Interloken Trail

Didn't feel great. Got a late start, so I was pushing the pace on the way north. This caused me to miss a turn and head down the gorge Trail which really threw me off. I had also set my watch on ultra track, and it was giving me all sorts of screwy readings, like a 2 minute kilometer, and told me my total distance was 13 km. But clearly from the way back, much shorter. But I made it to a new trail, saw some people, a very cool owl, and was able to continue to test my setup. The Solomon boots still agitated my right ringtone, but on the way back I had moved my insole and added a second layer of sock and it was no problem. Something I can fix going forward, instead of buying another pair of boots.

(7.48) Brian's first ever backpacking trip

 

Brian & I hiked from the trailhead to middle settlement Lake, stayed overnight, and returned. It was a much shorter hike that I remember, just about three and a half miles in each direction. We didn't get started until late in the day because of some holdups at home. I don't think we hit the trail until about 4:00 p.m.

 

The trail was much different from my last visit, and even finding the trailhead took several drive-bys. For future reference, it's 1.9 miles south of the Ha-De-Ron-Dah trail access with a large parking area across the street. The drive to the trailhead is right next to the Forest Fire sign (pictured). 

  

There has been a lot of logging also which rerouted things. He wasn't eating and drinking enough on the hike in and had a start of a breakdown about a mile from the lean to, so we took a longer break and I made him eat a cliff bar and drink a lot of water. That changed everything for him and he had a good time.

  

The lean to was occupied so we had to find a nice camping spot not far away. The outhouse was gone so the toilet paper we brought to refill had to be carried back home. 

Very cool moment number one was when we saw a bear cub and her mom coming down a tree in the distance. I pulled out my bear spray, but they were happy to run in the other direction. Very cool moment number two was the 5:38 a.m. wake up with lightning and thunder and rain. Brian said he was scared in his own tent, but he toughed it out like a trooper. The rain didn't last long and we were quickly on the trail back to the van. 

 

I had thought of going two nights and staying at middle Branch Lake, but it was enough for him and his first time.

He remembered to download some office episodes and he watched that at camp while I cooked dinner. The whole point for me was to verify my load out, and make sure Brian had a decent time. We lost the trail once or twice on the way back to the car, but obviously, we kept calm & made it work.

Brian's pack was about 13 lb total. I carried all the food and cooking gear. Brian carried his extra clothes, sleep stuff, shelter, and we each used one trekking pole for the hike. He needed two for his tent and I just brought a tent pole for mine. His pack weight was about 13 pounds. My base was about 12 but I also carried extra water.

On one hand, I think we would have slept better with hammocks. But on the other, how nice it was to be in the tent and able to pack nearly everything into my backpack in a dry tent. I think with a hammock I would need some sort of gear sling or something, otherwise the backpack & other items might be left on the ground or some other place where it would get wet.

 

(27 Miles) Two-night backpacking w/ Aaron: Watkins to Bradford

Aaron came along for the fun of it and it was an experience. We had to filter a lot of water, about 10 L at least, and the Sawyer filter definitely degraded. If I'm going to keep using that one I'll have to remember to bring the back flush system. This was the same route I went last year, but in opposite direction. I couldn't believe how dry the area was. We almost didn't stay over that first night, but in walking to the road to find a place with signal to call Annie, we found a couple puddles we used for the night. First night was at Parks Hollow lean-to. Second night was at Moss Hill mean to. The hike between the two was not easy! Met a few young guys hiking in the other direction, first time that ever happened to me. Then at Moss Hill, met Mark from Finger Lakes magazine, and Robin & Joy. That's pretty cool. Everyone had a tent, but Aaron was so tired and so social he didn't have enough time / energy and ended up just sleeping in the lean-to. I got a small blister on my left toe, but all in all I was good. However, I trashed my Solomon Pro Odyssey after this hike. They've been around a while and they did not feel comfortable in general. Didn't hurt, but wasn't great. Definitely learned about filtering water, and how important it was to scout the area before leaving - water was an issue that was always on my mind.

