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.

(6.1 miles) Solo Hike on Crystal Hills Trail - 6 wet & soggy miles

Wore my Salomon boots and due to recent rain and tall grass, feet were soaked as soon as I started. Didn't get any better, and I had to wade through a river near the turn around point so feet were even more wet on the way back. I used the SMD Flight 30 as a bit of a test run and it was comfortable with about 10 pounds in it. Hated going solo, but glad to get outside.

Coronavirus

Outbreak you may recall - within 1 month it killed over 2K people. Not sure how it will affect the USA. Our family bought some extra food, medicine, and water just in case the country gets shut down. The stock market is taking a nose dive and now I'm personally worried about retirement in another 10 years! Will we have enough???

This first set is from Feb 27, 2020.

Then, around mid-March, we in NY received a "stay-at-home" order and all the schools & non-essential businesses were ordered to close. Here are some other images from April 2.

It's stunning how nonchalant President Trump was at the start and how starkly different things are now. The current "hope" in the US is that the infection apex will be mid-April and then things will slow down & eventually stop. But no one knows yet if this is seasonal like the flu, or if it will stay vibrant all year round.

It's been nice being home with you kids more, but I do have about 10 - 100 time the stress that I used to. We are worried about our jobs, your grandparents, our health, retirement savings, provisions for living at home, etc... Before all this, the only thing I worried about on a daily basis was whether or not my boss would notice I wasn't that busy. That and what was I going to prepare for everyone to eat for dinner.