Time Wasters and a General Update

So the other day I'm sitting there in front of the TV watching the Tour de France and thinking, "Gee, I'm wasting so much time just sitting here."  I'm on summer vacation so I don't have to work.  At the beginning of vacation I kept telling myself I'd do something productive, like write every day on my blog (at least semi-productive) and here I am, the third week into the summer break and I've written nothing.  I should do something about this, I thought.

Lo and behold, the next day, a quick but powerful wind storm passed through and knocked the power out.  We usually don't lose power for that long, if at all, but this time it was out for at least a solid day and then some.  Now I really have nothing to do!  So during the day, I went outside and read the latest copy of Outside magazine.  The copy before that one (and probably the one before that one) I didn't read because I was too busy (watching the Tour de France and playing Minecraft on my phone), now in just an hour of solitude with no power I was able to knock out the entire magazine.

Still plenty of daylight left, since it seems time has stopped along with the power, I start doing the "extra" yard work that I hate, like pulling weeds in the flower beds.  I was able to knock out two flower beds and pull up a couple of tiny maple saplings that I'm going to try to use for bonsai trees.

A day later and the power is back on.  Hopefully that little episode will serve as the catalyst I need to get me away from the screens and doing something productive (like writing in this blog, because that's productive, right?).

Now that I'm back, here's an update on the hiking trip I wrote about earlier.

The plan was to hike a section of the Appalachian Trail with a friend of mine who was later planning to hike a much longer part this summer.  April, spring break, 4-5 day hike, that was the plan.  Spring break for me was whittled away by snow days during the winter so I could only commit 2-3 days.  My friend, however, decided, "April! Are you kidding me? It's too cold to hike!"

OK, so how about July when I'm out of school?  "No, I have to push back the hike" for various family reasons.  Now it's looking like an August start.  But then, "August is probably going to be too hot!"  So, no long distance hike for me just yet.

In the meantime, to occupy my time and spend more time on the Internet wasting that precious time, I've been researching another future project: the sailboat.

If I could, I would live on a sailboat, work odd jobs and write to make money, and drift from port to port around the world.  Of course, with a wife who is a little more practical than I, that is not possible.  So I've been planning to buy a sailboat at least to have to take on weekend and summer trips.

Freeing the money to make such a purchase and maintain a boat has proven difficult.  I've been taking every spare $20 I get and putting it in an AmeriTrade account I have dedicated as my sailboat fund, but that isn't growing very quickly.  Then a thought occurred... I own a small half acre wooded lot in a "resort" (using the term loosely) and we've been trying to sell it for the past year or so.  What if I could trade that for a boat?  How I can I convince the wife?

My question goes; "So, here's an idea... what do you think of trading that lot for a sailboat, you know, just so we can get rid of it?"  Shocking reply, "Yes, just get rid of it, I don't want to keep paying the taxes and HOA fees.  You can trade it, sell it, whatever, the proceeds can go to your boat fund."  Score!

Now I have to check with the Realtor to see when our contract is up and so I would be able to trade the lot.  I search Realtor.com to get the details on the lot and what do you know, it's not there.  I emailed the Realtor, "Hey, what's up with that?"  Her response; "The listing on your lot expired Aug 30 of last year when extension agreement was not returned."  That's it, nothing more.  Really?  I know we returned the agreement.  Wouldn't a good Realtor follow up on something like that, maybe give us a call and ask about it?  Bottom line, we don't have a contract (and the lot hasn't been listed for almost a year, unbeknownst to us) and I can sell or trade the lot as I see fit.  It's now listed on Craigslist.  Hopefully that will give a boost to my sailboat plan.

So that's the update.  I'm going to try to come back every day and write something new.  See you tomorrow!

A Home Away From Home

I'm looking at options for shelter while on the AT hiking trip and here's what I have.  I own a Eureka Zephyr one-person tent (right) that I have had for at least 10 years and change.  It doesn't get that much use, but when I have used it, it has always worked out quite nicely.

It's free-standing, easy to set up, roomy, relatively waterproof, and durable.  The one thing I don't like about it is it's somewhat heavy.  I have always used it for bike touring and other types of camping where I wasn't actually lugging the thing around over long distances.  It weighs in at 4 lbs with all the parts.  That's about twice what a modern lightweight one-man tent would weigh.  So I think I'm going for another option.

