Double Back Again...

Last weekend I did this hike in my Trail Runners. Today I went in my Salomon boots. My knees seemed more sensitive to the downhill today, but I also did a hard bike ride yesterday and also mowed the lawn last night. So it's unclear if the boots helped, hindered, or had no effect. Wearing the boots makes one feel more protected, but because of that I paid less attention to the trail and I think my steps were bigger. I don't think the trail runners nor the boots had insoles aside from the factory provided so that may be the next evaluation step. Might be able to go again on Sunday.

Finally Out Again

Testing some things this weekend. Went to lean-to via Moss Hill Road on Saturday with:

• La Sportiva sneakers & thin knee-length compression socks
• ZPacks gaiters
• SMD Flight 30 UL
• Hummingbird Hammocks Single+, tree straps, & Martin bugnet
• EE Apex Enigma
• Kammok UL Weather Shelter
• Didn't bring towel, trekking poles, handkerchief, or pack hangar

Footwear was fine. Path was pretty gradual and they got a little muddy - definitely NOT waterproof! The gaiters stayed up the whole time which was a nice surprise. The pack was fine, but I've mentally decided to move on from my UL pack and get a Gregory which will only be another 5-8 ounces and will be more comfortable; it also won't sit on my back and soak up all my sweat! 

The hammock setup was great! It rained a little (sprinkles on & off) so I used my Sea-to-Summit poncho over me & the pack. Then when I got to lean-to I pretended it was pouring and tried to setup tarp & hammock while still in poncho with pack on my stomach. Nice test all around. The tarp was big enough for the hammok, though not a lot of extra room. Setup was narrow since I forgot my pole. Used the poncho as a ground cloth for my pack & footwear while I napped for 45 minutes. All-in-all, a solid test and a great day. Few, if any, bugs.

Sunday

• La Sportiva sneakers & padded ankle-length Darn-Tough socks
• ZPacks gaiters
• SMD Minimalist
• Hummingbird Hammocks Single+, tree straps, & Martin bugnet
• This time I remembered trekking poles and pack hangar (see pic below)

Went in from Bailey road this time. Much shorter, and much STEEPER which was a good workout for the legs. Really felt stronger as a result of this hike - less knee pain. Can't believe how much quicker it was going back to car vs the walk in - or at least it seemed that way. No nap today, but did set up the hammock again and added a ridgeline to keep bugnet out of my face. Pack hangar worked, but I think it should be thicker cord, and no so long - best idea is to get cord that can also be used to field-repair Zpack gaiters also, and used as bear-bag hang. The Minimalist bag was fine, but still not as comfortable as the Gregory packs I've had in the past. AND I HATE THE ROLL_TOP closure. Waste of time & space I think, but maybe that's just due to my current approach. I've listed the Flight and my Fusion packs on FB, but I'll keep the minimalist as an alternative in the future.

The point of hiking in again Sunday was to replenish the outhouse supplies - completely empty I noticed on Saturday. Added 1 roll TP, 1 package wipes, 1 hand sanitizer, and some feminine hygiene stuff to the tupperware container. It wouldn't hold the 2nd roll of TP that I brought so I just double-bagged that in hopes it would survive until needed. Maybe I'll check again this weekend.

Gear eval: 

• La Sportiva were fine, though not as comfy as when I first tried them on and my toes were a bit sore on Sunday from the down hill. Should try downhill again with thin socks to see if that changes things. But on Saturday, felt like my feet slipped around way too much with the thin socks.
• ZPacks Gaiters - AWESOME. Even on Sunday, with ankle socks, they stayed above the calf the entire time.
• HH Single+ - continues to be comfortable and I had a decent nap in it with just an UL inflatable pillow.
• EE Apex Enigma blue / gold - perfect for the weather on Saturday which was cloudy & spots of rain.
• Backpacks - I don't like how little structure the UL / frameless packs have. It doesn't stand up when it's on a flat surface. It's harder to pack because it flops around so much. I hate how it's right on my back which soaks up my sweat and makes me hotter, faster. And the roll-top is only useful when you've got a bunch of food that you are working through over several days - it's not like the gear itself gets smaller. 

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.

 

(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.

 

(3.58) Family Hike

This was a fun impromptu afternoon. Brian was in a mood until he got something to eat and a lot to drink. Brenda was a good sport the whole way. Annie and I had good workouts. One really amazing thing happened, Brennan spotted a porcupine halfway up a tree. I didn't even know they climbed trees! The lean-to was occupied when we got there so we couldn't hang out that much, but it was just a day hike anyway. A good experience for all. Allison was at dance camp so we'll have to go a different time with her.

(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.

(6.26 miles) Day Hike with Aaron & Mary

Due to some time constraints, changed the original plan and since we had two cars, we started above the lean-to, and walked down to Wixon road. That section from the lean-to to Wixon road as much harder than it looks due to all the walking at a slant. My ankles hurt a little, but it was only 6 mi. Generally, not much to see due to all the foliage, but it was good company and a good test.