Hiking Dude Blog

I had a friend join me on my hike yesterday. I was very surprised to see him since he's usually just a summer hiking buddy and doesn't enjoy being out at all once it frosts up.
I can't recall if I've ever seen a mosquito out on the trail in January before, but this guy was out and about due to the record high temps this week.
Click the image if you want to see a very short video of his dance moves.

Actually, the weather has been great for getting in more hiking. I'm off now for 8 miles and it's 34°F but snow's expected and the temp drops throughout the day. Back to real January tomorrow. Unfortunately, that's not enough for the scouts going on their Okpik campout this weekend. Looks like no quinzee huts or Zero Hero awards this year. But, they've planned a 5-mile hike as an alternate activity, so that'll keep them moving and warm.

Hike On

Finally, finally, finally
Snow, snow, snow

Well, it's actually just a dusting but we're supposed to get more tomorrow and it's just super!

When I got back from my morning hike, I just had to do this creative masterpiece in our driveway.

Hike On

Well, it finally happened. On my hiking stick page, I mentioned that some day I'll start using hiking poles when someone gives me a pair for Christmas or birthday. They did.

My sons got me these Outdoor Products trek poles for Christmas and today I tried them out for the first time. Felt kind of like a 2-month old golden retriever stumbling along. I hit my foot with the pole a few times. I kicked the pole with my foot a few times. The tips skidded on the ice a few times.

Now, don't think I'm complaining here - I'm just letting you know that there's a short learning curve for any new piece of gear and gear should be used as it's needed. Today's hike was completely flat on a rails-to-trails style path. There was no need for the extra push or support from the poles - I was just taking them out for a spin. On a long hike over a stretch like this, I plan to just compress the poles and hook 'em on my pack.

When I start my hilly practice hikes, I'll tell you more about how helpful I find these poles to be. Today, I'm letting you know what we've got here.

These Outdoor Products poles are aluminum with rubber handles and cam-locks. I like how the locks flip and hold rather than screw.
There are three sections to the pole so they compress down to 25 inches which makes stowing on a pack pretty easy. The sections come completely apart so I really have 6 short aluminum tubes for emergency improvization.
After removing the rubber foot and basket, they weigh 9.7 oz. each. You can find lighter poles. I'll let you know how it feels to carry a half pound in each hand all day later.
The handles feel good to me, but the dense plastic makes them heavy.
The shafts range from 25 inches compressed to 54 inches completely extended. They have carbide tips, baskets that easily unscrew, and rubber foot covers.
I'll be using these as tarp supports on my long hikes and they seem solid enough for that extra work.
Oh, I also like the metallic green color - fits my style more than a bright red or orange pole.

At first sight, I think I got a great present here! I believe they're a good item for folks like me that haven't used trek poles before and are learning how it all works. Someone with more $$$ and experience with poles coulde easily spend more than the $30 these cost and get poles that weigh half as much.

Hike On

I really, really, really want to be comfortable sleeping on my Arizona hike. Without restful sleep, I'm afraid I'll get worn out much faster. That's where this lightweight pillow becomes a necessary piece of gear. OK, necessary isn't quite true, but highly desired is.

Three things make nighttime more pleasant:

• Warmth - This is the most important, for survival and rest. I told you about my sleeping hat that I made. I've got layers of clothes. And, I'll show you my sleeping quilt pretty soon.
• Safety - actually, it's feeling safe and not worrying about monsters, critters, bugs, and my position on the local food chain. Crawling under the covers will help with this. :-)
• Comfort - rocks, sticks, and cactus don't make a good mattress. I feel it's worth the weight to carry some light sleeping surface. I still need to decide on which to use. A pillow falls in this category, right?

My new ExPed inflatable pillow seems practically perfect for long hikes.
It weighs 2.7 ounces which is a lot less than using a ball of extra clothes. (I expect to not really have extra clothes since I'll be wearing them to sleep or they'll be dirty from hiking.)
As you can see from the photo, there are two parallel lines across the face of the pillow. These are baffles connected through the pillow and they stop that balloon effect that many inflatables have. Your head doesn't always just roll off this pillow.
When deflated, it rolls up tiny and takes very little pack space.
The fabric feel is nice - not like a zip-loc baggie.

I bet it would weight .5 ounce less if it had only one valve, but ExPed has one-way flat valves on their inflatables to ensure full inflation and easy deflation. It also has a little repair kit - identical to inflatable sleeping pad repair, so I won't need to carry two repair kits.

Hike On

As the guy usually taking the photos on group hikes, I have only a handful of shots that I'm in after 8 years and hundreds of days camping and backpacking. This morning, I tried out a Stick Pic so I can get in the picture on my long hikes.

In this photo, you can see that a landscape shot can include the hiker, even if he's the only one around. At least it proves that I was actually there!

This works by connecting your camera to the end of your trek pole, setting the timer delay, and then pressing the button. It looks like you've got your own camera crew along because you don't have your arms out holding the camera.

Getting the whole crew in a photo is now pretty easy and that poor old photographer doesn't need to be left out!

Of course, my first video attempt was spinning around in circles :-) but I'm excited to get more experience with this gear so I can get more interesting shots on the trail. Take a look at the short video below to see how it all works and find out how hot it is here in MN today on my 10-mile hike.