(7.12 miles) Watkins Glen Solo Hike

Why didn't I bring Belle??? She would have loved it. I ended up stowing the trekking poles and didn't see anyone else so I really wish I'd chosen differently. Beautiful hike, though. Backpack, with 2 liters, was at 17 pounds. Good workout all around.

FLT Multi-day hike: 31.46 Miles

Hiked Thursday night to Moss Hill Lean-to. That was a bit more tense than I was expecting - got dark and there were 2 problems: I lost the white blazes twice and the battery on the headlight was draining - I'd forgotten how to lower the lumens output. But in the end I made it to the lean-to. And when I got there I saw a couple eyes staring at me. Not big enough to be a bear, but not a tiny rodent either. Maybe it was a fox? I found in the morning that whoever had been there prior threw their food garbage into the fire pit. The last couple miles of hiking I was certain I'd forgotten the tent stakes but was SOOOO glad that they were in the tent bag when I arrived. 

Gear List Here

Also glad I used the skinny titanium set as they fit in the grooves between the floor boards. I set up the tent in the lean-to, I know I'm not supposed to, but I wanted another lay of protection from rodents & scavengers. I hears something run on the shelf in the lean-to and it knocked some acorns and screws onto the floor.

Full day 1 started well, though I could have started sooner. Love this picture below - how often have I seen those large green areas in the hills while driving and wondered what it's like up there? Now I know! Awesome view and a cool memory. There's a lake in the distance - Lamoka, I think.

I did my best to control my pace as I knew I was in for a really long day, and I was very cognizant of water availability. Unfortunately, for the last 5 miles or so, I totally didn't take a break or much of a drink and I certainly overdid it and I really felt it when I arrived at Sugar Hill - the red cheeks, the overheated head. On the bright side, since I hiked too quickly, I got there earlier than expected and had extra time to relax and recover. I napped for an hour after set-up. Eventually I made dinner, popped my 2 small blisters, and just relaxed some more. It was a very windy night and there was some rain, but the MEIR tent held up well, though I definitely wouldn't consider it a full 2-person tent at only 43 inches wide. It will be okay for the boys for a couple years, though. I was so comfortable on just the Z Lite I considered sleeping on just that, but inflated the NEMO Astrolite anyway. It wasn't a good night sleep or very restful. Again, I think that's because I overdid it. I did discover just how comfortable the Adaptor Liner is, though - I should grab another couple of those. It was pretty important,too, as I had developed some chafing and needed to remove the clothes to let everything dry out. It was basically perfect. The 30 deg quilt was a bit much, but at least I wasn't cold.

Saturday ended up being the final day. The blisters had been addressed, but somewhere during the hike my socks got wet inside my shoes. The Leuko tape stayed on to cover the blisters, but the bottom of my right foot was really getting sore. And there was a TON of downhill which created the blisters in the first place. I definitely COULD have continued, but I completed 2 of my 3 goals: 

1. go on a solo hike and not die
2. complete the previously abandoned attempt from Sugar Hill to Watkins Glen
3. complete M14 map of the FLT

If I had made it another 4 miles to Burdett I would have completed the M14 map, but there was no place to camp so I'd have to return to Wakins or continue for another 2 or 3 miles. It just didn't seem like the smart thing to do. Given how much I ate, drank, and slept and how slowly I moved Sunday, it was the right call. I made it through Julie's Crossing with no problem as the trail was well beaten. There was a lot more to the WG park then I knew and it was really cool to see. I didn't see anyone else on the trail until I got to the state park. It was cool to be solo, especially as I consciously lowered my pace and stayed as slow as I could and take breaks (or not) as I wanted. But next time a partner might also be fun.

    

In total I was out from 5:30pm Thursday - 5pm Saturday. It was a solid test of my ability - mental & physical - as well as my gear. The Gregory Zulu pack was comfortable 99% of the time, the tent was  solid during the extreme wind and roomy, the food was good and the cookset worked well, and the sleep system continues to improve. I can't think of much I'd do differently given the setup I had - aside from not carry extra water on Friday, take a set of flip-flops next time, and get some lighter items (already ordered a new 1.5lb tent). Still on the fence about the nalgene bottle. It was good when I wanted to roll out my calves, but it is definitely heavy.

