EARL SHAFFER

In 1948, Earl Shaffer hiked from Mt. Oglethorpe in Georgia (the Appalachian Trail's southern terminus at that time) to Mount Katahdin in Maine, making him the first person to hike the trail's entire length. He did it with no expert advice, no previous footsteps to follow, or fancy mile-by-mile guidebooks to help him. At the time, experts believed that a hike of the entire Trail was impossible. So, in 1965, he thru-hiked it again as a southbounder, starting in Maine and ending at the new and present southern terminus, Georgia's Springer Mountain. Good ol' Earl's "Advice for Long Distance Hikers on the Appalachian Trail, circa 1950" includes the following:

  • Framepack--Mountain troop or similar, with large pocket removed.
  • Poncho--serves as raincoat, parka, groundcloth, shelter cloth, etc.
  • Rainhat--indispensable because of variable weather.
  • Sheath knife--small size. Pocket knife as auxiliary.
  • Small axe--necessary for maintaining campfire in rainy weather.
  • Compass, waterproof matchsafe, snakebite kit-just in case.
  • Cook kit--Mountain troop or similar (two nested kettles and frypan)
  • Sleeping bag--blanket type (April-October), down or kapok in winter.
  • Extra set of clothing--for added warmth, rather than heavy underwear, and as a dry change after a rainy day. (Perhaps like the Penfield kit above?)
  • Socks--(heavy) reinforced wool or spun nylon.
  • Canteen--flat, one quart, slung to side of pack.
  • First aid kit--include foot powder such as quinsana, insect repellent.
  • Headnet, flashlight, plastic food bags.

RACE FOR THE SUMMIT

Tomorrow, November 17th, marks the official start to Penfield's "Race For the Summit," an online treasure hunt that celebrates one of their original and classic styles, the Summit Down Insulated Jacket. Starting on the Penfield homepage, twitter, and Facebook, clues will lead you on an online trail (of which Cold Splinters will be a part of) culminating in the final clue to be given out on December 15th, 2011. Watch out for two clues a week, one on Tuesday and one on Thursday. Lots of prizes to be won, including the first prize, a one-off, custom-made 'Race For The Summit' premim down insulated parka (pictured above). In preparation, go on over to Penfield and register yourself so you can actually participate. Good luck and stay tuned for more updates.

OUT WHERE THE WEST BEGINS

Out where the handclasp’s a little stronger,Out where the smile dwells a little longer,That’s where the West begins;Out where the sun is a little brighter,Where the snows that fall are a trifle whiter,Where the bonds of home are a wee bit tighter,That’s where the West begins.

Out where the skies are a trifle bluer,Out where friendship’s a little truer,That’s where the West begins;Out where a fresher breeze is blowing,Where there’s laughter in every streamlet flowing,Where there’s more of reaping and less of sowing,That’s where the West begins;

Out where the world is in the making,Where fewer hearts in despair are aching,That’s where the West begins;Where there’s more of singing and less of sighing,Where there’s more of giving and less of buying,And a man makes friends without half trying —That’s where the West begins.

- ARTHUR CHAPMAN

The American West of John Ford

If you've seen The Searchers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (and I'm sure you have), or the beautiful views of Monument Valley with your own two eyes, chances are you know John Ford. Either way, you'll want to watch The American West of John Ford, the 1971 documentary about the director made just a few years before he passed away. Amazing footage of John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, and those southern Utah red rocks are well worth 51 minutes of your life.Watch the entire thing here.

PACKING LIST

As I'm sure you know, cravings on the trail are constantly changing. These days, as far as food goes that's packaged and easy to find at your local grocery store, the ol' CS backpack usually has a few staples. I'm sure they'll change by the end of next week, but for now:

- Ocean Prince Sardines With Green Chiles(Any kind of sardines will do, but ones with green chilies? Game changer.)- Celestial Seasons Cinnamon-Apple Spice(Self-explanatory, yeah?)- Brach's Autumn Mix(What can I say? I'm a sucker for Indian/Candy Corn and Mellowcreme Pumpkins.)

**WHAT GROCERY STORE STAPLES ARE YOU CARRYING AROUND?**

HYPERLITE MOUNTAIN GEAR

A few months ago, while visiting the guys from Outlier at their Brooklyn headquarters (more on that soon), I noticed a bright white backpack poking out from under a desk. It was my introduction to Hyperlite Mountain Gear, the brainchild of Mike St. Pierre, who has been making ultralight packs and shelters out of his small Biddeford, ME factory for almost three years now. (Before he started HMG, he was spending weekends backpacking in the Adirondacks while cooking at New York's Per Se and Prime Meats.)I immediately got my hands on the Windrider Ultralight (pictured above, top right), which was selected this year as BACKPACKER's Best Ultralight Pack. The Windrider, like most of HMG's gear, is made out of Cuben Fiber, a non-woven, rip-stop, composite laminate developed in the 1990s by a nuclear weapons physicist and an aerospace composite engineer. It's lightweight, waterproof, and four times stronger than Kevlar, making it an extremely durable fabric for any type of adventure on the trail.After many hours with HMG gear in the Catskills and the Whites, several emails back and forth with Mike and the HMG team, and finally, a trip up to Biddeford for a tour of the factory and a couple of beers at a nearby waterfront bar, I am extremely excited to announce that Hyperlite Mountain Gear is Cold Splinters' newest client.Much more to come...

Trail Mix Volume 3

This week's Trail Mix comes to you from the one and only Steve Casimiro, founder and editor of Adventure Journal, one of the best places on the entire interwebs to get your daily outdoor fix. (Before starting Adventure Journal in 2008, Steve spent 11 years at Powder Magazine, launched Bike Magazine as founding editor, and contributed to National Geographic Adventure for 11 years, most of those as West Coast Editor.) Steve and I have been emailing and hanging out at OR for the past few years now and he is one of the smartest, kindest, and hardest working dudes I've ever had the pleasure to meet. I can never thank him enough for all the support and advice he's given me during the time we've known each other.And yes, the cover up there says summer, and yes, it is now November. Completely my fault on delaying these for so long. It's been busy. But the music sounds just as good as the leaves are falling.Download: Adventure Journal's Trail Mix Vol. 3

COLD SPLINTERS ON NYTIMES

The first official Cold Splinters column on New York Times' The Moment is now live and ready for your viewing pleasure. (The Peters Mountain Works thang didn't count.) The bi-weekly column, titled "The Campster" starts off with a trip taken a few weeks back to Dartmouth Country in New Hampshire's White Mountains. We're really excited about this project in these parts, so if you've got a couple of minutes, head on over to The Moment and read it, then check back in two weeks for the next installment. More to come...