Thru-hiking is perhaps the perfect test for backpacking gear. Our stuff had to go through months of constant use, a wide range of temperatures, and crazy weather. Here is what we thought about our kit.
Convertible pants: sucked. It's just too hot and restricting to hike fast or uphill for very long in pants.
Shorty running shorts + windpants. Rocked! Shorts better for hiking, windpants give more flexability than convert pants for less weight.
2 person bivy + shared sleeping bag. Rocked! 2.5 lbs for our sleeping system is sooo light. We were really only cold 1 night out of 100 slept out and we got to snuggle. One tweak that is needed is that on cold humid nights we would get condensation inside the bivy.
Poncho tarps. Rocked, but needs tweaking. We used the ponchos maybe 15 times in 4 months making the low weight of the ponchos incredibly useful. The ponchos were great for wearing in in the warm rain, but needed a rain jacket for really cold or windy rain conditions. Our shelter needs some tweaking to prevent rain and wind from dominating it. However, I will likely play around with fixing these shortcomings although a cuben fiber tarp + driducks may be a good choice as well.
Foam pads. Sucked. Pads are fail proof but had troubles sleeping some nights because my hip would dig into the hard ground. Plus, our foam pads were not warm enough when temps were around freezing.
Nylon long sleeve button down shirts. Rocked. Bugs could not bite through, great sun protection, dried quickly, durable, and easy to vent by unbuttoning. We will never wear another type of shirt again! However, I think I will get plaid or some other pattern that hides the dirt more effectively.
Fleece. Rocked! We had abandoned fleece for other garments such as down and synthetic puffies long ago but ended up trading in our "premium" garments for for fleeces for several reasons. 1) They were warm enough, even for days around freezing. 2) They dried very quickly and insulated well when damp. 3) Cheap, we got ours for $3 at a thrift store. 4) Durable. 5) Light, ~7 oz.
Windshirts. Rocked. Super light, blocks wind from going through fleece, dries almost instantly, hood traps heat.
Dri-ducks rain jacket. Rocked. Cheap ($25), light, patchable with duct tape, and very waterproof.
Baseball style cap + homemade neck cape. Rocked. We will never wear floppy, wide-brim hats again. The neck cape could be worn at night and during the day for warmth. System protects face and next from the sun better than wide brim hat. Hat could be worn with head lamp and in town without looking as dorky. Hat also less likely to fly off during strong winds. Hat could be worn with hooded garments while hiking.
Aquafina bottle. Rocked. Incredibly durable. Used the same bottle for 4 months. Who needs a heavy Nalgene!
Platapus 2 L. Rocked. Great as a pillow, light, Dangit's only bottle.
Aquamira. Rocked. Tastes like water, quick, easy, can't really break or freeze, prevents mold in water bottles even after making sugar laden drinks.
Shorty running gaiters. Rocked. Never had to empty rocks out of shoes. Nuff said.
Trekking poles. Rocked. Even I think they are not needed for in-shape folks (as Dangit proves), they are incredibly useful for taking strain off of injuries as fitness is gained. Also convenient for setting up the shelter. I still love fixed length poles, though sometimes it felt silly walking around with them in town. Uber expensive poles not needed; cheap nordic ski poles worked awesome!
No watches. Rocked. We woke with the sun and went to bed at dark. Hiked all day using the sun to approximate the time. The freedom from time is amazing!
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Chillin' in Ashland
We spent the next few days hitting up thrift stores, brewery, park and grocery stores. Our first stop was Goodwill so we could get us some clean clothes. Then, while doing some laundry, Dangit decided she needed to get herself a haircut-- it's been 2 months. We found ourselves a laundromat... but, to our dismay, all laundry detergent was sold out. We need to clean our clothes! We stink. There was a girl doing her laundry so Dangit decided to ask if we could use some of her detergent. Turns out, the girl recognized Dangit from Moscow, Idaho! She used to work at the Co-Op there! Such a small world! While Ferd took care of the laundry, Dangit went to a parlor around the corner and got her hair did. :) The lady who cut her hair (Willette) offered us a backyard to sleep in if we couldn't find any other place. That evening we walked downtown to Caldera Brewing and waited for Willette to come pick us up! We met her daughter, ate some dinner and went to bed.
