Day 64, 65, 66: A Zero, A Nero, and Another Zero in Pearisburg

It was really amazing to see AWE for the first time in two months. I have missed her so much. 

But still, there was work to do. I needed to work out my shoe issues (the Salomon's have continued to bruise underneath my ankles, and they don't have hardly any grip on the sole), so we went to the outfitter in Blacksburg. The outfitter in Johnson City told OWL that all Salomon shoes have a 30 day no questions asked return policy...unfortunately we found out that is only true if you purchase the shoes online through salomon.com. Bummer. The local outfitter was nice, but they didn't have any non-waterproof boots or trail runners. So we decided to go to the nearest REI, a 2.5 hr drive to Charlotte, NC.

It was weird to ride in a car for a long period of time, covering a third of the distance we have travelled so far in a matter of hours. The shoe guy at REI was pretty nice and lI think OWL & I both tried on every pair of non-waterproof mid-boots and trail runners in the store! Finally I settled on a pair of mid length (above the ankle) Keen boots that felt pretty good. OWL bought a new pair of the Salomon trail runners she was originally using. I also got a pair of thin "travel" pants - I don't want to wear shorts during the summer (ticks!) but my current pants are thick (read: heavy) and are literally falling off because I have lost so much weight. (AWE also brought a pair of 'too small' thin rollup pants I had at home, but they also fell off me). Not sure how the thin pants will hold up over rock scrambles, but not too worried about it either. I have needle and floss and bandana...I can make it work.

After spending far too much time in REI, we went to Mellow Mushroom to eat dinner. What a nice treat! Then drove back to Blacksburg for the night.

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The next day, we hiked the 5 miles from Trent's Grocery to Lickskillet Hollow (the section we missed during our slackpack from Woods Hole). It was so much fun to hike with Emily! Even in the rain! OWL & AT dropped us off at Trent's Grocery, and AWE and I started hiking SOBO. Then OWL & AT then drove to Lickskillet, parked the car, and hiked NOBO. When we met, they handed us the keys. (How smart are we?) OWL & I both had on our full packs (to test out our new shoes), and AWE & AT had daypacks loaded with fruit & snacks for other hikers. But we didn't see  a single hiker on the trail! I have been trying to figure out how AWE uses an acorn for a whistle - finally got her to show me exactly. And although I didn't find any wintergreen berries, I did get her to try pine tips (tastes like Christmas!). The new boots feel fine - I'm wondering if maybe I should have got a half size larger - but too late for that now. As AWE's father says, "it will either work or it won't, guaranteed!"

We also went by the post office, where I had a care package waiting from Post! (Post is the SUPER NICE section hiker I met in the Smokies, hiking with her father). It was so nice to get her goodies, a letter, and a photo of her & her father on top of Rocky Top! Thanks, Post! I really appreciate it!

  

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The last day of our mini vacation was bittersweet. It was still amazing to be in the same place with AWE, but I still had to do all the "regular" in-town hiking things - sort through the food box, go to the post office to mail the bounce box, update the blog - as well as sort through the things AWE brought from home. (We did manage to eat at a delicious Indian buffet for lunch - my taste buds were dancing!)

It was a tough decision trying to figure out what to send home, and what to keep. A lot of thru hikers send home their winter gear in Pearisburg (or even before), but I am nervous about sending *all* of it home because it is still early May, and it can still get cold (especially at the higher elevations). 

So, I swapped out my 15 degree bag for a 45 degree bag (the stuff size difference between those two bags is amazing - my pack is not stuffed to the gills now). Other things I got from home: two synthetic tshirts; one a 'smartcool' fabric and the other a zippered synthetic. a pair of compression socks, a pair of (smaller) compression shorts, and a lighter sleeping pad. I sent home my extra long sleeve fleece, my worn out sock liners, my wool tshirt, and some extra socks. I am keeping my patagonia capilene baselayer and smartwool longjohns for sleeping, as well as my hat, gloves, & balaclava. I'm keeping my puffy jacket too, because it doubles as my pillow at night. My pack isn't much lighter because I'm still keeping the cold weather clothing, but fitting everything into my pack is much easier now that my gargantuan 15 degree bag isn't taking up half the space in my pack.

I'm a little nervous about tomorrow - we have a 19+ mile day planned (with new boots and 5 days resupply!) - but all I have to do is walk.

