Walkin' With The Ghost Whisperers

J.R. "Model T" Tate's book about the history, myths, lore and legends surrounding the Appalachian Trail is now available for the Kindle! On his third thru-hike of the AT, the author realized he had hiked past hundreds of monuments, historical markers, old buildings without ever hearing the stories behind them. He embarked on researching these stories, and trots them out like we were sitting around a campfire in a voice that betrays his southern roots. That the story follows the trail northward makes it handy to have in one's back pocket to read and to refer to along the way.

Bonus! While the printed version is thick and heavy, the Kindle version is weightless! Link to Amazon [here].

Lessons Learned - Cameras on the Trail

I love my camera. It ain't for everyone, and most backpackers would probably prefer a smaller, lighter camera. Perhaps one that's water proof. But I wanted the image quality that comes with a big sensor, in a package that wasn't as bulky or as heavy as a DSLR. So I carry a Fujifilm X100.

My thoughts on cameras for hiking (here).

During my northbound Georgia section, I carried it in a padded nylon case by Tamrac. (Upper right in photo at right) Their Tamrac 5693 Digital 3 Camera Bag (Black) is a perfect fit for the X-100. I put a shoulder strap on it and slung it over my shoulder after I put my pack on. The camera was accessible that way, and well protected. If it rained, I put the whole thing in a dry bag, and stashed it in my pack.

When I had to go home with my knee injury, I spent a lot of time cutting weight out of my pack. That case weighs 7 ozs ... Almost half a pound! It had to go. But what to replace it with?