Pack Rat

So I was going through my hiking gear in preparation for a post I wanted to do about my basic gear I've been taking along on my hikes lately and I got to thinking about how a lot of the stuff I use is stored in containers and such that I have saved. I tend to be a bit of a pack rat - if anything looks like it might be useful at a later date, I don't throw it out. This of course drives my wife nuts, but I've acquired a good closet shelf or two full of old jars, bottles, tins, etc. I've used a bunch of these types of things as part of my outdoor gear. Some examples are:

• Altoids tin - probably my most re-used item.  I've used these for survival kits, holding boxes of matches, a small portable alcohol stove, repair kits, etc.
• Glass pill / vitamin jars - makes a good way of transporting fuel for the alcohol stove mentioned above.  Also good waterproof containers for matches or other things you don't want to get wet.
• 35mm Film Containers - you don't see these quite as often as you used to with the whole push to digital photography, but I've used these for years to store miscellaneous odds and ends.  I have a few with matches, cotton balls and wax paper for fire starting, another one that holds basic survival stuff in it, and I have at least three of them in my fishing vest for sinkers, swivels and other assorted nonsense.
• Plastic Grocery Bags - kind of self-explanatory but I never leave on a hike or outdoor excursion without 3 or 4 of these.  I guarantee you will find a use for them, even if it's just picking up trash you find along the trail (Leave no Trace and all, you know...)
• Metal Coffee Cans - also can be crafted into stoves, or for carrying smaller cookware type items inside.
• Tin Cans - don't use the ones with the plastic lining (like you get diced tomatoes in) because of the BPA leaching, but standard tin cans make great cookware for nothing.  Cut a coat hanger to make a handle for the top of them.  If you have one of them there fancy can openers that removes the lids at the canning seam, you can also save the top as a lid to your pot.
• Hard Lexan Cutlery - those hard plastic spoons you get at picnics and such - next time you see one, grab it and throw it in your pack.  Almost indestructible (unless of course you sit on it), they will last a long time and are good for lunch on the trail or mixing cocoa or coffee.  Don't waste your money on fancy trail cutlery sets.
• Old shoelaces - if you have the thicker braided laces like you get with boots, chances are at least part of it is still in good shape.  These can be useful as emergency cordage - for fastening things to your pack or basic repair type stuff.

There are probably dozens more I am not thinking of at the moment.  The point is - give some thought to what you throw out.  Whenever I see something ready to go into the recycling can, I think to myself "what could I use this for outdoors...?"

Happy hiking!

Winter's Majesty

I know it's been too long since I've posted. More than two months as a matter of fact. Well now it's 2011 and one of my resolutions is to keep this blog a little more current. I've gotten a few requests for updates which is awesome, so I will do my best not to let you down.

Our usual monthly group got out on the AT again last weekend - this time we did a point-to-point hike from Fox Gap (north of Bangor) to Delaware Water Gap. We had done this one back in December as well, but it was just cold and miserable then. Still a great hike, just cold and damp. This time, we were treated to a fairly fresh covering of snow along the entire section of the trail. Last month we started at DWG and hiked south to Fox Gap, missing part of the AT along the way because we mistakenly went straight when we should have veered left, and ended up along an access road up to the top of the mountain. The trail is not blazed very well along the bottom at DWG, so if you hike this, be sure to check your blazes and if you have any question, stop and backtrack till you find one.





The Difference A Month Makes

Anyway, we hiked north to south last time, missing that whole section like I said. This time we decided to start at Fox Gap and hike north. I enjoyed this direction more for some reason. The weather was beautiful - cold but not too cold, and fairly sunny. We started around 9:45 AM. We very quickly came to the Kirkridge shelter, about a mile in. It's a standard AT shelter - although strangely enough the trail log was still missing (it was missing last month when we hiked there too). A quick stop-off at the privy for the girls, and we were back on our way.

About another 25 minutes and we hit Nelson Overlook - one of several great vistas along this section. The view of the land below blanketed in snow was unreal. We stopped here for a bit to take pictures and drink in the view, then continued on.



Nelson Overlook

Around noon, we hit Totts Gap, which I believe is almost at the halfway point. I dropped back to attend to nature's calling and when I got back with the group Brian told me the ladies wanted some coffee. We had been wanting to try out the cookware and stoves we'd acquired so this was the perfect opportunity. Brian broke out his propane/butane canister stove and I got out my Esbit stove. Of course I forgot to pack my Hexamine fuel tablets (they were at home in my other pack) so I borrowed a few of Brian's. We got the stoves fired up and within about 10 minutes we had coffee. Not the best coffee in the world but certainly some of the best made. There's nothing like a hot beverage on a freezing cold day out in the woods. It also gave me a chance to try the stove out and make a few mental notes of things I need to bring along next time. I'm going to cover these stoves in a followup post.



Not Starbucks

About another 45 minutes in we hit another great overlook - check out the great view of the Delaware river below. There were a few hikers here when we arrived - it turns out we actually ran into quite a few people later on but this was the first signs of civilization we saw the whole way so far.



Looking Into NJ

We then hit the final vista of the trail before descending into Delaware Water Gap. A great view of the mountain across the river in New Jersey accompanied another brief rest, and then we started our descent, this time along the correct portion of the AT that we skipped the month before.



Final Vista

It turns out the section we skipped was beautiful. I was a bit concerned about how tricky it would be with all the snow, since it was not as direct a route as the access road. It was a bit tricky in spots but nothing too bad. And there were some really great views along the way. Make sure you check out the complete photo set below and look towards the end of the set for photos of this section. We came to a small creek - Eureka Creek - too before the end which we had to cross, although it wasn't much of a challenge with large rocks serving as a makeshift bridge.

We finished up about 2:30 - almost 5 hours after we started. Considering the entire trail had a coating of snow and in spots it was as much as 6-8" deep, that's not too bad at all. It was a great cardio workout and an absolutely wonderful day to be out in the woods with great friends.

Till next time...

Complete photo set online here.