What's in my pack?

Every thru-hiker has their priorities, and I tend to focus a little bit more on luxury than the typical backpacker. Despite the mantra "hike your own hike," I've met many hikers who have been rather critical of what I've chosen to carry along on my adventure. On more than one occasion I've been told, by both men and women, that I look "too nice to be a thru-hiker." Personally I think that is a bit of a stretch because I am bruised, scratched, and caked in mud a lot of the time, but I do still enjoy a decent level of cleanliness while I am on the trail. So to see how I manage to stay looking so "nice" let's take a look at what's in my pack:

The basics. From left to right- footprint, tent, tent poles, sleeping bag, and below is my sleeping pad. These in my opinion are necessities. Some hikers forego the tent and count on getting a spot in a shelter every night. Personally I enjoy the occasional solitude of sleeping in my tent so I'm not willing to give that up. 

Food. This is 6 days of food for me. It is honestly way more than I need, but I love food, so I'm willing to carry the extra weight. I always carry at least one extra dinner with me in case I get behind schedule for some reason. Some of the self-proclaimed "serious" hikers, think my food choices are indulgent and impractical, but I'm enjoying every meal on the trail and feel good about what I'm eating while they are merely surviving on ramen and snickers. 

Food for Roxy. This is one of the heaviest components of my pack. The dry kibble is currently a mix of several brands to help keep Roxy interested. She tends to get bored of eating the same food so I've decide to change things up for her. She also gets assorted jerky strips and peanut butter to supplement her diet, and I always share my meal bars, nuts, crackers, cheese and salami with her. 

Kitchen. These are again essentials for me. I've gotten flack for carrying both a cup and a pot, but I enjoy being able to drink coffee while eating a meal. 

Emergency kit. This is mostly stuff I never use but feel good about having just in case. The gorilla glue has been a lifesaver when my shoes fell apart, and I use the paracord to throw a bear bag and tie up Roxy at camp. Most other items haven't been used yet. 

Clothes. Not in the picture is my town dress, camp sandals, and hiking shoes. Included with the clothes is a large, quick-drying towel that I use as a sleeping spot for Roxy. I have a cotton shirt and synthetic hoodie that I keep clean and only wear at camp, which is one of the reasons many people seem to think I look too nice to be thru hiking. After a day of sweating and getting covered in dirt, I like having a dry, clean outfit to wear for the night. 

Bathroom supplies. This is where I hear the most complaints from other hikers. Apparently I am supposed to give up all personal hygiene to live on the trail. No thank you! I LOVE my package of MedLine bath wipes. Every day I get to wash myself off and feel nice and clean at camp. I also put on deodorant after hiking and washing myself off so that I don't have to smell gross while sleeping. Additionally I carry individually wrapped wetwipes to wash my hands at meal time, and a small bottle of soap to clean my pot and cup after eating. Because I don't want my hair to be a ratty mess at the end of this adventure, I also carry a small hair brush. 

Luxuries. The only thing missing is my camera, which I was obviously using to take the picture. 

And there we are all packed up and ready to hike. With 6 days of food and no water my pack weighs about 35lbs. I've had several hikers react with disgust when I tell them this number, but it really doesn't feel that heavy to me. I have everything I want, and I'm happy, so I'm going to keep carrying all my little luxuries :)