Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Lessons Learned on an Overnighter

First Overnighter - January 15, 2011




In my life I have taken up numerous hobbies. Bowling, pottery, scrapbooking, photography, painting, gardening , etc. One thing common to all of my hobbies is the learning curve. I can read all the magazines and books on a hobby and think that I know what to do, but what it boils down to is practice and getting out there and doing it. So on our first overnight hike in January we had read all the books and had a lot of new gear to try and a big learning curve to climb
Our JetBoil stove worked wonderfully. It was able to boil water within 2 minutes which came in very handy for that morning cup of coffee. Speaking of coffee, we used the new Starbucks Vie packets of instant coffee which were delicious. Dirt Track and Nibbles tried the Tasters Choice brand and were less than thrilled. While the Starbucks is significantly more expensive, it is an expense I will pay for a good morning cup of joe! For our food on this trip we bought the freeze dried variety of backpacking food. Mountain House was the brand we used. We had macaroni and cheese which was very yummy and creamy. Dirt Track and Nibbles had Beef Stroganoff which was super yummy, and Chili Mac which was also good. In the morning Dirt Track and Nibbles had scrambled eggs and bacon which was just okay in my opinion - it was a bit too bacony (if there is such a thing). But the biggest suprise was the freeze dried ice cream. It was a bar of neopolatin and the consistency was like the marshmallows in Lucky Charms cereal. You would break a piece off and put it in your mouth were it would dissolve into a creamy bit of flavor that was really good. It really did taste like ice cream without the coldness which considering it was about 40 degrees outside was okay with us.

The biggest lesson learned on this hike though was about sleeping bags. When we were shopping for our sleeping bags we were very concerned about weight since we have to carry all of our gear and every ounce counts when it is on your back! David chose a 20 degree sleeping bag since he is cold natured and was willing to carry a little extra weight for more warmth. I on the otherhand am hot natured so I chose a 40 degree sleeping bag which weighed less. I thought that since I am hot natured and will be wearing warm clothing while in the sleeping bag that a 40 degree sleeping bag would surely be warm enough. WRONG!!

The temperature on this trip dipped into the low 20's that night. When I first got in my bag I was all nice and toasty having just left the warmth of the campfire. About two hours later I awoke freezing! I took my jacket and laid it over my feet. Put my gloves and hat on and tried to snuggle deeper into the bag. An hour later my teeth were chattering and I was certain frostbite was setting in on my toes. I put on another pair of socks, another shirt and pants. Still freezing! We took David's jacket and zipped it up and then I put my legs into the arms so it would cover my feet the put the whole thing into the sleeping bag. Eventually I warmed enough to fall into a fitful sleep. Now while all this is going on David is in his 20 degree bag NAKED because he is so hot! But in his defense he offered to let me have his sleeping bag numerous times that night and at one point about 4 in the morning he actually ORDERED me to take his bag. I refused all his offerings and orders (I am not a good military person). He chose wisely when he bought his bag and I chose poorly, I did not think it was fair to ask him to be cold because of my poor choice. Personal responsibility and accountability applies on the trail just like it should in real life! But I love that he was willing to make that sacrifice for me!

As soon as daylight broke David covered me with his bag and went out to make a fire. I was so happy for that night to be over and to have survived the experience. Once I warmed up enough I took my socks off to check my toes for frostbite. They weren't black so I dodged that bullet. I can honestly say that I have never been that cold in my entire life nor do I ever want to do that again. I will be buying a new sleeping bag before the next overnighter and it will be a 20 degree bag. The lesson learned is that warmth is worth a few extra ounces of weight!

All in all the first overnight trip was a huge success. David was disappointed that he didn't get to try out his technique for pooping in the woods. I was thrilled to discover a discreetly placed Port-a-potty in the woods so we didn't have to poop in the woods.

The hike was beautiful.

The companionship of good friends was comforting.

The coyotes didn't eat us which is always a plus!



















Happy Hiking!