The next two days were spent thrifting some more (we have an addiction!) and enjoying walking through Lithia Park-- a super awesome park that stretches from downtown Ashland to the mountains.
Our second to last night, we went to the movie theater and then stayed at a hotel for a night to ourselves watching shows about tornadoes. Then, we made our way the following day to Caldera Brewing before catching a bus to the airport in Medford, Oregon. We were taking the last bus from Ashland to Medford so that we could get to the airport as late as possible so we wouldn't have tons of people around when we set up "camp". The plans were jumbled a bit when, about 2/3 of the way to Medford, Dangit couldn't wait any longer to use a restroom (aka a bush) to relieve herself! We got off the bus just as we crossed into Medford and quickly found ourselves a bush... doesn't get much classier than that. We check the gps and we were just 5 miles from the airport... so... we started walking. Five miles? No problem. Turned out to be an amazing idea; we saw probably 5,000 birds fly from one telephone line to the next. So cool! Plus, Walmart was on the way and so we grabbed some snacks. A food co-op was also on the way.... so we stopped there too. Then, we saw a Thai restaurant and had our favorite, curry. Turned out that getting off the bus a little earlier was far more fun than we expected! We found the best spot to set up camp inside the airport at around 11:30pm, stuck some earplugs in and fell asleep.
Even with earplugs in, we could hear the people start to gather in the morning around 5:30am. How did we remedy the situation? We just shoved those earplugs in a little further and fell back asleep. Walking on the tarmac around 1pm made it feel official-- we are finished with our 2014 PCT excursion... what a wonderful adventure!
The next two days were spent thrifting some more (we have an addiction!) and enjoying walking through Lithia Park-- a super awesome park that stretches from downtown Ashland to the mountains.
Our second to last night, we went to the movie theater and then stayed at a hotel for a night to ourselves watching shows about tornadoes. Then, we made our way the following day to Caldera Brewing before catching a bus to the airport in Medford, Oregon. We were taking the last bus from Ashland to Medford so that we could get to the airport as late as possible so we wouldn't have tons of people around when we set up "camp". The plans were jumbled a bit when, about 2/3 of the way to Medford, Dangit couldn't wait any longer to use a restroom (aka a bush) to relieve herself! We got off the bus just as we crossed into Medford and quickly found ourselves a bush... doesn't get much classier than that. We check the gps and we were just 5 miles from the airport... so... we started walking. Five miles? No problem. Turned out to be an amazing idea; we saw probably 5,000 birds fly from one telephone line to the next. So cool! Plus, Walmart was on the way and so we grabbed some snacks. A food co-op was also on the way.... so we stopped there too. Then, we saw a Thai restaurant and had our favorite, curry. Turned out that getting off the bus a little earlier was far more fun than we expected! We found the best spot to set up camp inside the airport at around 11:30pm, stuck some earplugs in and fell asleep.
Even with earplugs in, we could hear the people start to gather in the morning around 5:30am. How did we remedy the situation? We just shoved those earplugs in a little further and fell back asleep. Walking on the tarmac around 1pm made it feel official-- we are finished with our 2014 PCT excursion... what a wonderful adventure!
 |
| Celebrating at Caldera |
 |
| Birds! |
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Green Springs Inn to the Border!!!!!!!!
 |
 |
First day of hunting season... yikes!    |
 |
| Woah... we are gone hiking |
In the morning we caught an easy hitch into downtown Ashland from some confused looking people looking for the PCT trailhead near Callahan's. Turns out the driver was planning to thru-hike the PCT this year but had some trip-ending problems with his MCL (it's a thing in yer knee).
We'll be hanging out in Ashland until our flight from Medford to San Antonio on 10/10.