***** NEED AQUA MIRA NEXT TIME AS BACKUP *****

I do need to stretch a lot more next time. It's 2 days later and my hamstrings are still tight despite my Yoga in the morning & stretching during the day.

Short hike with Brian

Trying to get to 20 and keep the legs loose - so sore from yesterday.

6 solo miles

Six more miles today. Ended up going solo which was okay since I was pushing to close a loop on the M13 section I'm working on. Bugs still not bad - only had one on me the whole trip. Rain pants are 20 years old and they need to be replaced! I took off the jacket after 1 mile and just used my hat to regulate temperature.

Garmin Connect

Backpacking practice w/ Brian

Finally got out this year - had to push this back twice and didn't to get to go to FLT as I had hoped. But felt great to get out. Brian's new pack seemed fine and he loved the trekking poles. He was quite adventurous and had a good time.

Here are a few pics.

Backpacking w/ Brian

Love my 4" Sea to Summit pad. We were pretty comfy at night but for some reason we are ALWAYS on an incline and sliding down during the night. I need to bring double pillows from now on - I slept a bit but not soundly.

Things we forgot: Brian long pants, winter hat, gloves. Brian had chicken teriyaki for dinner and I had mushroom risotto. Then oatmeal for breakfast. I had an upset stomach around lunchtime on Sunday, but otherwise all was good. Legs are sore for us - my quads, Brian's calves.

NCT / FLT Weekend

Lots of hiking this weekend. Used a daypack on Saturday and drank all 3L of water. My Pesto Chicken & Pesto MRE was actually good. The cherry cobbler was okay. I started at the Sugar Hill Fire Tower and made it just past Julie's Crossing down near the Watkins Glen State Park.

First I went from Sugar Hill towards Watkins Glen...


Then I stopped for a break and had a Chicken Pesto Pasta MRE. Also had the cherry cobbler. The oatmeal cookie & breadsticks were gross, though.

In the morning I finished the rest of the trail from Sugar Hill to FLT map M14 access point #1. The scrambled eggs tasted okay, but man, they sure didn't come out well.


Finally I walked around some of the gorge and found the point where the FLT intersects with route 329.


My R knee was swollen before I started and this didn't help it much. On the brighter side, I made it. I wore a knee brace and it wasn't that hard but there were a few times when I had to take it really easy. The trail was well marked - didn't really need the map but it was great for swatting bugs away from my ears.  The hardest part was Julie's Crossing as the trail was obscured. On the way back I actually went in circles once before finding it. There were also some parts east of Vanzandt Hollow Road that needed to be adjusted where it fell off the cliff due to erosion.

At night I had a nice set up with a hammock and a rain fly. It was good at first, but then it got wicked windy and rainy - I had to get up a few times to resecure the stakes and tighten the string. I tossed and turned a bit, but was still more comfortable than in a tent. I wasn't sleeping that well, but I was resting okay starting at 9pm.

Then a group of people came in around 10 and decided to start setting up camp. They didn't shut up until 4am. Eventually I even got some water in my hammock somehow and ended up going into the car at 5am. I then slept until 9:30.

So as of the weekend (20.61 miles) I now have 23.29 miles towards the challenge - almost halfway towards the 50, so now I think I can seriously look towards the 100 challenge.

MSL with Lotar

Did NOT bring: sleep mat, stools, slippers. Really need slippers!

Fell into water just before lean-to. Feet, shoes, socks, and underwear are soaked. Can't do anything to help Lotar because I can't walk around. Saw is working well. Gaiters are priceless! Terramar works great on feet and body. Will find out tonight about sleeping on poncho & liner. Good thing the lean-to was open or I'd be screwed (didn't bring a tent to save weight). Lotar is getting good use of the saw.

Rain fly on backpack worked great until I got dunked. Then had a pool in it but I didn't notice.

I brought extra trash bags as an afterthought and it was a good call since my boots probably won't be dry in time. Thank God I've got extra long johns for the top & bottom. Should have brought extra underwear. Waterproof bags for inside the backpack - in case of dunking - are now required.

PS - I removed all my wet clothing to avoid lowering my body temp, but nothing dried, it just froze, event my boots. What I should have done is keep everything on and work to help the moisture evaporate.

