Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6B
FORSYTH COUNTY news Sunday, March 14,2004
Hit the trail...
Lightweight gear makes backpacking easier for women
By Debbie Gilbert
FCN Regional Staff
Every March and April,
hundreds of backpackers set
off from North Georgia’s
Springer Mountain in an
attempt to “thru-hike" all
2,174 miles of the
Appalachian Trail.
Others will do section
hikes, walking portions of the
trail each year until they’ve
completed the entire stretch.
In both cases, a growing
number of these hikers are
female.
The trend toward ultra
light equipment has made
backpacking more accessible
to women who previously
were unable or unwilling to
lug 40-plus pounds of gear.
Manufacturers, recogniz
ing an unmet demand, also
have begun designing packs,
boots, sleeping bags and
other equipment specifically
for the contours of a woman’s
body. "I'm seeing more
women on the trail these
days,” said Sheila Cole. 49,
of Daw sonville.
"It's come a long way.
When I started hiking in
1989.1 had to wear men's
boots. There weren't any for
women."
Cole was introduced to
backpacking when she was a
leader for her sons’ Boy
Scout troop. "I got hooked."
she said. “But my husband
isn't interested in backpack
ing. so after the kids were
grown. I started looking for
hiking partners."
An e-mail list for women
hikers helped Cole in her
search. That’s how she linked
up with Sherry Lizotte of
Gainesville five years ago.
They and several friends are
on a 20-year plan to section
hike the A.T.. spending two
weeks on the trail each year.
"So far we've done 579
miles," Cole said. "We're in
Virginia now.”
Lizotte, 44, said friend
ships help her withstand the
rigors of the trail. "My knees
kill me at the end of a week. I
rely on the group for psycho
logical support," she said.
"When I hike with
women, it's not about getting
to the destination; it’s about
the whole social experience.
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Photo/Submitted
Backpackers Tammy Stewart and Jan Pressley of North Carolina take a break on the Appalachian Trail near the
south border of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The trend toward lightweight hiking gear has attracted
more women to the sport of backpacking.
We usually Cover eight to 10
miles a day. but we don’t care
how fast we go. We talk a lot.
We stop to look at things."
Cole said she's participat
ed in a few Sierra Club hikes
for both men and women, but
it wasn't the same.
“The men were too goal
oriented. It was like a mad
rush." she said. “I enjoy the
camaraderie with other
women. And I just love being
out in the wilderness. I sleep
better out there than I do at
home. It’s very peaceful, lis
tening to the night sounds."
Yet many women are still
reluctant to try backpacking
because they believe it's not
safe.
"People are constantly
asking me, ‘Aren’t you
afraid?”’ Cole said. “But
you're more likely to be
attacked going to the grocery
store than you are while hik
ing. And on the AT.. you're
never really by yourself.
There are so manv other
backpackers, especially at
this time of the year."
Nevertheless, both Cole
and Lizotte say their spouses
worry about them.
“I would love to try back
packing alone, but 1 wouldn't
put my husband through
that." Cole said. “I always
leave an itinerary, and I
always call him when I get
out of the w oods."
Lizotte said most people
on the A T. are friendly, but
her group will alter their
camping plans if they
encounter someone on the
trail who makes them uncom
fortable. "You just have to lis
ten to your instincts and be
street-smart, no matter where
you go,” she said.
She and Cole felt more
confident after taking a
wilderness survival course at
Amicalola Falls State Park
two years ago.
“It’s the kind of informa
tion you hope you'll never
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need," she said. “1 think 1
learned enough that I would
n’t panic if I got into an
emergency situation."
Aside from safety, women
often have questions about
how to maintain personal
hygiene during a weeklong
sojourn in the wilderness.
"Everyone has a comfort
level and a different trade-off
they're willing to make."
Lizotte said. "I wear the same
clothes every day because I
don't want to haul the weight.
One woman in our group
started out carrying a change
of clothes for every day, and
her pack weighed a ton."
She and Cole both bring a
separate set of clothes to
sleep in. "Staying clean on
the trail is important to me,"
Cole said. "I wash off every
night before bed. using Oil of
Olay face-cleaning cloths and
a collapsible water bucket.
Then I sleep in my clean
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clothes and put the stinky
ones back on in the morning.”
For most women, the trail
offers freedom from having
to worry about their appear
ance. “I'm out there to enjoy
myself, not to be a beauty
queen," Cole said. "But there
is one woman in our group
who has to put on mascara
every day."
Leigh Carter, retail super
visor for the REI store in
Buford, said women have
brought their own sense of
style to backpacking.
"They tend to be more
fashion-conscious," she said.
"They want to look feminine,
even on the trail. And cloth
ing manufacturers have
responded. They've learned,
for example, that you don't
put chest pockets on women’s
shirts."
Outfitters also are empha
sizing comfort in women's
gear. "Within the last five
years, they’ve really started to
acknowledge that the female
frame is different,” Carter
said. “We have narrower
shoulders and a shorter torso.
We balance weight differently
than men. We have less
upper-body strength, but we
can carry more weight on the
hips.”
REI rents packs, tents and
other gear so women can try
out the products before they
buy.
While both sexes have
benefited from the trend
toward ultralight gear, for
women it has been a revolu
tion. Experts recommend that
a hiker's pack should equal
no more than one-fourth of
her body weight.
In the past, this made it
difficult for a small woman to
carry a tent, sleeping bag and
other overnight necessities in
addition to her food and
clothing.
But new, high-tech materi
als have led to the develop
ment of gear that performs
well yet is feather-light.
‘T’ve gotten my pack
weight down to about 26
pounds for a five-day trip,
and that includes food,” Cole
said.
In a group setting, some
hikers lighten their load fur
ther by dividing up the gear;
one person, for instance, will
carry’ all the cooking utensils.
But Cole doesn't favor that
approach.
"We don't share equip
ment because I don’t want to
have to depend on someone
else to carry something," she
said. “What if you got sepa
rated?"
Carter said women should
have the skills to go it alone,
no matter whom they hike
with.
“It’s important to be self
reliant, even if you always
hike w ith your husband,” she
said.
“What if he becomes
injured? Make sure you have
the right equipment, and be
prepared for the worst-case
scenario.”
Debbie Gilbert is a staff
writer for The Times in
Gainesville.