Hello all, just signed up for this forum today!

Recently started getting interested in trying out the whole hiking in the wilderness thing and am hoping to go as soon as I can get the money and then the gear to go. I live in Las Vegas, NV and for those who don't know we have Mt charleston and the surrounding area which I hear to be a nice place which is where I will be doing hiking for the time being.

I've been trying to find concrete information on if I am going to need to get any permits and/or their cost, but the internet seems littered with information on that unfortunately.

Seems like gear is pretty expensive, so I'll likely try to find second hand stuff for everything I can (I'm a long way from being rich). I'm looking to spend probably around 14 days up there, even though I know it's probably going to be a lot of weight in food and fuel. Hopefully this will become a fun little hobby for a long time!

Gear need not be *that* expensive. particularly if you think carefully about what you really need versus what is cool.

Use the Search function to search back for a thread entitled
"$200 and 20lb challenge" - there is some spirited discussion there but a number of good ideas.

Don't get me wrong, nice top end gear is nice. but you don't
*have* to have all that.

Buy your backpack *last*.

Before you spend 14 days, spend 2 days. That way if something doesn't work as expected you are not of a mindset to go onward anyway and take risks you aren't ready for. Gear testing should be done at home, then on short trips, then for the long haul. You will also be testing yourself - I've been working up to longer trips for two years, dayhiking and overnighting and then two nights...

You will spend less money in the long run if you are willing to make the effort to learn first, then buy. Being fitted and trying on several packs with weight in them will inform you as to what's comfortable for you at this point. If you have specific areas you want to overnight in, find out what weather patterns and average temps tend to be, and get a sleeping bag that's 1) accurately rated and 2) rated for temps ten degrees below what your anticipated lows will be. When it comes to sleeping bags and backpacks, you need the right ones, not the cheapest, though you can certainly find sales easily enough on many good brands.

Mark Verber's website (http://www.verber.com/mark/outdoors/gear/index.html) is a great place to start for suggestions on cheap gear. Backpackgeartest and other websites and forums like this one also help you sort out manufacturer's claims from reality.

You will probably find that permits are not as much of a problem as it might appear. Mt Charleston appears to have self registration and a small parking fee. Most locations will expect you to register at a kiosk or at a ranger station and adhere to specific rules, but that's usually easy to do. In areas like the national parks and other areas with habituated bears, you will find that the rules become very strict and the trails have daily quotas. Yosemite's permitting system is overwhelmed with people trying to get permits six months in advance.

http://www.hikinglasvegas.com/fast1.html

And just to add to what lori says, if you walk into a backpacking shop and say "I'm going somewere for 14 days unresupplied" they're going to sell you stuff big enough to carry a butchered elephant in, (because they can, and it's more expensive and so they make more money, and they're only doing what you told them to do...) and you're going to be overloaded and miserable.

If I'm out *backpacking* for more than about a week, I usually like to arrange a resupply point, so I don't end up having to carry a ton of stuff. If you're staying in one area, you could even hike back out, resupply, and come back.

Having said that, seriously, try a couple of two to three day trips first, you'll be a lot happier, you'll get used to your gear, know what works for you, and what does not. From the looks of mount charleston it is amenable to that sort of trip too.

The best place to start backpacking is in your own backyard (or a friend's if you don't have one), or car-camping. It does take more willpower to spend the night in the backyard or next to your car in awful weather when your comfortable bed (or the drive home to same) is calling you, but it's the safest way to gain experience. If everything goes south, you can easily bail out. This is also the best way to learn to use your gear and to learn skills. If nothing else, practice setting up your tent until you can do it quickly and easily on a dark, windy, rainy night with a headlamp (and without the instructions). Also practice setting up and taking down camp in the rain while keeping your critical gear (insulating clothing and sleeping bag) dry. Also practice regulating your body heat (your only source of heat unless you are in a place where you can build a fire)--neither getting your clothing wet from sweat nor getting chilled--which involves what I call the "onion principle"--removing layers while you're hiking and adding layers when you stop. These skills will serve you well when you are far away from your car, and should be learned before you venture out any distance.

Have you read the articles on the home page of this site? Go to the bottom of the left-hand column of this (forum) page and click "TLB Home." Then read all the articles listed on the left-hand column of the home page.

Previous posters in this thread have cited other outstanding sources--I highly recommend them, too!

Yea, I've been reading through the articles on the front page as well as some other sites. As for as doing less than 2 weeks, I'm considering that and only doing a week (but I likely won't do less than that). As far as setting up a camp goes that shouldn't be to much of a problem once I get used to setting up whatever tent I end up getting a hold of.

Really though, I know I'll likely have more weight that the people on this site are used to being my first time out and what not, but I'll be able to handle it, even if I can't hike as long in a day it'll be ok.

Thanks for the replies so far though, will see what my options are for resupplying as well around MT charleston.

Peace.

Well, I've continued to read up and considering everything I know to think about. I almost certainly won't be doing more than 7 days my first time out, but anything less isn't really worth going in my opinion. After reading up I now have a new goal in life in hiking the AT, sounds like a potentially great expeirence, want to do it within the next 2-3 years as a matter of fact!