Rescue Salvage

      Probably Every hiker has their own ideas about what to carry in their backpack or on their person for a long back country trail hike.  In preparing for the Smoky Mountain A.T. trail hike from Davenport Gap to Fontana Dam, the following list has been a good standard to include in the contents.  The items that I prefer to include, which may vary from one hike to the next are listed here:  New Testament, backpack, Wenger black handle Handyman multi-function pocket knife, bear spray, sleeping bag, sleeping bag pad, small white LED flashlight, compass with a built-in thermometer, multi-function wrist watch, customized first aid kit, 2 ink pens, 3x5 top-bound memo pad, 1 inch round mirror, magnifying glass, 1 roll unscented bathroom tissue, 2 one quart water bottles ( cranapple juice came in them originally ), water filter unit, 20 thin coffee filters (to prefilter the water), 1 thin pair of size-to-fit gloves, 1 stainless steel spoon, biodegradable liquid camp soap which was put in a very small size plastic bottle, toothbrush & holder, lightweight bush/cargo/booney hat, water purification tablets for back-up, trail map in a zip-seal-lok type bag, head boggin (head gear also helps protect against tics), light-weight hiker safety sun glasses, mosquito protective head net (some areas on the trail are covered up with mosquitos and/or other flying bugs), tie-cord (it has many uses), butane visable fuel yellow lighter, sealed foam earplugs, cork ball type plastic whistle, hanging food storage bag, carabiner (it is also used for hanging the food storage bag), a stainless steel combination cooking pot/eating bowl/drinking cup, cell phone to make one call per day or text in/out as conditions allow-and then turn it back off to save battery power, small digital camera which requires 2 size "AA" batteries, 2 size "AA" long-life batteries in addition to the ones in the camera, high grade poncho, a small roll of duct tape, organic Ezekiel 4:9 Original sprouted whole grain cereal, custom trail mix, soy powdered milk sub, and a number of other food, vitamin/mineral supplements, special nutrients, light weight cross training/trail running shoes with gel-shock heel-inserts, military web belt with buckle, 1 pair of socks per day of stay, 2 tee shirts, 1 short sleeve pullover collar shirt, 1 pair camp-side shorts, 2 pair of hiking pants, 1 long-sleeve shirt like a camo top with plenty of pockets, and other clothing supplies, and maybe some other things which may be listed later.  Some backcountry hikers prefer not to wear any underwear due to heat or chafing, and that is ok if it is not in an area that would require clothes to be blosed military style.

There are several items which many avid trail hikers have suggested a person not carry on a long wilderness backcountry hike.  Some of the items include:  radios, mp3 players, video games, audio players, deodorant, sweet scented colognes, or other such items.