BSA Brian 7/8 - 7/13

Brian: Sleep system was great: Outdoor Research Bug bivy, Sea-to-Summit Comfort Light SI pad (2"), Kelty Bestie blanket, and Cocoon Travel pillow. Even worked well overnight at Hilltop. Didn't use a sleeping bag once.

Brett: Used my Sea-to-Summit 4" pad atop the cot mattress. I didn't sleep great, no surprise, but it wasn't that bad. The Walmart camping blanket left something to be desired, but I survived. Mosquito netting was fine, but the bugs weren't too bad this year. Hanging the netting - bring a rope and clothes pins - the only horizontal tent pole is at the apex and goes front-to-back. I saw one rig where a rope was tied round each end and loose so the netting would fit down to the cot.

BRING JACKET & HAT FOR COOL NIGHTS & COLD MORNINGS
It got very cold overnight and fortunately I had extra winter hats in the car. The only jacket I had was my EMS lined wind-breaker. It must be 20 years old.

WATERPROOF the shoes if they don't bring 2 pairs of shoes because of the morning dew. Brian wore wool socks so this wasn't much of a problem, but it could have been. He didn't wear his hiking boots at all.

DAYPACK is crucial to avoid trips back-and-forth to camp and avoid losing items. If you wear your jacket in the morning because of the cold, what do you do with it when it gets too hot by 10? Brian left his water bottle at stations constantly until he started using his backpack as his daypack. Nice to put hats, jackets, water in. Also will be good for Brennan & his wet swimming clothes.

See BSA blog for other notes.

BSA Boston Trip

Drove up to New England Base Camp in Milton, MA. With me & Brian were Seojun and Will Stetter. Great group to travel with. We left at 9:32am Friday, 5/25 and arrived at 16:42. Stopped twice for about 20 minutes each plus an emergency 2 minute pee on the side of route 88 near Oneonta for Brian.

Sleep system: Coleman air mattresses, sheets, sleeping bags, real pillows. My mattress kept deflating. Brian had an accident on his the 2nd to last night. And because it was so hot during the day and we were so active, it was a horrible time to not get enough sleep! But we powered through and made some nice memories. Fortunately I had purchased an air pump that recharges so I didn't have to have electricity because the camp site was hundreds of feet away from the nearest outlet.

Food: cold cereal, sandwiches, campfire pies, bag lunches, etc... Once or twice Brian & I ate out, but not much. It wasn't the healthiest of times, but it was fun. Although we had camp stove & cookware, we didn't use it at all. Larabar supply was completely consumed - love those!!!

Water: Gregory 3L bladder was key for me & Brian.

Ozark Trail day pack was very uncomfortable. And not having side-pockets to stash stuff quickly was a huge pain.

Clothes: Always bring jacket & winter hat in daypack! We went to Fenway to watch Red Sox and it got so cold they sold out of blankets! I bought us some hats and it was just enough for us. We weren't comfortable, but it wasn't miserable either.

Crazy weather! Wicked hot Friday & Saturday (90℉). Very chilly & windy Sunday (55℉). Rained Sunday night before we left Monday morning (67℉). A little of everything except snow.

Scouts @ Kiwanis

Someone said it got down to 24℉ last night and I believe it! Brian had my 0℉ bag and I had my 20℉ Kelty Tuck. We were in the REI Half Dome. No rain. He was on a Therm-a-Rest and I had a Big Agnes inflatable. Got here at 5:30pm, bet at 9:30pm.

I heated water & gave Brian some freeze dried spaghetti while I have rice w/ lentils from home. I slept well until 11:30 but saw my watch every hour until 3:30 when Brian woke to pee. I hadn't wanted to wake him but I was holding for 2 hours myself! At that point I grabbed a fleece liner and put it around my wind pants & coat. We then slept until 7.

My pad made a lot of noise every time I moved until I put a liner around it.

We again slept on a slope and slid down all night. Brian did great and was warm enough. I'll need another 0℉ bag I think!

Oatmeal for breakfast since the rest of the scouts weren't up yet. Love the new cooking system Annie & the kids got me for my birthday and it was only $27.

It's 10:30am and the scouts are just cleaning their breakfast dishes. Pete Reif is making chili for lunch, but I may stick with my mashed potatoes. Need to leave by 3pm to get ready for Easter Vigil fire.

