Preparing for hiking/backpacking season 2019 It’s March and that means it’s time to start getting ready for another season of hiking and hopefully backpacking. I am hoping this year is going to be better than last year was here in southern Oregon. We had so many large wildfires last summer that it actually became unhealthy to spend to much time outdoors. This winter has seen a lot of snow fall so the area shouldn’t be as dry as last year. Of course we’ve gotten so much snow that it may be late spring before the high country has enough melt off to allow access to some trail heads. I’ll take that over wildfires any day though. In preparation for the season I’ve been reading a few books related to the sport. I recently finished Fixing Your Feet: Injury Prevention and Treatments for Athletes. Its a great book that covers just about anything foot related. I..
The Complete Walker 4 The complete walker by Colin Fletcher and Chip Rawlins is considered to be one of the best books available to hikers and I’d agree. At 864 pages it can be a little difficult to read cover to cover but it’s well worth your time. It is filled with just about everything you could ever want to know about walking outdoors. The final edition was published in 2002 but it’s still very relevant and holds up well. I read this over the majority of 2018 and used a lot of the information to decide what gear to buy. I figured if the gear was still around 16 years later it must be good stuff. So far I haven’t been disappointed with any items I bought based on reading this book. Complete Walker 4 on Amazon View this post on Instagram 845 pages of goodness. Maybe a little dated but still very..
Darn Tough Socks I have been wearing Darn Tough Socks for over a year now. I heard that a lot of through hikers wear them and decided to try them out. I started with just one pair then quickly replaced all my socks with them. I wear the Hiker 1/4 Sock Cushion. The idea of spending the same amount on one pair of socks that I usually spend on a bag of socks was a little frustrating at first but after wearing them I realized these socks are nothing like the cheap socks I am used to. Its kinda hard to accurately describe just how much better these socks are than any other socks. The feel and comfort level are simply amazing and the quality is unmatched. Its nice to see an American company that still takes pride in making a premium quality product in America. I’m sure they could probably out source manufacturing..
Wagner Butte November 2018 Took a quick hike up one of my local favorites today, Wagner Butte. This is a 9.5 mile out and back hike located in southern Oregon. The first couple miles are pretty steep. After you get about half way up it levels out a bit. Its has one of the best views in the area. One of these days I would like to get up early enough to catch a sunrise from the summit. I tested out a new garment on this hike. The R1 Fleece from Patagonia. Its to early to have any solid opinions about it but I think I like it. Its the blue top in the picture below. The hike tends to take me around 5 hour depending on weather. Its a slow slog if there’s a lot of snow on the trail.
REI Co-op Flexlite Chair Review The idea of taking a chair backing with you may seem crazy but if you’re over 30 I say its a necessity. Heck, it’s a necessity at any age if you ask me. Unless you are the type that crawls into your bag just after setting up camp you’re going to need somewhere to set down after a long day of hiking. Sure you can just set on the ground or a log or maybe even a rock but if you’re like me your back will punish you for doing so. I didn’t take a chair with me on my first trip and that will be the last trip I’ll take without one if I have anything to say about it. When you can get a chair that weighs around a pound why not. I suppose if you’re hiking the PCT or another long trail then an extra pound could..
Snow Peak GigaPower Auto Stove Review Finally got the chance to put my new stove to the test on a actual backpacking trip. I used it on my recent trip to Sky Lakes Wilderness in Oregon. It worked out great. I boiled water for a couple Mountain House meals and for cowboy coffee. This is my first stove so I don’t have any other stoves to compare it to. The stove is super light and compact. Its also very easy to use and dependable. While I was making cowboy coffee I accidentally boiled over the coffee resulting in the stove getting a major dowsing of water and coffee grounds. A quick shake off and I was back in business. The model I have is no longer available but there is a 2.0 version available. Snow Peak GigaPower 2.0 Stove The boil time for 2 cups tap water was approximately 4 minutes and 45 seconds. Pros:..
Sky Lakes Wilderness Solo Overnight Trip Took an overnight backpacking trip to the Sky Lakes Wilderness Sunday-Monday September 23-24th 2018. This was my first time going backing overnight solo. I have been wanting to try a solo trip for some time now. I really wanted to find out if I was up to spending the night alone in the wilderness miles from any public roads and other people. Getting away from other people didn’t totally work out because the area I was in is pretty popular this time of year but I was far from any roads. I chose the Sky Lakes Wilderness because I’ve been there a few times before and its a great place to backpack. Also its popular enough that if I did end up in trouble I could probably find help. I started my trip at the Cold Spring trail head 11 miles off highway 140 in southern Oregon and ended the..
Scarpa Zen Pro Review and general shoe talk If your an avid rock climber, skier or mountaineer then you’ve probably heard of Scrapa. They are a premier manufacturer of active footwear. I believe they are best know for their rock climbing shoes. They are an Italian company founded in 1938. I had never heard of them until I stumbled onto their shoes while browsing Zappos a couple years ago. I was looking for a good walking and hiking shoe that had a boot like feel and Vibram soles. I have a hard time finding footwear with soles that last as long as the tops and that’s why I wanted Vibram soles. I also can’t stand the feel of most sneakers. They almost all just feel like cheap crap. I wanted something with a high quality premium boot feel that wasn’t a big waffle stomping boot. My first experience with Scarpa wasn’t the Zen Pro, it was the standard..