Mazama Village to Green Springs Inn
We headed out of Mazama Village around 1pm and headed back towards the trail. Or did we?... Turns out our quick glance at the map was not adequate and we were walking in the wrong direction. However, we soon recognized our error and only walked about a half mile in the wrong direction. Oops, I guess we probably won't make 15 miles today as planned. According to the forecast for today there was a 40% chance of rain, but the sun was warm on our skin and only a few clouds dotted the bright blue sky. Perhaps we will finally have a beautiful day? Nope. Just before dark it started to sprinkle. Not wanting to get wet we threw on the ponchos and rain jackets and searched for a spot to sleep. This can take a while given our strict requirements for a camping spot in cold rainy conditions: lowish elevation, away from water, flat, under trees, slightly rounded (to avoid rain flooding in), and big enough to pitch the tarp. Luckily, the rain had pretty much stopped by the time we had found a perfect spot. We crawled under the tarp to eat our dinner of cheese, crackers, and oreos. The rain came in waves throughout the night, but we slept safe and sound in our silnylon home.
The next morning we woke to a cold but cloudless blue sky!!! As the sun was rising we climbed up about 500 to 1000 ft where we found frost and ice on the trees. Glad we camped where we did. Sadly, the sun did not last long and it soon was overcast and freezing cold. So cold that for the first time we walked the rest of the day in almost all of our gear to stay warm. Problem was the rain from the previous night still hung heavy on the bushes and trees instantly soaking your clothing if you bumped into them. As it got close to dusk, we could tell that it was going to be a really chilly night. However, we were able set up a tarp in a great spot under the shelter of some hemlock trees. Ferd found some dead tree branches laying on the ground nearby that we sort of closed in the two open ends of the tarp hoping to trap some extra warmth by sheltering us from the wind. Still, the night was long and cold. We found that it was hard to sleep in cold conditions because you will at first get so hot from wearing all your clothes that you sweat, but wake up freezing as the sweat evaporates. It is a constant struggle.
Morning! We made it! The next day we woke to frost on the surrounding ground and bushes. Much of the rain had turned to little ice drops. Slowly but surely the sun climbed over the horizon and warmed up the our little world on the trail. Unlike yesterday the clear day continued and we had lunch in the hot sun! Sadly, our first water source of the day was dry. I guess it will be a long day without water. At least there will be water tonight near Brown Mountain Shelter. We were ecstatic to find out that we could stay in Brown Mtn. Shelter, a cool little hut heated with a large wood stove. Awesome! But our hearts soon sank as we realized that the well was dry due to drought. No water tonight either :( In a desperate attempt to wet our whistles we boiled, then filtered some moldy pink liquid (picture Pink Panther piss) that we found in a water bottle in the shelter. Still tasted sweet... must be artificial sweetener. I woudn't say the mystery liquid was good but we felt better having a bit of water to wash down our Snickers and salty snack food. That night we used improvised candles to read a bit of a copy of Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban that was left in the shelter before bed. Once during the night it got a bit cold so we stoked up the fire and went back to bed.
In the morning we set off to hike the 8 long miles to Big Spring to get some much needed water. However, we only made it about 2 miles to a highway where we found 2 gal kitty litter containers full of water! Next to the jugs was a note that informed us that Big Springs was also dry. Wow... it's kind of scary hiking when you cant't depend on water sources. Although we were SO grateful, our precious water it had a notable kitty litter flavor. Yuck. For lunch we got water from a nasty looking creek and made a fire to boil water (still no stove fuel) for our luxurious ramen feast. After lunch we trekked to our last water source before Green Springs Inn, which was a small facet next to a horse corral. As we feared, but still couldn't believe, turning on the facet yielded nothing but a hiss of air. No water for us. Pretty pissed about the lack of water on the trail we decided to take a chance and road walk the 3 miles to Hwy 66 where we could walk or hitch to Green Springs Inn. After just a few minutes of walking a nice couple picked us up and we drove down to the highway. To our delight and surprise, Green Springs Inn was right at the intersection!!! We had an incredibly delicious dinner, hot chocolate, the works. Dangit was able to talk the nice people at the inn into giving us a deal on a room too. We were pleasantly surprised to find that we had been given an awesome room with a jacuzzi tub, down comforter, and a DVD player! We relaxed in our palace, watched two movies while grazing on some snacks from our deluxe care package from Ferd's parents. How spoiled are we!