 

Boots!

I think I have finally found a pair of boots! Merrell Moab Ventilator Mids. This is very exciting because I was getting a bit nervous that I had tried on all the boots in the world without finding a pair. They are not waterproof, so I am going to have to hike a bunch in January & February to make sure my feet will stay warm in the cold temps. (I think they'll be fine).

I'm wearing blue superfeet insoles for now. Still trying to get them broken in.

I need to start walking more.

ShakeDown Hike: Lessons Learned

I certainly learned a lot about how awful blisters are, and how important footwear is to a successful thru hike. I had a pair of waterproof lightweight hiking boots that I *thought* I really liked, but it turns out my feet sweat too much to be comfortable in waterproof boots. (What keeps water out also keeps water in). I also wore a pair of SuperFeet insoles that may have contributed to my blisters. I also forgot my liner socks (it's the trifecta of blisters).

Overnight trial run

Low is 27 degrees (above zero).

Postscript: It was indeed cold, but I was pretty comfy. Learned a few things:

• I need to wipe off the bottom of my canister before putting it into my pot. Otherwise I get a bunch of dirt in my pot. Or cut a piece of tyvek to be my porch. Or maybe both.
• I can lean my pack against a hiking pole. Kind of.
• I can fit my backpack (the gregory z65) in my tent. Hurray!
• The SteriPEN Adventurer Opti my brother & sister-in-law got me for my birthday is the bomb! Especially now that I have the pre-filter that fits a wide-mouth nalgene; I can submerge the nalgene in water and then treat the non-silty water with the UV lamp. Super easy.
• I need to brush my teeth immediately after eating, *before* getting in my bag. Otherwise I want to just go to sleep/stay warm!
• I don't need my puffy vest.
• I probably don't need half the shit I have in my first aid kit.
• I definitely need to get a handle on my food - I'm packing way too much food and it is weighing my pack down.
• Also I need to trust the water supply - will be easier with a guidebook on the AT to know where reliable water is at. But water is also super heavy - at 2.2 lbs per liter - so if I can carry only what water I need it will make a big difference in pack weight.
• Putting a hot water bottle in my bag before sleeping is the key to success. (And I managed to stay cozy warm the entire night).
• Sleeping in smartwool compression socks is the way to go. 
• My camelbak won't freeze if i wrap it in my jacket and put it between my bag & my sleeping pad. I blew out the water in the hose back into the reservoir, too. (Not sure it was really cold enough to freeze, anyway, but it sure didn't with my precautions!).
• I get claustrophobic in my bag if I cinch the mummy hood up. (Like, waking up in a suffocating panic).  I was a little panicky going to sleep - it was cold, and I had trouble breathing earlier because of the cold - and I had a "what am I doing, I should be at home in bed with E. while I have the chance!" moment. But I tied a bandana over my mouth which helped me breathe warm air. I still woke up panicky - figured out it was the mummy hood - so once I un-cinched the hood I was ok - and still warm. And the bandana ended up above my head, so I didn't really need that, either.
• My super thick sleeping pad (the Big Agnes Insulated Q-Core Sleeping Pad) is AMAZING. Best sleep I have *ever* had while camping. Serious.
• Right now - when it's cold - I want to have a cup of tea and hot oatmeal before getting up. But maybe that will change when it gets to be "less cold". Even with a very leisurely waking process/breakfast/camp breakdown, we were on the trail by 8.

All in all - it was a great trip. I can't wait to go on our 3-night hike next weekend!

I can buy it later...

I'm having to buy a lot of equipment, because I haven't really done any serious cold weather hiking in ages. (Mostly because there isn't any serious cold weather in the deep south). We are planning to start in early March, so I know it will be cold. I don't really like to be cold. But I need to remember, it's not going to be like the cold of my childhood in the frozen badlands of eastern Montana. It's going to be cold, but if it is *too* cold we can always get off the trail for a night or two. I don't need to prepare for 40 below temps.

