In Ohio, sure, it may be 30 today and was snowing yesterday,
but 5 days ago it was sunny and 50-something. So we packed up some of our new
gear and headed out to start breaking it in. And by breaking it in, yes, I mean
figuring out how to use it:
We Drank: The biggest success of the day was the Sawyer
Squeeze water filter. Coming in at about 50 bucks and just 7 ounces with all its
accessories, this thing is a winner. It has water bags with a screw top, to
which the filter attaches. At the other end of the filter is a pull-out nozzle
like an athletic water bottle. You gently squeeze the “dirty” water bag and
pour clean water directly into your vessel—or even your mouth. Some complain
the bags are hard to fill, and at first the new bags were a bit of a challenge,
but once we figured out how to get them to fill in the barely running water and
they loosened up, it was fast easy. This is a popular set up among backpackers,
along with chemical treatments (yuck) and pump filters (ugh). Even Snoopy said
the water tasted better then the Brita water at home. Four thumbs up!
We Ate: We have never cooked on a camp stove before. And I
always wondered why it’s called a “Pocket Rocket.” Now I know: You light that
tiny little sucker up and YES, it does sound like a rocket. Problem was, it did
not boil our water at rocket speed. Matter of fact, it took forever and we used
almost an entire fuel canister. I assumed this was user error and went straight
to my favorite hiking forum (www.whiteblaze.net), gathering a wealth of handy tips. Things to try:
Start with warmer water, turn the Rocket all the way up, use a wind screen, don’t
bring the water to a full boil, don’t actually “cook” on the stove, and of
course, carry more fuel just in case. Regardless, we had cocoa and Ramen, GORP,
dried fruit and Oatmeal Cream Pies—it was a perfect hiker meal.
We Slogged: After lunch it was off on a short trek, er,
slog. It’s March, in Ohio, and that means mud. We don’t mind mud so it was all
good, although once again those trekking poles came in handy. Snoopy cut back
to one, which I get, but I like the symmetry of both. The trail was pretty,
even without any leaves on the trees.
We Tangled: We thought we better try our hand at bear
bagging. This is a good skill to have, especially as a Scout, because raccoons can
be an even bigger problem than bears and Scout camp has no shortage of the
masked bandits. Really, I already knew paracord wasn’t the best bear bag line,
but it’s what we had. It didn’t help that Snoopy pulled it all apart and got
tangled in it. We eventually succeeded in hanging the bag, admitting we need
more practice, but if that doesn’t work out we’ll just use the line to set a
booby trap around the tent because I’m pretty sure Snoopy knows how to get that
done…
We’re Packin’: We love our packs. Since we didn’t have our
shelter and sleeping gear along for the day hike, we both filled the bottoms of
our packs with jeans and other clothes. I was amazed at how easy mine was to
carry; it feels really heavy when you pick it up by hand off the ground, but
once strapped on (and properly fitted) it felt like nothing. Till next time,
see you on the trail!
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