In the morning we packed up, checked out, and had an fantastic breakfast at the inn including perhaps the most divine bacon we've ever eaten. With full bellies we caught a quick hitch from a local (Nicholas) to Ashland to buy stove fuel and some food to supplement our care package. We also scored some cheap pumpkin orange running shorts to replace Dangits tattered purple ones at a Goodwill nearby.
The next morning we woke to a cold but cloudless blue sky!!! As the sun was rising we climbed up about 500 to 1000 ft where we found frost and ice on the trees. Glad we camped where we did. Sadly, the sun did not last long and it soon was overcast and freezing cold. So cold that for the first time we walked the rest of the day in almost all of our gear to stay warm. Problem was the rain from the previous night still hung heavy on the bushes and trees instantly soaking your clothing if you bumped into them. As it got close to dusk, we could tell that it was going to be a really chilly night. However, we were able set up a tarp in a great spot under the shelter of some hemlock trees. Ferd found some dead tree branches laying on the ground nearby that we sort of closed in the two open ends of the tarp hoping to trap some extra warmth by sheltering us from the wind. Still, the night was long and cold. We found that it was hard to sleep in cold conditions because you will at first get so hot from wearing all your clothes that you sweat, but wake up freezing as the sweat evaporates. It is a constant struggle.
Morning! We made it! The next day we woke to frost on the surrounding ground and bushes. Much of the rain had turned to little ice drops. Slowly but surely the sun climbed over the horizon and warmed up the our little world on the trail. Unlike yesterday the clear day continued and we had lunch in the hot sun! Sadly, our first water source of the day was dry. I guess it will be a long day without water. At least there will be water tonight near Brown Mountain Shelter. We were ecstatic to find out that we could stay in Brown Mtn. Shelter, a cool little hut heated with a large wood stove. Awesome! But our hearts soon sank as we realized that the well was dry due to drought. No water tonight either :( In a desperate attempt to wet our whistles we boiled, then filtered some moldy pink liquid (picture Pink Panther piss) that we found in a water bottle in the shelter. Still tasted sweet... must be artificial sweetener. I woudn't say the mystery liquid was good but we felt better having a bit of water to wash down our Snickers and salty snack food. That night we used improvised candles to read a bit of a copy of Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban that was left in the shelter before bed. Once during the night it got a bit cold so we stoked up the fire and went back to bed.
 |
| Some "berries" we were eating |
 |
| So thirsty! |
In the morning we set off to hike the 8 long miles to Big Spring to get some much needed water. However, we only made it about 2 miles to a highway where we found 2 gal kitty litter containers full of water! Next to the jugs was a note that informed us that Big Springs was also dry. Wow... it's kind of scary hiking when you cant't depend on water sources. Although we were SO grateful, our precious water it had a notable kitty litter flavor. Yuck. For lunch we got water from a nasty looking creek and made a fire to boil water (still no stove fuel) for our luxurious ramen feast. After lunch we trekked to our last water source before Green Springs Inn, which was a small facet next to a horse corral. As we feared, but still couldn't believe, turning on the facet yielded nothing but a hiss of air. No water for us. Pretty pissed about the lack of water on the trail we decided to take a chance and road walk the 3 miles to Hwy 66 where we could walk or hitch to Green Springs Inn. After just a few minutes of walking a nice couple picked us up and we drove down to the highway. To our delight and surprise, Green Springs Inn was right at the intersection!!! We had an incredibly delicious dinner, hot chocolate, the works. Dangit was able to talk the nice people at the inn into giving us a deal on a room too. We were pleasantly surprised to find that we had been given an awesome room with a jacuzzi tub, down comforter, and a DVD player! We relaxed in our palace, watched two movies while grazing on some snacks from our deluxe care package from Ferd's parents. How spoiled are we!