MSL with Kurt (2 of 2)

Bring poncho to cover things, it's not just for you. Get them-a-rest pad. Need better sleeping bag. Froze overnight. Condensation frozen in the morning. SO glad to have stove & thermos. Put things in bivy w/ you if you don't want them frozen (water, lighter). Oatmeal & hot cocoa were fantastic as was instant capuccino. Now it's snowing!

Next time, thick socks no matter what. That way at least if boots aren't a perfect fit, there won't be room for foot to move & create blister. Also bring baby wipes for latrine and a chair / stool for around the campfire.

MSL with Kurt (1 of 2)

Started hike at 1353 hours.

Chilly today! Bit of wind, too. Got to lean-to at 1615. Kurt set up sleeping area and I boiled water for soup & hot chocolate. Also made potatoes w/ canned chicken. Molly McButter is great. Getting dark now. Kurts back & the blisters on my heels are forcing us out the way we cam in. Don't think I'll get any reading done.

MSL w/ Colleen Tanner

Up in ADK w/ Colleen. Went swimming in the lake for the first time. Very nice! Didn't sleep well - nothing new there. Cutting across blue trail to save time.

Next time bring running pants, 3rd t-shirt, and other footwear to change into. The ferns and overgrowth were pretty bad once we got to the other side of the lake. My feet were soaked. Good thing I brought dry socks & towel. Water was a nice swim. Lantern was a good addition.

MSL solo (2 of 2)

Back in the car now. Did NOT sleep well - R eye sore. Beautiful morning though. A little chilly which kept bugs away at first.

From now on, no need to bring stove unless it's winter. There's enough firewood available. Also, need heat shield for stove - wind had a huge impact on the flame. It took 10 minutes to boil 1 cup of water.

Didn't need the extra socks. Didn't need (or use, actually) the pillow. Gotta bring handkerchief next time. Had to use my t-shirt and then had to wear long sleeve shirt on the way out this morning. I was thinking of heading to Canada Lakes Wilderness Trail, but changed my mind. It looks easy to reach and I want to head home.

MSL solo (1 of 2)

Up at MSL again. Bugs are glad to see me. Remember to bring something to write w/ next time. Platypus bottle is a pain since it doesn't fit the water filter. Mosquito netting is great.

All alone this time since it's mid-week. My R knee hurts, but it's a lovely place. Brought a towel this time and it is nice to have.

If I eat citrus fruits before hiking, will the chemicals in my sweat repel the bugs? Ben's 100 works well, but it's a strong chemical. I'm nervous about just opening up the water.

Next time bring anti-itch stuff. Turtleneck is a great idea.
Cory Cipriani - Dick Zeman

MSL notes

About the last trip, it was COLD! I had a 3/4 sleeping pad, but my feet were chilly. Plus, I had no pillow and was very uncomfortable. Also, from now on, I need to bring 3 T-shirts: one for hiking in, one to sleep in & hike out in, and one in the car for the trip home. I took my first real outdoors poop. Need to remember that there's no toilet seat! I didn't squat all the way, leaned against a rock, and pissed on my pants if you can believe that.

Food was okay. Not too hungry at night, but at lunch I was starved. I have Clif bars and an MRE. Bring more water, too.

MSL again

Up again w/ Eric. Due to late start, staying @ Middle Settlement lean-to instead of Middle Branch. Plus, unsure of existence of Middle Branch lean-to since it's on the map, but not in the book. All day tomorrow so will try to locate it. Eric's right shoulder hurts. My knee is so-so. Feet are great - love these sock liners.

MSL again

Hiked Middle Settlement Lake Loop w/ Eric. 5 hours not going to Grass Pond and Middle Branch Lake. Accidentally went counter-clockwise again!!! Junction is 4 minutes from Copper Lake Road, or 200 paces from stream. Tired.

*** First Backpacking Event 3 of 3***

Woke up around 7:30am. Little or no sleep. Didn't eat too much. Tough hike on the way back - lots of hills. I'm home now. Showered. Fed. Nap time. Next time, less food, less clothing, more water. Long pants & shirt and face bug screen like Kurts. The bugs were the worst part of the trip.