How will I accomplish this? Hike, hike, hike, and hike some more. Becky and I are hiking three times a week. I am incorporating two types of hikes along with lifting free-weights. Type one is hiking a shorter distance with a heavier pack, and type two is hiking a longer distance with a lighter pack. Once I am able to hike 20 consecutive miles, I will add weight in four pound increments until I can carry 35 pounds for 20 AT miles.
Becky and I have completed our first backpacking trip together! We survived and still enjoy each other's company. Mission accomplished. Becky is a great hiking partner. We hike at about the same pace, laugh at our learning curve, and encourage each other.
I was really happy with our pace on this trip. I have hiked this section a few times before, carrying only a day pack. Each time it took me 2 hours 15 minutes to hike 5.3 miles. I carried a 34 pound pack for our weekend trip and we covered the same miles in 2 hours. The training is paying off. Having a compatible hiking partner makes the miles go by regardless of the pace. When I hike with Dale, I get a little more time to look around and enjoy nature. Hiking with Becky, I get to cover miles more quickly.
Once we arrived at Partnership Shelter, we ditched our packs and looked around.
We laid out our sleeping pads and bags in the loft, claiming our spots in case other hikers came in.
After supper chores (cooking, eating, cleaning), we looked for a spot to hang our bear-bags. This turned into our entertainment for the evening.
We found a limb which would allow us to hang our bags 12 feet from the trunk and 12 feet off the ground. While I practiced this technique the previous night, I ran into a couple of problems. Thinking I had worked out all the kinks at home, I was not anticipating any snags on this trip. I placed a fist-sized rock in one of my husband's socks (thank you for your contribution, honey), tied a rope around the sock neck and let it whirl. Yes! On the first try the rope was carried over the limb. I proceeded to tie one end of the rope to a carabiner and then free the sock from the other end. As I was feeding the free end of the rope through the carabiner, Becky asked me a question about the mechanics of this particular method.
Eager to show her what I had learned, I demonstrated while giving a verbal explanation. We watched the carabiner climb to the limb as I pulled the rope and spewed forth my new-found wisdom. Suddenly, I felt like a complete idiot. I had made the same mistake I had made at home. Yes, that same kink I thought I had worked out. The carabiner, the one that is supposed to hold the food bags, is now out of reach, not only of any bears hoping to yogi our food, but also of either of us! It is out of reach and does not have any weight attached to bring it back to us. I gave the rope a few shakes and jerks, hoping to loosen something, allowing gravity to hurl this much needed carabiner back into my hands. No luck. SIGH.
I said, "Well, then.", a phrase I picked up from my son. Becky must have read defeat in my face because she then said, "Let's get a long stick and see if we can get it down." Oh, we make a good team.
She poked at the elusive carabiner, and I pulled on the rope until I could reach the end of the limb. Once I grabbed it, I was able to lower the branch enough for Becky to thread her stick through the carabiner and lower it. YEAH. She saved the day.
I then proceeded to show her the correct way to hang a bear bag. Our food would be safe this night.
We gathered twigs and little sticks, in hopes of having a fire. I even took the wrapper off the tp in the privy to use as a firestarter. Becky had purchased Coleman camping matches, the waterproof kind. They were basically useless. We could not get a fire going. Things were damp and we did not have the right materials. We'll get it next time.
Once darkness set in, we headed to the loft. We chatted for a bit, and soon I heard Becky snoring. Hearing this noise brought two conflicting thoughts: "Good for her." and "How can she sleep?" Shelters are notorious for being infested with mice. Although it was very warm in the loft, I didn't dare put my arms out of or unzip my bag. It's one thing to have a mouse crawl over you when you are covered, and another to have one crawl on your bare skin. Since I was wearing long-john type pants, I soon became uncomfortably hot. The pants had to go. I rolled them up and added them to my bag of clothes I was using for a pillow. After about 10 minutes this bag felt like a brick. I tossed and turned all night resulting in very little sleep. My fretting over mice was for nought. We had no signs of them, other than some scat on the picnic table.
In the morning, when we tried to retrieve our bags, we discovered that the rope had entangled with one of the bags' draw-cord, not allowing the bags to descend properly, or at all. After all the trouble we had getting them up, now they did not want to come down.
Becky started searching for last night's stick. She is such a trooper. It's great to have a friend who will laugh at the situation and make fun out of it. We repeated the steps of the previous night: Becky with the stick and me pulling on the rope until I could reach the branch. While she was trying to thread the needle, the branch broke. Luckily, I was able to maintain control of it while it fell to the ground. Nobody got hurt and we would now be able to have breakfast.
We made coffee and oatmeal. I shared a pop-tart with Lila, the cat. Poor thing acted as if she were starving. Then we cleaned, packed up, and headed home.
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| Lila, the resident cat. |
Things I learned on this shakedown hike:
As a general rule, I will carry 2 liters of water, not 3. It will save 2 pounds in weight.
I had taken fire starter sticks out of my pack because I didn't think we would need them and I was trying to save weight. These sticks will now be an essential backpacking item.
The sleeping pad I have been using is too big and bulky for backpacking. It's more for car-camping. I will be purchasing a Thermarest NeoAir AND matching pillow. The NeoAir packs down the the size of a Nalgene. This will save space and weight.
My pocket-rocket doesn't have hooks to secure the pot, so it's rather tippy. I'll be swapping it out for a Jetboil.
I found myself wanting a small towel to wipe my face, hands, and dishes. That will have to be added to my pack.
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| Becky is such a good sport and an even better friend. |
What a great adventure! Your blog is awesome, I enjoy your friendship, knowledge and insights so much....what a team! "Let's Go!"
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