 |
| Our water source in kitty litter containers... |
 |
| No stove fuel means cooking the old fashioned way |
 |
| Wise words |
In the morning we packed up, checked out, and had an fantastic breakfast at the inn including perhaps the most divine bacon we've ever eaten. With full bellies we caught a quick hitch from a local (Nicholas) to Ashland to buy stove fuel and some food to supplement our care package. We also scored some cheap pumpkin orange running shorts to replace Dangits tattered purple ones at a Goodwill nearby.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Shelter Cove to Mazama Village
We slept in a bit since we had an awesome cabin! Then we resupplied from the outrageously overpriced store, did some laundry and waited out the rain. After 2pm the rain started to subside so we made our way back to the trail. 12 miles or so in and we decided to make camp-- the ground is super cold and wet.
We were up and out of camp the next morning by 7:30am and then stopped to dry our things in the sun. It's still a bit cold. The Oregon tread is pretty amazing so we have that going for us. :) We've been wearing most of our clothes while hiking because it's so chilly out.
We left Mill Creek Junction at almost 9am the next morning! This is super late for us. In 5 miles we hit the highest PCT point of Oregon and Washington-- it's nothing to write home about but still pretty cool. It's been quite a surprise for us that the Oregon section is higher than the Washington section. After the highest point the views got a little more scenic. Still pretty cold outside... another fleece-wearing day.
The next morning was pretty windy as we started our trek to Crater Lake. There are some amazing views!-- it's our first time seeing Crater Lake and even though it was pretty windy and cold, it was so beautiful! We ran into Don, Donna and Wendy who are hiking Oregon this season. Then, as we were hiking down the rim trail, we ran into a couple who asked if we were PCT hikers-- sure made us feel like celebrities. :) Another 5 miles and we made it to Mazama Village... we ate some food we got from a couple packages (thanks Momma Turner!... and thanks Nancy and Lois!!) The food was amazing! That night we had dinner at Annie Creek Restaurant with another hiker we call "Bear Bait". That night we stealth camped in the woods on the Annie Creek Trail.
Before heading back out the next day, we hung out in the laundry room (loads warmer in there than outside), ate some foods, resupplied from the store and left for hiking around 1pm. It looks like it might be another cloudy day.
We were up and out of camp the next morning by 7:30am and then stopped to dry our things in the sun. It's still a bit cold. The Oregon tread is pretty amazing so we have that going for us. :) We've been wearing most of our clothes while hiking because it's so chilly out.
 |
| Come on sun!! Dry our stuff! |
We left Mill Creek Junction at almost 9am the next morning! This is super late for us. In 5 miles we hit the highest PCT point of Oregon and Washington-- it's nothing to write home about but still pretty cool. It's been quite a surprise for us that the Oregon section is higher than the Washington section. After the highest point the views got a little more scenic. Still pretty cold outside... another fleece-wearing day.
The next morning was pretty windy as we started our trek to Crater Lake. There are some amazing views!-- it's our first time seeing Crater Lake and even though it was pretty windy and cold, it was so beautiful! We ran into Don, Donna and Wendy who are hiking Oregon this season. Then, as we were hiking down the rim trail, we ran into a couple who asked if we were PCT hikers-- sure made us feel like celebrities. :) Another 5 miles and we made it to Mazama Village... we ate some food we got from a couple packages (thanks Momma Turner!... and thanks Nancy and Lois!!) The food was amazing! That night we had dinner at Annie Creek Restaurant with another hiker we call "Bear Bait". That night we stealth camped in the woods on the Annie Creek Trail.
Before heading back out the next day, we hung out in the laundry room (loads warmer in there than outside), ate some foods, resupplied from the store and left for hiking around 1pm. It looks like it might be another cloudy day.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
It's been decided...
