasing that.
• Finishing the trail is almost the saddest part… cause the adventures over.
I was lucky enough on all of the trails to be surrounded by incredible people who kept me going.
The best part of all of the trails; not the mountains, not finishing it. It's trail magic. It’s the people that you meet out there and make friends with. You don’t want to leave them.
• That’s how you make the miles, you have to be efficient; you have to be motivated.
And I think 2 – 3 people is the perfect size for a trail group.
• When you’re standing on the top of a mountain, what’s the fun in that. You wanna be laughing and joking and having a good time with somebody else. Enjoying the view together.
The people are what makes the mountains for me.
• I think it’s important if their hiking the trail to also be stewards of the trail as well.
Pick up trash, maybe a little trail maintenance along the way, reporting wildfires.
• Let the journey happen. Everyone tries to plan it so much and you just can’t, especially a thru hike. You have no idea what you’re body is going to do and how many miles your going to be able to hike each day. And that’s why I don’t like sending out all these re-supply boxes. It can force you to do certain these things you don’t want to do…
So I think if you can just kinda, like maybe just plan the first 100-200 miles and then just kinda go off the whim from there. If you plan it too much, you miss out on the serendipity of it all.