I ended up buying the Mountain Hardwear Ultralamina 15 degree bag, which is a synthetic bag. I don't want to be cold, but I especially don't want to be wet AND cold. (Down bags lose their insulating properties when they get wet). I have a silk liner I'll use inside the bag, which should add another 5-10 degrees of comfort. I also purchased the MSR Hubba Tent, which is a 3lb 4oz single man tent. It got a lot of great reviews, and I like it because I can sit up in it without bumping the top of my head. It's a little tighter than I'm used to (2 man tents have plenty of room for 1 person!) - but I'll get used to it. I set it up in the living room - laid in it for a while - this shit's getting real, yo. Discovered that Emo the Cat will not make a good hiking companion - he was far more concerned about the tent taking up his sunbeam space than he was in doing any exploration.

I got a lot of stuff from backcountry during their 50% off sale items - couple different jackets to try out, variations on long underwear, socks, etc. I found a synthetic insulating jacket I really liked, and some smartwool midweight bottoms that are super comfortable. I'm trying to buy things on sale, and not buy shiny things just because I can (I have a 10 year old MSR stove & a titanium pot + lid + holder that is super light). That 1k max I was planning to spend is basically blown with the tent + bag + shoes + backpack. So if there is something I already have, I'm going to try to use it. If it breaks, or if it's not working as it should be, I can replace it on the trail.

I did score a nice under armour sleeveless tshirt for $2 at the thrift store this weekend. I tried to find a funny trucker hat to wear but couldn't find one that fit. Maybe next weekend.

E. and I have been going for walks on the weekend at various state parks in the area. Last weekend I just wore a daypack, and yesterday I wore my old pack - "squeaky" - loaded with 25 lbs. Not bad. Next weekend I'm going to rent a pack from an outdoor store, load it up with all my stuff, and go for another walk. I really like being outdoors, so I'm having a lot of fun. I'm not really sure how to prepare for the mental aspects of being on the trail - being away from E. will be the hardest part of it, I think, and I know I'll go through my own "Appalachian Trials". Just gotta be ready to face them.

gear choices

So, backcountry.com is having a closeout sale this week, where all their sale items are 50% off. This is mostly last year's gear, but I am totally fine with last year's gear for 50% off! It's a little hard to order things over the internet, since sizing is so weird for hiking gear, but backcountry has a great return policy so hopefully some things will work out.

Even though I am hiking with RD, we are going to pack separate tents. RD says this is because if one of us gets hurt, the other one can go on without having to lug a 2 person tent. I say this is because otherwise we will drive each other crazy (RD is nicer than I am). I've looked at a bunch of reviews online, and think I'm going with the MSR Hubba SP tent. It's light, it's relatively affordable, and it has bunches of room. Still, I'm going to sit in one before I order it.

I have no idea what kind of sleeping bag to get. I need to purchase one, since I only have 40+ degree bags (one of the perks of living in the deep south is you never have to worry about a winter bag). I think a light 20 degree bag will be fine, because I have a silk liner that should give another 5-10 degrees of comfort. I want a synthetic bag so I don't have to worry about it getting wet (down loses it's insulation when it gets wet) - and so I can dry out gear in the bottom of the bag while I sleep. Other than that, I don't know. Hopefully I will be able to get to an REI store and try some out soon.

I'm trying to decide if I need a new pack or not. I've only ever had one hiking pack, and I like the basic layout of it. But I'm wondering if I should try on some other packs, to see if there is something that will make these 2000+ miles a little more comfortable.

I also need to get some rain gear and cold weather clothes. I'll be trying to find good deals on synthetics, and just hope I get something I can work with that I don't have to pay full price for. Other things I'm looking at: hiking poles, trail shoes vs. boots, steripen vs. chemical drops. I'm hoping to spend $1k max on gear (including tent/bag/pack/boots/etc).

There's other stuff to think about, too. Should Em move in with RD's partner while we're gone? She'd be living rent-free, but then when I get finished I'll have to come back to apartment hunting (and, the cats will be totally unhappy about moving). Should I get a SPOT device to check in every night? (And, upon looking at reviews, are there other devices that are better?) Should we switch to Verizon so the cell coverage will be better, and if so, what phone should I get? Should I rely on the smartphone for music and books? How much audio should I allow myself every day? Do I want to try out a hammock instead of a tent? What will we eat? Should I "live blog" - posting public updates when I can, or should I post to a private blog or facebook group?

There are so many questions - and while I'm figuring it all out life continues. Work is still stressful (maybe even more so, since I have a finite end date in mind and an infinite list of projects). I have little moments of panic - am I really doing this? - but far more moments of excitement - I'm really doing this!