I also have an Outdoor Research Basic Bivy.  I have used it before on a bike trip and it seems to work OK.  For those who don't know, a bivy is basically a waterproof sack that you put yourself and your sleeping bag into and zip it closed (think fancy body bag).  The OR bivy gives you the option of just zipping the bug screen if you want to breathe a little, or zipping the whole thing closed if it's pouring rain and breathing becomes less important.

I liked using the bivy, but the time I used it, it was pouring rain and you can't store gear in there and there's no room to sit up and stay dry at the same time.  So I purchased an Equinox Egret 8x10 tarp that I will carry along with the bivy.  That way I can set up the tarp in any number of configurations (see video below for an entertaining demo) and use the bivy inside the tarp if I need bug protection or extra warmth.

I got the tarp in the mail today.  It looks pretty nice, ripstop material of some sort that looks coated and waterproof.  The 8x10 version weighs 1 lb 11 oz, a lot lighter than my tent.  The bivy weighs 1 lb 3 oz, so together I'm still lighter than the tent option.  I still have to add the weight of some stakes and 550 cord but I think I'll still be about a pound below the tent.

I plan on setting up the tarp sometime this weekend.  I'll take some pictures and let you all know how it turns out.

Dueter ACT Lite 65+10 Initial Impressions

I swear I think I'm the last person on my UPS driver's route.  I won this Deuter ACT Lite 65+10 backpack on eBay on Thursday.  The guy finally shipped it on Monday and lucky me, it arrived today, Tuesday.  But it was not until after 6 pm.  That was a killer wait, especially while checking the tracking number every 10 minutes to see that it was still on the truck, ready for delivery.

First a little background on the auction.  It was up for sale by a guy who had zero feedback.  The pictures, on the left and at the bottom, were fuzzy and difficult to read.  The description was "Lightly used for a season, fully functional, and clean."  That's it.  It was a "Buy It Now" auction for $82 plus $9 shipping.  The pack retails for $200.  So I was a little afraid to buy it.  No feedback, fuzzy pictures, "thin" description.  But what the heck, for $82 I thought I'd give it a shot.

I contacted the guy as soon as I bought it just so I could make sure he would respond and give me some peace of mind for the wait.  He responded right away and said he's ship it that day, and oh, by the way, he found a small hole in the mesh pocket on the side.  Oh great, here it goes.

The pack arrived today, packed very nicely, as if he'd had the UPS store box it (he didn't make money on shipping, that's for sure).  It definitely looks well used for a long season, some abrasions, scuffs, a couple of cosmetic stitches loose, and of course, the small hole in the side mesh pocket, but not just one, both side pockets, same hole, same location.  I wouldn't call it "clean" though.  It's a little grubby, some grime visible.  I had to wash my hands after messing with it.  Also had some dirt inside that I shook out.  But hey, it's been used so I'm OK with it.  I want to wash it really well when I get a chance though.

After inspecting all the zippers and buckles and finding everything was indeed functional, I loaded it up with some gear and paraded around the basement.  It surely is big enough for everything I want to take for a long hike.  The pack itself is pretty light.  I like the pockets and compression straps, and the like.  Pretty simple pack, sleeping bag storage that can open into the main compartment, lid that has three pockets, two mesh side pockets, one hip belt pocket, plus bungee straps across the back.  Overall, a very decent pack.

The Air Contact Lite harness is also very nice.  I had to adjust the "Vari-Quick" shoulder harness adjuster to

fit my torso, but once I got it set, the pack felt very nice with a light load.  I was a little worried about the Vari-Quick shoulder strap attachment after seeing it in action on YouTube videos.  I thought maybe the load would pivot or sway too much around the centrally located attachment point, but it doesn't.  Once you have everything buckled and the straps cinched, the load feels very secure and the pack like an extension of your torso.

Overall, my first impressions of the pack are positive.  This one just needs a little cleaning and light mending and it should be ready to hit the trail.  I'm half hoping for a snow-day at school tomorrow so I have time to run up the mountain behind the house and try it out (even if it means running around in sleet and freezing rain).

Tomorrow I'm expecting another package.  A new Equinox Egret 8x10 tarp that will become part of my shelter system.  My next post will be a summary of my shelter plans.  Until then, cheers!


  

AT Hike Details

OK, so I mentioned my Appalachian Trail hiking  trip in my last post but didn't get into any of the details.  Here they are...

My friend, we'll call him "Max," decided he wants to hike the AT.  He's not going to hike the whole thing, but half of it, which is still a heck of a long way.

