Of all the questions that people ask, one seems to be repeated more frequently then all the rest:

"Are you guys going to carry a gun?"

No. Simplest answer: guns weigh a lot. When embarking on a journey of this length, we plan to carry pretty much only that which is essential (except my camera). Every extra pound (even ounce) means more stress on our bodies and more calories to consume. A gun simply weighs us down.

We are going to look like we're living out of backpacks - dirty, hairy, rough. We really don't have much to offer a potential robber (cept granola). Who would want to waste their time confronting us in the first place? I'm more concerned about bears and mosquitos than I am dangerous people. And no, a pistol isn't going to stop a bear either.

More than any of that, though, I DON'T LIKE GUNS. You may disagree with me politically. Deal with it.

Cheers,

Jonathan

I felt the need to weigh in on this. Will I carry a gun on the trail? As a lightweight hiker I will answer this question with another question from postholer.com, as follows:

"What serves me better, the extra weight of a gun or the extra weight of cookies?"

Edit: Not certain I'll carry bear mace either, really... so bulky...

Cheers!
Dan