Packing for a New Pack

This is pretty much it. This is my summer gear. The stuff I pack into my home away from home and with any luck, carries me from Cooper Gap to the NOC this year. I can hardly believe that this little bit of gear is everything I need to live in the woods for several days at a time. (Oh, I’ve worked hard to get it down to that fairly lightweight, little bit, mind you.)

Packing a little early for summer, am I? I wish! Actually, taking it to the outfitter to hopefully get rid of my nearly 6-pound backpack and finally find something lighter that fits right and carries well. I settled on a Gregory Z65, which is actually a men’s pack. I’ve tried on all the women’s packs, none fit right except my hulking Deva 60.

I went down there with all my gear to stuff it in the new women’s J63, but it didn’t fit right. The Z65 is the men’s version of the same pack, and whattaya know? Fits good! Mine should be here in about a week!

The guy at the outfitter asked me if I wanted black or red. Now, when I say red, I mean candy-apple fire engine red. And of course, I said, “I’ll take that in ‘I’ve fallen and I can’t get up so now you SEE me, red!”

Not only can I wait to see how my stuff packs up and feels in the new pack, I can’t wait to take it out either. I’m eyeballing the weekend of March 8… Wonder if Mother Nature will cooperate.

From left to right (sort of): Red dry bag with electronics and personal items like comb, toothbrush, etc.; tent poles; Gatorade bottle for carrying drinking water; pack cover; tent; air pillow; water filter; pot with stove and bear bag stuff inside; camp flops; pepper spray; camera and GPS; emergency Tyvek pants; rain jacket; headlamp pocket knife and Blistex; TP kit; green dry bag with clothes; orange dry bag with food; pink dry bag with sleeping bag.

 

Winter Backpacking Isn't Just Cold--It's Actually Pretty Cool!

In case you didn’t think I was crazy after all this, I went backpacking in January. Yep, in Ohio. Yep, in the snow. This is yet one more thing I never would have imagined doing, and yet one more thing I am so happy I did…

After missing out on a couple of the Cinci Meetup groups trips, I started poking around asking if anyone wanted to go with me. I soon got an email telling me I’d been made an event organizer. Huh. Okay, I can do that, right? Still feeling quite the noob, although I’ve learned a LOT in the past year, I worried that I didn’t know enough to be spearheading a backpacking outing… But what the heck.

I set up an overnight at Zaleski for January 18/19. As luck would have it the weather turned out pretty perfect for a winter trip: some snow on the ground, not too cold, a little sun, more snow during the night… And 5 other crazy people came along!

The biggest lesson learned on this trip: you can walk into the woods today with 5 strangers and walk out of the woods tomorrow with 5 new friends. The second biggest lesson learned: Yes, you do need a stupidly expensive down sleeping bag so you don’t freeze your ass off winter backpacking. And no, I don’t have one. Yet.

The hiking was beautiful, the scenery amazing—especially a detached perfect circle of ice on a creek that was spinning continuously in place in the current. More owls in the night, some coyotes howling, and the incredible sound of the snow pattering softly on the tent during the night. (There is something to be said for not sleeping while you’re sleeping in the woods at night: you hear and experience some pretty amazing things.) Much like in life in general, all of the good makes up for the little bit ‘o bad.

I’m already scouring my calendar for the next weekend I can load my pack and head back out into the woods. I can’t wait…

Hiking down the snowy trail:

This is my tent in the morning before I came out--new snow:

Scenery was awesome:



 

The group on the trail:



 

 

The group after the trail :)  :