[One Day Wonder]

I am really just starting to get serious about hiking/climbing/mountaineering. Here is my question for all of you experts! Where might a poor guy like myself buy things like crampons, ice axe, nice packs, etc? Is there a second hand store, or what. I thought I heard about a place in Freemont? Second Bounce? I this true, or do I have to go w/ word of mouth or paper? Help a fellow hiker out!

[Allison]

At the risk of sounding like a chest-beater, I wrote a feature article on this very subject a few months back. You can read it here, and there are a couple of sidebar pieces on the subject online at the same place. This here website is also full of information. Do you have any specific questions or just generally need to get everything? If you want a specific item, or a certain kind of thing (eg isobutane stove, 20 degree synthetic bag) then we can bombard you with specifics about our own experiences and gear. Fire away!

[Dante]

Second Bounce moved to Ballard (near the tractor tavern) and changed it's name to Second Ascent. Allison mentioned it in her article. It can also be an OK place to sell gear. The address in Allison's linked article. There are also some decent "beginner" FAQs and pages at many hiking websites (See e.g. www.backpacking.net ). IMO overkill is a common mistake for beginners--too much sleeping bag, too much boot, too much stove, etc.