The Cohos Trail is a long-distance trail. To walk all or much of the 162-mile (and growing) system, you will have to take a lot of gear and supplies with you. On the vast majority of the system there are no towns and no handy stores to purchase supplies enroute, so you'll have to plan ahead if you are to successfully navigate the trail.

SHELTER: There are few shelters on the trail itself, except for two lean-tos, one at Baldhead South in remote Columbia, NH, and the other three miles north of Dixville Notch on a high ridge on Sanguinary Mt. In the White Mountain National Forest the Forest Service maintains the Resolution Shelter and the Dry River Shelter. Atop Mt. Cabot, the Forest Service also maintains the Mt. Cabot cabin, which sleeps eight. There are federal and state campgrounds and only a very few designated camping areas in the backcountry. In 2005 there was one formal camp site in the Nash Stream Forest. There was one formal camping area on Unknown Pond, maintained by the Forest Service.

WATER: Carry a water filter kit or purification straw or tablets with you. Take water only from very fast moving streams or from good springs, of which there are several. Drink lots of water everyday, particularly if the temperature is hot.

FIRE: Best rule of thumb -- don't build a fire at all. Carry a little primus with you to heat food.

LIGHT: Carry a small flashlight or a hiker's candle lantern.

RAIN: Carry a rain poncho with you at the very least, one with a hood.

SUN: Hike with a cap, or better yet a broad-brim hat. It will not only keep the sun off your face and neck, it will help keep insects away from your eyes and face.

COLD: Even in summer, never, never hike without a wool hat, gloves, and at least one heavy sweater and a windbreaker. In spring and fall in the Coos mountains, you can encounter winter conditions.

FOOD: Through hikers can burn 4,000 to 6,000 calories a day. That's a lot of food. You decide what food to bring, but bring plenty and stash several cashes 30 miles apart.

WASTE: Carry In. Carry Out. In other words, take out every last bit of trash when you leave the woods. As for human waste, move off the trail and away from streams several hundred feet, dig a small pit and deposit human waste there. Cover the pit with soil and leaf litter.

FIRST AID: Bring a good hiker's first aid kit with you and an ace bandage. Bring mole skin with you, too.

MAPS: Bring a set of Cohos Trail maps with you and a compass.

PACK: Since you will have to carry a lot of weight, be sure your pack is sound and well built to distribute weight to your hips and shoulders. Bring extra cord and a bit of wire in case the pack needs a repair on the trail.

SHOES: Sound, low-impact hiking boots are a must. Your feet will take a beating so don't skimp on the boots. And wear thick, absorbant socks and have several pairs with you.

INSECTS: If you hike during black fly season, you must carry bug dope. I like the stuff that's made locally by local folks. Wear long-sleeve shirts and a bandana or broad-brimmed hat soaked with bug dope.

QUIET: Keep quiet. Experience the loud silence of the Coos forests and mountains. You'll never want to play a video game again.