Scouts at Kiwanis

Boy Scouts overnight w/ Brian. Made mountain pies on the fire which were nice. Went to sleep at 10 after playing cards in the tent for a few minutes. Didn't play w/ the other boys at all. Rained much of the night and the REI Half-dome - 16 years old - finally sprung a leak right above my head. I need a better air mattress due to my hips. Didn't sleep much - ran 2 soccer matches Friday just before going to the camp.

It got down to 46℉ in the morning, probably colder in the night. We had my phone for white noise so at least Brian slept okay. When he woke, he didn't want to stay for breakfast & I really needed a bathroom so we left.

Can't believe it, but I left my sleeping bag at the house. There were extras so I got lucky. Definitely can't use that tent in winter without a better sleeping bag than the summer-weight one they loaned me.

Green gate for the camp is 1.38 miles up Kerrick Hollow Road on the R.

Green down jacket & winter hat were perfect. Even though I was in shorts it was good. Also glad to be wearing hiking boots & thick socks.

Family Ski Event

Thanks to cub scouts, took everyone skiing at Swain on Jan 22. It was 39 degrees but there's was enough snow to get in some lessons. I couldn't ski due to my knee, but it was great seeing them all get out there and go. Alli was a natural and Annie got up the big hill a couple times too. Brian was determined after seeing Allison advance and he eventually did the big hill twice. Brennan was disappointed but had fun as well. Admission was complaining during the ride up that she wasn't going to do it, but with less than half the lesson, she was going by herself up the lift. It was a good day.

MSL w/ the MI Co

Up at the lean-to w/ Poss, Power, Carmon, Bieling, Gardiner, Perry, and Sherrick.

Learned for the first time up here that there are snapping turtles and leeches in the lake. The turtles are about 2-feet long. We hiked in w/ rucksacks. We will be hiking out soon as Sherrick hurt his ankle. Not was SFC Power wants to do, but figure we have to drive back to Syracuse, get everyone home safely, and then he's got to possibly see a Dr. Better to have some leeway in our schedule in case of anything else going wrong.

We walked to Middle Branch lean-to which has a fantastic view. It was a long & hilly hike. No lean-to at the trail junction. Dragonflies & flies are bad today. I was great in my hammock last night. Need to remember to put one side higher than the other. New stove was great. Water filter was awesome - need to keep it clean.

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.

Swain again

Today I got an 8-hour pass for only $36. Started skiing at 2:30 and stayed until 7:45. I even went to the expert side a bit. Very few skiers and very glad I came early. It's so cold I'm leaving before I wanted. Got A LOT of skiing in. Went down a jump and took a small jump. Didn't fall, but must learn to lean into it.

Back to Swain solo

Temp w/ wind chill = -19. Not so fun because the ground was hard. Wore undershirt, sweater, fleece, & jacket. Fingers & toes got cold. Good thing I had goggles! Wore long underpants under my pumori's. Nice combo. Only skied 2.5 hours. Hope to go somewhere this weekend, too.

Skiing Solo at Swain

Chilly today - high of 26, low of 11. Went to Swain for the first time. I wasn't jazzed about it, but had an awesome time. They were making snow AND it was sprinkling snow. Had to but goggles because the man-made stuff hurt my face & kept me from seeing. Skied for about 4 hours. Lots of pee breaks at first - I wanted to stay hydrated because I have to work tomorrow. Only took 1 hour to get here! I was very tired today and almost didn't go. Very friendly atmosphere as well.

Greek Peak - free pass

Went skiing at Greek Peak in Cortland, NY. I had a free pass I won from an online contest. Man I was tired when I was done. Seemed like I was always turning left so my R leg was exhausted when the day ended. It was warm out and most of the snow was fake, but it was SKIING!!!

Takeaways:

• Bring quarters for the lockers
• Drink water
• Bring food
• Thin sock liners were a must
• Goggles would be a good purchase. Not a requirement, but it would have helped me have a better time next time.

