I have carried my compact 1911 numerous times out on the trail. I always carry it in an IWB holster, fully concealed (but accessable) even when I am lugging a 60Lb pack, and the weight is not a concern. The first time I tried it out I purposely didn't tell the two guys I was with to see if they noticed. They were both surprised when I told them about it weeks later. I would prefer to carry on my hip in an exposed holster, but it seems people can't get past their phobias.
Dawson Wheeler should change his name to "Mary".

I just now clicked through to the article and find it funny that Mr. Wheeler can't figure out how to handle a gun properly on the trail, but it opens with the story of a chick who handles one just fine.

And there's a picture to boot. Now I know why you liked this story. ;)

Did he saw the stock of a Garand into a pistol grip? or does he have the most stable .22lr on the market? Bugger, my SW60 .357 doesn't fail me, and I know it's under three lbs including CC holster.

:-D

They gots real men thar in Tennessee, I rekkin.

...altho this puppie is 13+ lbs. Doesn't exactly fit in a daypack tho.

http://www.vincelewis.net/60magnum.html

My S&W M&P .45 is only 29.6 oz, maybe 3 lbs with a full mag, and if it is my drop leg holster, it is certainly easy to reach

My S&W 432 has been measured, while loaded and in an uncle mike's paddle holster, at a hair over 20 ounces.

Is Mr. Wheeler advocating that I should be able to carry eight of those?

Five to ten pound pistols? What the hell kind of handguns are they talking about, a brace of Walker Colts?

Damn, my GP100SS gets a little heavy at times, but not that heavy.
Maybe he's talking about the thousands of Tennesseans who are, I'm certain, running around each with a LeMAt's in his belt.

He must be packin' one of those 45-70 revolvers that I see every now and agin'.

Did even the LeMat (a revolver + single-shot shotgun pistol) weigh that much? Or are Tenneseans packing sawed off Colt revolving shotguns? (That would be quite the bear-stopper...)

Well, I am late to this party, but here goes:
You know a guy like Wheeler is an ass when he says,"he understands hikers' fears because there were many moments during his trip that he wished he had a gun", then a couple sentences later he says, "It's an illusion that there could be a reason to carry a gun."
Now, maybe he simply wished he'd had a gun for NO REASON. Or maybe he's just prone to having illusions.(Not necessarily the best qualification for having a gun...)
Maybe he figures that just because he wants to defend HIMSELF, that's no reason for the rest of us peons to arm up. (I find this more likely, somehow.)
Quite obviously, he's never heard of Jennifer Ewing, murdered along the Silver Comet trail in Atlanta. Nor has he read about Gary Michael Hilton, who abducted, robbed, and decapitated Meredith Emerson along the Appalachian Trail, and is suspected of several other murders in the NC/SC/GA area.
Hell, when I'm out in the woods anymore (I live in Franklin NC), the four-legged predators are the least of my worries...though the black bears are gettin' bold there, too. Maybe I should get myself a 10 lb. handgun...or better yet, just carry 8 lbs. of ammo for my 2 lb. gun...

I once had the pleasure of firing a blackpowder Remington handgun at my range. It weighed between five and nine pounds, closer to nine, as I recall. It was about 2 feet long, with a very heavy barrel, and I started to hold both the pistol grip and the barrel, before realizing that would hurt when the gun went boom. The owner very graciously restrained his comments other than saying, "You might not want to grip the barrel..." just as I removed my hand from it.

Wow. What a beast. The smoke and fire went about 10 yards downrange, the lag between trigger pull, ignition and recoil seemed to measure in long, full seconds, and thank god I hit the target, so I did not have to try again....

What fun! I'd feel safe but overburdened with one of these on the trail....