Injury - Lower L back

 Back has been "off" since I did some squats after the ADK high peaks hiking. But Monday I took a little nap in my usual place and woke in bad shape. One Chiropractor appointment on Tuesday, rest at home, ice / heat, stretching, and hopefully another on Thursday. Hopefully tomorrow will do the trick as we have to go to the Dome on Sunday for band and also pick up Annie.

ADK High Peaks

Nice try this weekend, but getting DOWN was so freaking hard. I decided - and Aaron let it go - that we left Saturday morning instead of staying until Monday as was originally planned. The site at Drapers Acres was perfect. We did drive around Lake Placid also. At least we did get to do both Cascade and Porter. I wore my Topo Athletic boots. My toes were surprisingly very sore at the end and finally feel better nearly a week later. Maybe it would have gone better with my Salomon Quests?

The first night I slept in a tent and was pretty chilly. The second night I was in the hammock and it was quite comfortable. I tried to use a NEMO Astrolite sleep pad but it wouldn't stay flat - or maybe I didn't try it enough. But I had the Sea To Summit SI pad which was fine. It was definitely warmer that night which probably helped.

We did stop at the corner store for sandwiches for dinner, but otherwise ate Green Belly for lunch on the trail, and just cooked for breakfast. I tried my RightOnTrek meals and the Ramen Beef was quite tasty. The Vegan Sheperds Pie - needs seasoning if I ever eat it again. But the snacks that came with it were good, ESPECIALLY THE ARCHERS BEEF JERKY!

We met some fun people from New Hampshire who were professional guides. There were a few groups, also, but most fun was Carol who ended up hiking with us most of the way up and down. Definitely ended up being more social than ANY of my FLT hikes.

Old Forge, Bald Mountain, Family Hike

 Finally got in some outside time now that we are done w/ cleaning out Woodsedge apartment. It was much harder than I expected, but the family did a great job toughing it out.

CH1 - 4 mile Section w/ Aaron

R knee was bugging me for a few days, but really wanted to get out and enjoy the weather. It feels swollen, but otherwise not a problem. Plan on resting Sunday. 

It was a really nice hike. Weather was perfect and we intentionally went slowly. Even took time to test emergency Esbit stove and fuel from daypack. Cooked some Patagonia whole grain food. I didn't like it but it was fine if I had to eat on the trail. 

Planned on going forgets, but main point was to complete a section of this map and at a point I recognized part of the trail I did last year with Brian. Decided to return. Going to complete Map CH1 soon - only another 2 mile section to go. Was very glad to have my trekking poles,  boots, and gaiters. Would NOT have been as fun with trail runners.

Synthetic vs Down Puffy Evaluation

Shake-down winter hikes. Near identical circumstances but there was no sun on Sunday and it was 14deg instead of 11deg. I wanted to know if I would be warm enough in my layers, and how sweaty the jackets would get. Didn't realize it on Saturday, but the water bladder was empty. I refilled it with 2 liters for Sunday. Both days I wore the hood from the base layer and I definitely noticed the wind pushing through my knit hat. And both days the water in the hose froze!

• Saturday
• REI Revelcloud synthetic jacket
• 11deg, slight breeze, sunny
• Water bladder empty
• Darn tough crew socks
• Sunday
• REI Magma down jacket
• 14deg, slight breeze, cloudy
• 2L bladder
• Smartwool over-the-calf socks
• Common clothing
• Patagonia tech t-shirt
• REI fleece midweight hoodie
• Wool Buff
• Puffy jacket
• Motorcycle goggles
• Hat
• EMS gloves (not including liner)
• Under Armour lined wind pants
• Asolo boots

Synthetic puffy results: surprisingly I was completely comfortable and warm. I should get a hood or shower cap to fight the wind, but overall I was good. I was even more surprised when I got all done and there was no sweat on any layer except my t-shirt - the fleece & puffy were completely dry.

Down puffy results: I wouldn't say I was any warmer or colder, but I also feel the wind cut through the jacket a bit more. I didn't use the hood, but it would have been handy had it been any windier. There was a little sweat that got though the fleece & onto the jacket, but not enough to make the jacket ineffective.

All-in-all, it was a solid, effective test. Nearly an hour outside in sub-freezing temperatures and I was warm enough. I might benefit from some leggings, but it certainly wasn't needed for this, and in the woods the wind would be less, right? The Smartwool socks were fine on the hike, but they were way too warm when I tried to wear them in the house. The Darn Tough socks were also long enough to keep the boots from irritating my ankles and fine in the house. The goggles were sort of useless - I had to be so careful breathing or they got foggy in moments. Maybe real ski goggles would be better?

I'm also rethinking footwear. With the boots I feel so much more protected from everything. One concern is whether or not they affect my Achilles negatively, but for the moment things are okay. I know they're heavier, and if they get wet inside it will take longer to dry, but they also feel so bulletproof when I'm wearing them. Certainly, during cold weather, they're much better than trail shoes.

 

Mile hikes with the Boys

Hiked with Brennan & Belle on Saturday, then Brian & Brennan on Sunday.