Ozark Highlands Trail: Shakedown Thoughts Pt. 2

Although it was a bummer to call it quits at Ozone on my first OHT hike when I had been planning on going all the way to Lake Ft. Smith (LFS), it did allow me to make some tweaks to gear and test those out after getting back on trail. You can read about my gear thoughts after the Woolum to Ozone section here. This blog will mainly cover the gear changes I made for the Ozone to LFS section and how those worked out. I’ll also cover a couple changes to make going forward. The image below lists out the gear I took on the Ozone to LFS hike.

Changes for Ozone to LFS

Camera/Video Gear: After my Woolum to Ozone hike I decided I needed to swap out my camera gear for something less bulky and lighter. I can put up with carrying my big DSLR on short trips, but carrying it for 3,100 miles was going to be a whole other deal. I decided on a Sony a6400. It was much lighter and more compact, and seemed like a good picture/video combo camera. I spent a good chunk of my free time between the two hikes trying to learn the camera. During my hike I found out it’s a little difficult using the same camera for photos and video, as I use different settings for each. I also generally have a polarizer on for photos and take it off for videos. I think I prefer my DSLR for photos, but it was definitely much nicer to carry the smaller camera. Part of the weight savings was offset by bringing along a gimbal for video. I haven’t gone through my video from the Ozone to LFS section, but I have a feeling between the new camera and gimbal, it will be a lot better than the video from my phone on the Woolum to Ozone section.

Footwear: This was a big one due to the blisters I got on the Woolum to Ozone hike. I decided to give my Darn Tough socks another try. I had used the Darn Tough socks before and had issues with really sore big toes, after which I switched to the running socks for a few different trips. I decided to try Injinji liners for the first time on this trip. I also used a surgeon’s knot on each shoe to try and keep my heel in place a little better. Finally, I brought along some sandals to use for creek crossings and wearing around camp. During the day I would usually swap out my socks at least once for some dry socks. I often felt like I was getting blisters during the trip, but I never actually had one form. That was definitely a good sign. Hopefully it stays that way for the CDT.

Insulated Booties: I have had some backpacking trips before where I had some issues with cold feet. Generally I’ll bring along a spare pair of socks to use for sleeping to help with that. Earlier this year when we had a really cold stretch of weather I tested out my sleeping gear to see how low I was willing to go with temperature. It actually did quite well, but I struggled with cold feet. After that I did a little research and came across the Enlightened Equipment Sidekicks. I ordered these before my Woolum to Ozone hike but didn’t get them until afterwards, so I decided to give them a try on this trip even though it wasn’t supposed to be particularly cold. I loved them. They were great to have on during the evening if I was just sitting around at camp, and they were great to have on in the sleeping bag. The only bummer about them is I can’t wear them to walk around. But for keeping my feet warm in the sleeping bag or sitting at camp, they worked great.

Ice Axe/Micro spikes: You’re probably wondering what the heck I was doing carrying an ice axe and micro spikes on the OHT. It was purely for practice packing them along. I wanted to see if I had any issues with where I packed them or put them on my pack. I didn’t come across any issues other than the ice axe makes it a little bit more difficult to go under low trees/branches. I would like to get out on some snow prior to getting on the CDT to get some practice with the micro spikes and ice axe, but I’m not sure if I’ll get around to that or not.

Changes to Make Going Forward

Chapstick: I’ll normally bring a tube of chapstick along on hikes, but for some reason I didn’t on this trip and I regretted it. I think that’s the worst chapped lips I have ever had, although thankfully they never split real bad. It finally got to the point to where I was putting olive oil on them to try and help them out. I’ll have to be sure and take some chapstick along on future hikes.

Mount gimbal/camera: Each time I wanted to take a video, I had to take the gimbal out of it’s bag, take the camera out of it’s bag, put the camera on the gimbal, get the gimbal set up, take the video, take the camera off the gimbal, put the camera up, and then put the gimbal up. It was quite the process. Haha. I’ll have to take some time to see if I can figure out a way to mount the gimbal with camera attached to my shoulder strap to make it easier to take video. The setup I used would work pretty well to protect the camera and gimbal in inclement weather, but it would be nice to have them more available during better weather.

Gloves: I used some brushtail possum gloves from Zpacks, and while they seemed to do a decent job at keeping my hands warm, they got hair everywhere. It nearly looked like I was bringing some sort of pet along with me at times. Haha. I’m not sure if I’ll switch them out, but I’ll at least look into other options.

Stretching: I always stretch after my runs, but for some reason I have never stretched after I finish a day of backpacking. I listened to a podcast during this trip where there was a discussion about stretching while thru hiking, and yet I still didn’t remember to do it. Haha. I need to get into the habit of stretching a bit each day after I finish hiking. I’m sure it would help.

Closing Thoughts

Overall I was quite happy with my gear after this hike. I’m a little bit worried about being on the heavy side, but I have thought and thought and thought about my gear and feel like this is the best fit for me, so I’ll give it a shot. It’s definitely doable, but will make the CDT a little more difficult. I feel much better about my gear after the Ozone to LFS section than I did before. I’m sure there will still be tweaks made as I prepare for the CDT and as I go along the CDT, but I feel like I’m at a good starting point.