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Reviews > Books > General > A Wildly Successful 200-Mile Hike > George Griffin > Long Term ReportName: George Griffin Age: 43 Gender: Male Height: 5' 7" (1.7 m) Weight: 223 lb (101 kg) Email: griffin42 (at) tiscali (dot) co (dot) uk City: London U.K Date: 31 January 2006 Backpacking Background I have been backpacking since 1986, mainly in the Peak District, Lake District, Wales and Southern England. I am also the London liaison member for the Backpackers Club. In recent years I have backpacked with two friends. Most of my trips are from September through to May, I normally get four 4+ day trips in that time, plus the occasional weekend. Terrain and elevation on these trips can be anything from coastal paths to mountains, sea level to 3,000 ft (900 m). Temperatures range from -5 C to 23 C (23 F to 75 F). Product Information Author: Rick Allnutt MD Published: 2005 Website: Wayah Press Price: $11.95 + $2.95 postage & handling Size: 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 x 5/16 in (14 x 22 x 1 cm) Weight: 6.17 oz (175 g) Type of book: Perfect bound paperback Long Term Report Rick states from the outset that the ideas and method he describes in his book are a system that works for him when on a long hike and that they might not work for others. A lot of the problems he mentions in the book most backpackers have experienced at one time or another; from sore knees to blisters and chaffing, but he also explains how these problems arise. This part of the book I found to be interesting and written with great authority, as Rick is a M.D. this was no great surprise. The book should appeal to both new backpackers and experienced ones too. New backpackers should look to the chapters about getting the weights down to a reasonable level so that the knees, blisters and chaffing don't become a serious issue and avoid pitfalls that we all go through when starting out. Experienced backpackers can use the book to gain that little bit of extra insight into getting the weight down further. There are some ideas that I'm already using, like using trekking poles to relieve stress on the knees and that elusive ideal weight to take away the strains. My biggest problem is the '15 pound pack' I cannot see how I can ever get down to this kind of weight. Most of my backpacking is done between November and March/April which is Winter in the U.K. Temperatures can be as high as 10 C (52 F) and as low as -5 C (23 F) and this means warmer sleeping bag, and clothes which can put weights in the 25 lb (11 kg) range. Even in Summer the lowest I have ever achieved is about 20 lb (9 kg). Personally I feel that these weights are quite good considering that only 5 years ago I was carrying over 33 lb (15 kg) in Scotland. This book has introduced me to one new idea for backpacking, the medication 'cocktail' which does seem to help my knees, they haven't seemed to hurt as much after a day of ups & downs when taking it. We all have opinions and ideas of how we should backpack and what equipment is best. This book is basically one man's tried and trusted methods of what works for him. As with any backpacking book there will be some things that I find useful and some I don't. This book has given me an insight into how an ultra-light backpacker goes about preparing for a long distance hike. I've yet to do a true long distance walk, my longest so far is about 70 miles (113 km). Hopefully some of these ideas and methods will help me achieve my ultimate goal of starting and completing a '200 mile hike'. Read more reviews of Wayah Press gear Read more gear reviews by George Griffin Reviews > Books > General > A Wildly Successful 200-Mile Hike > George Griffin > Long Term Report | |||