The guys that invented the Stick Pic have given me a few to give out as prizes when I return from my Arizona Trail hike. We'll find out who wins in May.

Hike On

You may never hope or dream to hike the Continental Divide Trail, but this tidbit should be of interest to anyone that ventures into the wild places.

On the home page of the Continental Divide Trail Alliance, they've posted notice that the non-profit organization is ceasing operations and closing down over the next few weeks.

They mention the lack of financial support as being one key reason. It's no surprise that funding for wilderness recreation opportunities goes away as a non-essential expense. The CDT, as well as many other maintained trails, are used by a small portion of the population and are seen by many as unneeded. But, as the money wells dry up and individuals have fewer monetary resources, I expect we'll see additional wilderness and conservation organizations being forced to make similar decisions.

Please evaluate your personal contributions to groups that do good things. If you've got extra money, time, or resources that can be used to support a cause with which you agree, please don't put off getting involved until another day. That group may not be around another day.

Hike On

Heavy zippers, squished insulation, no wriggle room - who needs it?
I've finished my sleeping quilt for my first long hike. Even my wife was impressed at how nicely it turned out! From my point of view, it was very easy - so easy I'm making another one.

Sleeping quilts are making steady headway against sleeping bags, especially for long treks where light loads are desired. Actually, a lighter load is always a benefit no matter how long your trek is, but carrying a 4 pound bag for two days doesn't wear you down as badly as lugging it around for two weeks.

A quilt works by laying over the top of the backpacker and being tucked in on the sides as desired. Laying on a pad gives underneath insulation, just like when using a sleeping bag. There is a foot box area which keeps the quilt on and tucked in below.

So, why the quilt? When you think about it, there are many benefits:

• More Efficient - the insulation you lay on gets squished and loses its loft. That means it doesn't insulate. It's really just extra weight and expense.
• Lighter - no zipper, no insulation underneath, lighter fabric
• Flexible - the quilt can be wrapped around snugly or loosened up. It can be completely thrown off or lain on during warm nights. I can move my legs and body around without feeling quite so like a caterpiller.
• Customized - any MYOG (make your own gear) item can be made specifically to your size or needs. I made this quilt longer than normal and left off a part I didn't want.

I learned a lot from making this quilt.
I made it wider than I really need which means about 7 square feet of unnecessary fabric and insulation, which equals extra weight. My next one will be slimmed down.
It has about 2 inches of loft on top - that's a lot, just measure your own sleeping bag's thickness. My next one will have just about 1 inch for my summer trips with warmer nights.
It's very easy to make a quilt, and it doesn't need to be perfect. As long as you make sure the stitches are hitting all the layers of fabric, it turns out just fine.

I'll easily stay warm below freezing with this quilt. I'll try it on my back porch if we ever get some more cold weather, but I'd bet it will do just fine down to around 20 degrees and then I'd need to put on extra clothes. It weighs 2.5 pounds which I feel is fine for the range of temps I can use it in. The fabric is 1.1oz silnylon and the insulation is continuous filament polyester - goose down would be lighter, but messy working, more expensive, and susceptible to moisture.

I expect my second quilt to be good to around 40 degrees and weigh closer to 1 pound - but we'll see.

Hike On

Any idea what this is? It's plastic, less than an inch across, and weighs very little. But, without it, I'm unable to complete my current sewing project - my backpack.

It's a top vertical gear from my Singer sewing machine. Actually, it's a replacement that's on its way since I ordered it earlier in the week. My current one has a crack in it so I can't sew.

Once it gets here, I have the task of taking the machine apart, replacing the gear, reassembling, and hoping I don't have too many screws left over. I once helped rebuild the engine of a truck and we had a handful of bolts and stuff left over, but it still ran.

My wife said I should just buy us a new sewing machine since this one is over 20 years old. I could get one for under $100 and this gear is way down inside the machine, so I was in agreement. But I found the replacement gear through a little online research for just $10. Since the sewing machine is dead without it, it will only cost an extra $10 and 5 days if I fail and don't get it all put back correctly.

So, I learn yet another lesson in making your own gear. :-) But, wait until you see my finished backpack - I think it will turn out great!

Hike On

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One step closer to being ready for the Arizona Trail.
I received a brand-new map set on CD of the entire 800+ miles of trail on Friday. The maps are 1:28,000 scale and each image prints on an 8.5x11 sheet.

These maps are very detailed and should be perfect for navigating. The AZT Association at aztrail.org has overview maps which are great for getting familiar with the trail, but not detailed enough for navigating.
Now that I have these maps and my compass, my navigation needs are met.

I spent yesterday printing and refilling my ink cartridge :-)
Printing front and back gives me 65 sheets to carry - that's almost a pound of paper! I plan to carry about a week's worth of maps at a time and ship the rest ahead in a bounce box. Every day, I hope to cover 3 pages of maps which is around 20 miles.
I'll mark spots where I take pictures or other interesting bits and then dump the used pages back in the bouncebox at the next resupply point.

These maps were created by, and being sold by ($25), Brett Tucker at simblissity.net but the profits go right to the AZ Trail Assocation for sustaining the trail. Brett has done an excellent job on an extremely useful project to benefit the hiking community.

Hike On