Chad's SHT Thruhike

Chad's SHT thruhike Twitter feed has been posted on the TEAM42 homepage. www.teamfortytwo.com

Superior Hiking Trail Thru Hike

I am taking off tomorrow morning for my trip. Weather looks good so far, should be a great hike! I have an average of about 17 miles a day to hike. With 2 weeks of food on my back my pack weighs in at a staggering 45 pounds, with 29 of that being food. Each day my pack will be getting a little less than 2 pounds lighter by my consumption of food and fuel (and TP). More details after the trip!

Check out my twitter page for my updates along the trail. If you don't already know my username, check out the event I created on Facebook with all the info.

Despite my best efforts, my base pack weight is still around 10 pounds. Almost 4 lbs of which is my pack itself. I know where I need to cut next.

The SIX Pound Challenge!

Two years ago I worked on reducing my base pack weight from what I'll call "Jim-Heavy" to 12 pounds. It took a lot of effort and sacrifices, and I honestly didn't even think it was possible, but I eventually did it. I then hiked most of 2008 and 2009 with a base pack weight of 10-12 pounds.

For two years I was satisfied with my base weight, but as I continue evaluating and upgrading my gear I've realized that I can do better. Thus, the SIX Pound Challenge. Originally I was going to set my goal for seven pounds, but after some thought I've decided to half my goal from two years ago and go with an even six.

I've already made some changes this year over the course of the few hikes I've been on, but the first thing I need to do is change the way I weigh my gear. Ounces are becoming harder and harder to trim, so it's time look at another unit of measurement.

With that, let the 2,272 Gram Challenge begin!