After much thought, we have decided to end our 2014 PCT adventure at the Oregon/California border. Our primary goal was to spend about 4 months in the wilderness and we will have done just that... and that's pretty epic in our book. Unbelievably, we will have walked almost 1600 miles of the trail and gone from limping 10 miles a day to walking over 25! However, to finish the trail this season would take too much of a toll on our bodies, spirits, and wallets. :)
We are so excited about our next adventures in life... And undoubtedly finishing the trail will be one of them. Hurray for adventures!
We are so excited about our next adventures in life... And undoubtedly finishing the trail will be one of them. Hurray for adventures!
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Bend to Shelter Cove
We made it via bus to highway 20 and got a hitch from Rod Frederick to Sisters and then a hitch to the trail. We hiked about a mile and made camp.
We saw some elk the next day while hiking through the dusty trail. We walked through some beautiful lava flow and checked out a sweet observation tower- Dee Wright Observatory- which has cool peep holes through the lava rock to see all the mountains surrounding the area. We did about 18.5 miles past Small Lake.
There are a lot of weekenders heading back to civilization. We walked past Middle and Small Sister. Our legs are tired. We ate lunch at Obsidian Falls, walked some more until dinner at a small creek. Once full, we started to pack up and heard some thunder. We went around the corner to Wickiup Plain and saw intensely dark clouds and lightening. We quickly found some trees and set up camp- definitely our best pitching job. Luckily it passed by with just some small sprinkles.
Up and out of camp by 7:30am with a little bit of sprinkles as we made our way to Sisters Mirror Lake. The rain has been good for the dusty trail. Yay! We met Ray Estrella (he tests backpacking gear). There hasn't been tons of views and its quite flat. We did a total of 22 miles today... About 1295 trip total.
Left camp around 7:11am. Flat day with cold wind. We did 12 miles by 12pm, ate some lunch and got water at Charlton Lake while chatting with some weekenders from Eugene. It started to sprinkle so we headed on. Just when we needed to eat dinner we ran into La Contessa (Kim) and Zombie (Fred). Fred gave Dangit a new name of Lady Darnetta. :) Kim calls Dangit Darnette. We hiked another 2 miles and made camp.
We woke up in the dark to some rain. Once light enough we packed up... It started to flood under our tarp. 11 miles and we made it to Shelter Cove!! Food!!! And we get to split a cabin with Fred and Kim!
We saw some elk the next day while hiking through the dusty trail. We walked through some beautiful lava flow and checked out a sweet observation tower- Dee Wright Observatory- which has cool peep holes through the lava rock to see all the mountains surrounding the area. We did about 18.5 miles past Small Lake.
There are a lot of weekenders heading back to civilization. We walked past Middle and Small Sister. Our legs are tired. We ate lunch at Obsidian Falls, walked some more until dinner at a small creek. Once full, we started to pack up and heard some thunder. We went around the corner to Wickiup Plain and saw intensely dark clouds and lightening. We quickly found some trees and set up camp- definitely our best pitching job. Luckily it passed by with just some small sprinkles.
Up and out of camp by 7:30am with a little bit of sprinkles as we made our way to Sisters Mirror Lake. The rain has been good for the dusty trail. Yay! We met Ray Estrella (he tests backpacking gear). There hasn't been tons of views and its quite flat. We did a total of 22 miles today... About 1295 trip total.
Left camp around 7:11am. Flat day with cold wind. We did 12 miles by 12pm, ate some lunch and got water at Charlton Lake while chatting with some weekenders from Eugene. It started to sprinkle so we headed on. Just when we needed to eat dinner we ran into La Contessa (Kim) and Zombie (Fred). Fred gave Dangit a new name of Lady Darnetta. :) Kim calls Dangit Darnette. We hiked another 2 miles and made camp.
We woke up in the dark to some rain. Once light enough we packed up... It started to flood under our tarp. 11 miles and we made it to Shelter Cove!! Food!!! And we get to split a cabin with Fred and Kim!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)