He's planning to start in Harpers Ferry, WV and start walking north to Maine, 1,165 miles.  He'll start in June 2014.

I once planned to hike the full length of the AT, but as so often happens, my plans were put on hold by family responsibilities.  It's hard to take five or six months off when you've got a wife and kid.  Max, on the other hand, has kids who are graduating soon from high school and as for the wife... well, that's the catalyst for the sudden urge to drop everything and walk 1,000 miles.

As much as I'd like to accompany him on his trip, I still have a few years before my child finishes high school and as a result, my wife still has a lot of sway in my life decisions.  While I can't do the whole thing with him, I agreed to hike some part of it and/or go with him on a warm-up hike of sorts.

We decided to start with the warm-up hike over spring break in April.  I have five days off from work and he will be available as well.  My first thought was to hike the AT through Maryland, our current state of residence.  It's only about 40 miles, easily obtainable in about four days.  The trip would take us from Penmar, PA south to Harpers Ferry, WV.  Max didn't like this idea though, because his long trip will start in Harpers Ferry and go north, covering the Maryland section again.  He didn't want to do one section twice, so we decided to start in Harpers Ferry and go south for the warm-up hike.

A four day trip from Harpers Ferry south, averaging a little more than 10 miles per day, would take you about to Virginia Route 55 just outside Front Royal.  The actual distance is 45.7 miles.  I think it's doable.

And so the planning begins.  As I mentioned previously I am awaiting my new pack.  I also spent some time today making a beer can alcohol stove.  I have another stove so I'll post something on stove selection later.  I'm also looking at shelter options so that post will follow as well.  Stay tuned!

New Quest, Pack Search

The ol' blog has been gathering dust again.  Time to revive it.

I have a new quest, a new challenge to conquer.  Previously I have  posted here about my long-distance bike travel.  Now I'm ramping up for some long-distance foot travel.

A very dear friend of mine has decided to hike a large portion of the Appalachian Trail.  He is conquering some personal challenges and has decided that the AT will help with that.  I don't have the time to commit to a "large portion," but I have agreed to accompany my friend on at least one warm-up hike to prepare him for the longer trip.

We have decided to hike 45 miles of the AT in April as preparation for his long hike starting in June.  So that means I am ramping up for the April hike.

I am a gear nerd.  I admit it.  No matter the hobby or interest, I love the gear.  So the first thing I did when the mention of a hike came up was to dig out my hiking and camping gear and take inventory.  Then came the countless hours of Internet research to learn that much of my gear is barely suitable and that I need to get new gear.  Let's start with my pack.

I had a Gregory Whitney (pictured above) that I purchased new from REI sometime in 2003 or 2004.  It is a HUGE pack.  It's 90 liters in volume and more than seven pounds in weight.  I bought it in preparation for a trip to Iraq where I needed to pack three months worth of stuff.  That's a lot of stuff but fortunately, I never actually had to carry it over any distance greater than 50 yards.  For our 79,000 yard trip, this pack surely wouldn't do.  It's way too big and could get way too heavy.  The "recommended" pack volume and weight for AT hikes is 50-65 liters and as light as humanly possible.  Of course that meant I needed a new pack.

Step 1: Sell the Whitney on eBay and buy a new pack.  Step 2: Do the countless hours of research on the Internet to find the perfect pack for AT thru-hikes.  The research led me to a few options.  My first solution was the Gregory Baltoro 65.  Same great manufacturer, same great comfort, top end of the size recommendation (good and bad), but that pack is heavy too.  It was a touch over five pounds, just two fewer than the big Whitney.

The lightest options... anything by ULA, the Circuit or Catalyst.  These are the packs of choice on the AT and other long-distance trails.  They are little more than a light rucksack; super light, on the small end of the capacity recommendation, but usually above my price range (which was whatever I could sell the Whitney for).

Other awesome choices... Granite Gear packs, specifically the Nimbus Meridian.  A superb pack, but over my range new and hard to find used on eBay.  Osprey packs, all great, lots of options in the 50-65 liter range, but again, sometimes too pricey for me.

Enter the Deuter ACT Lite 65+10.  Same great features as the others but just a little cheaper.  So I managed to pick one up on eBay for just $91, including shipping.  Great deal on a great pack.  But I don't have it yet.  I just won the auction the other day and it should be arriving in a week or so.  I'll be posting a review as soon as I try it out.