Road trip: NJ Lax, Wilkes-Barre, Binghamton, Corning, Drill, Rome, back to MA

At Annie's in Corning, NY. She flew into Bedford, MA on Friday using the Corning shuttle (5/25/01). She slept at the apartment and I ended up getting out of work early because Janet & Julie left early. We drove to NJ Friday night and stayed at a Holiday Inn near Voorhees State Park because it was late (11pm) and raining. On Saturday we met up w/ Kurt and want to Rutgers to see SU vs Notre Dame and also a bit of Princeton vs Towson. It rained the whole game. Definitely needed REAL wet-weather gear for Annie. Plus need padding for the seats. We stayed @ a Super 8 in Raritan, NJ because it was still raining. Saturday we visited Aunt Judy & Uncle Eb and met up w/ Katie & Mark for breakfast. Then we went to Harold's which is right near Uncle Eb's. Then we went to Mark & Katie's and stayed there for the night. That was awesome, but we got ticks on us just from walking outside. Katie made some GREAT dinner from a cookbook by HP Books called Mediterranean Cooking. On Monday we drove to Rutgers to see SU lose in OT to Princeton. Then drove to Wilkes-Barre to have dinner w/ Ann's Aunt Cathy, then went to Binghamton to stay w/ the Dibble's. Then in Corning the last two nights.

Annie got really mad when we stopped at a mall because she wanted to look for a CD that I had already bought for her birthday, but hadn't yet given her. That was in NJ after Harolds. I knew she was looking for the CD I got her & told her Kurt was waiting for us & we didn't have the time. She was mad and thought I was saying Kurts feeling were more important than hers. But once I pulled out the CD from under the seat, she understood. Not happy, but she understood :-)

Tuesday night in Corning we slept outside in the tent which was cool. We also had dinner at the Outback with the Wexell's and Mary. Dale sure reminds me of Gumps in some ways. On Thursday I stayed & packed up while Annie went to work. We got together for lunch with a bunch of people from her work. Then I went to Snelling and got onto their system. Then I had NYARNG drill Thursday - Sunday. I did so much lifting that I overexerted. I had a bad headache all the next day. The poncho set-up I had was great!! I have to get 2 of my own ponchos & bungy cords. Sunday I stopped to see Mom for a couple hours. She made me cookies! I had to stop on the drive home and take a nap. I was still really tired and shouldn't have driven, but I made it back safely.

Skiing

Went to Toggenburg with Kurt last Saturday. Went to Wachusett last Wednesday. I love skiing! I bought my own skis after Christmas. I've been to Woods Valley a couple times and TBurg again w/ Rich. I think I've picked it up pretty quickly due to my learning to ice skate.

Wachusett was big & cold. They didn't have any new snow and there was a lot of ice. It was good to ski, but not much fun.

TBurg was a blast! I love cutting through the trees and stuff. Kurts legs started cramping and we left after 2.5 hours. It was a little icy, but not bad. I think I may like skiing more than climbing - probably because I can do it by myself, but there are also more people to do it with.

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.

Climbing w/ National Guard folks

Supposed to meet Lingo, Sgt Luciano, and Kazmirski at Moss Island for climbing. I've been here since 9:45 and still no sign of them.

They showed up at 10:55. I was going to leave at 11 so they just made it. It was Lingo, Luciano, Kaz, and Kaz's girlfriend, Megan. We did Jeff Loves Eileen, Goat Crack, and Tumbleweed. Much fun.

Blue Mountain

Hiked Blue Mountain w/ Eric & Lisa. Took 70 minutes on the way up, only 40 minutes to get down. Went the wrong way driving. Remember to take route 30 or 28N! Don't just stay on 28!
Wish C were here.

Black Mountain

Friday - Saturday (5/28-29) Colleen & I went hiking up Black Mountain. Next time, just take the Thruway unless going for the scenery! Took around 4 hours to drive and my brakes go so hot I had to pull over and let them cool before continuing. Nice shopping outlet in Queensbury. Colleen was a blast as usual. Heard some large animals in the night. Next time, be prepared. Bugs weren't bad at all.

Hiking, Climbing, Blue Mountain

Went hiking w/ Colleen on Sunday.

Saturday I went climbing w/ Paul Becker & Jen Friedberg. They went up Jeff Loves Eileen and the route to the left. Didn't get to the top of JLE. Then I did Seduction Crack. I was ONE move from the top, but it was all arm and I was wasted. Still had a good time.

Sunday, hiked Blue Mountain w/ Colleen. Two miles straight up. Beautiful view and quite a workout. Took 1.5 hours up, only 30 minutes to go down!

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.