In which I've been too busy to talk about myself

I've been so busy lately.  Doctor visits, physical therapy, hiking, preparing for hiking, birthday, work.. there aren't enough hours in the day.

I'm happy to be in physical therapy, but at the same time I can't wait to be done because of all the time it's sucking out of my waking hours.  Man, I hope it's worth it!  I hope my back ends up stronger and more functional as a result.  I'm really not sure if that's happening or not.  I've been doing the same exercises for weeks.  Shouldn't they be getting more tough?

I went hiking this past weekend.  If you recall, I fell down on Wednesday and kind of roughed myself up.  Skinned knee (still scabby), roughed up palms, whiplash, back all kinds of unhappy.. but good enough to hike.  DeLee, unfortunately, was not that lucky.  Her doc said no hiking until she got an MRI.  So she was on the sofa with an ice pack all weekend.  Me, I went on.  Perhaps foolishly.  But I needed the mental break.

JD drove me out to Bears Den Hostel Friday evening so I could get an early start on Saturday.  It was nearly deserted when I got there.  Soon, however, three people I sort of knew showed up.  Total coincidence.  They went out and had hijinks, but I just went to bed, since I wanted to be gone around dawn.  And I was.

It was lonely without DeLee, but still beautiful.  The weather was about ten degrees colder and 30 mph windier than forecast, but I managed all right.  Part of the point of the weekend was working on my cold weather camping technique, and that I did.  Cold weather hiking technique, also.  It's a little tricky to wear enough warm stuff in windy weather while not wearing so much that you soak yourself with sweat.   I didn't get it right the whole time, but I managed to dry my clothing out while hiking so it worked out okay.

It was cold enough Saturday evening that my mug froze right away when I set it down with a few drops in it.  I pulled out most of the stops - I made a hot water bottle, I wore down slippers to bed, I opened up two "hotties" iron filings packets, and I started out wearing my down jacket in the sleeping bag.  Oh, and I slept in my down skirt.  First time ever that my butt didn't freeze.

I was able to take off the down jacket relatively quickly.  After that it was just a long, long night.  It was too cold to stay out of the bag after sundown, so I was in from around 6:30 to dawn.  The dawn was gorgeous, btw.  No pictures because the camera was still off from the night before.  I just lay there in my sleeping bag and sleepily gazed.  I had deliberately set my tent up just at the very edge of the ridge so that I would have an unobstructed view of the dawn, and I reaped the reward of that in the morning.  At night, I had the unexpected effect of seeing all the lights in the valley, which was pretty in its own way.

In the morning I got moving shortly after sunup.  It was below freezing when I started but warmed up quickly.  I saw hikers, which was pretty different from Saturday.  The day passed quickly as I bopped along the ridgeline.  Unfortunately, Saturday had been quite rocky (as was Sunday for that matter) and my arches weren't too happy with me.  I think I may have stepped on some of the rocks wrong, with weight on the arch.  At any rate, my feet kind of hurt on Sunday.  In fact they still kind of hurt now.  JD hiked in on Sunday and walked the last mile and a half with me, and was treated to the sight of me wincing and mincing as my feet completely gave up and just started screaming "eff you!" with every step.  They were happier once we got to the car and I changed out of boots and into crocs.

JD and I had celebratory pizza in Harpers Ferry, and then we drove home.  I had a shower and then a nap.  My nap lasted twelve hours.  It was a good nap.

We had dramatic clouds on the way out

I got the best bed in the bunkroom

There was a mysterious banana at Bears Den overlook

Rocks.  Rocks are cool.

Hey look, I'm in West Virginia!

The view from Raven Rocks.

Annnnnd there's the rocks

Lunch - peanut butter on pilot biscuits.  Delish.  I even found a warm bit of sun to sit in.  That's a log, btw, not a table.

I got water down at Blackburn Trail Center.  Probably should have just left the filter home, as now I'm wondering if I left it out long enough to crack or not.  I don't think so, but..

I never did get an exterior shot of the tent.  It got a little crowded inside after my pack explosion.

Rockdancer hat:  check

I didn't stay in the shelter, but I did use the nice chair (with back!) to retie my shoes and add some tape to my feet.

Hey looky, a town!

And a husband.  And pizza.

February 2012: nothing to write home about

I'm having kind of a sucky month.  I'm busy as a one legged man in an ass kicking contest.  I keep forgetting things (like my visa bill, apparently).  I keep being ungraceful.  I was freaking just walking yesterday and tripped on a ROCK and was laid out on the ground.  The chiropractor says I now have whiplash.

I'm pretty much ready for February to be over.

Speed post

Went to REI.  Purchased items.  (Have replaced all my daily wear jackets so I don't have to wear something that has permanent farm stains.  Also can reserve super ultralight down jacket for backpacking use.)  Practiced speech 3 times.  (It still sucks.)  Ate and ate and still haven't made it up to my minimum for the day.  No longer hungry, giving up.

Was a long day and tomorrow is going to be longer.

Hasta.  Maybe catch up with you Monday.

Whee new tent!

My new tent actually arrived several days ago, but I haven't had the time and energy to get it out and set it up until today.  I'm glad I had a long stretch of time, because I spent at least an hour just cutting, singeing, and knotting cords for guylines.  Oy.

Anyway, with that all done, I took it out into the yard to set it up.  The instructions are one page, typed.  No pictures.  I had to read carefully.  First I attached all the different length guylines to the correct spots, and then I worked on actually setting it up correctly.  However, it was fairly straightforward.  The geometry made it set up MUCH more nicely than my fairly similar Six Moon Designs Wild Oasis, since sold off to a lucky bidder on Ebay.

I must say, I'm pleased with the tent.  I weighed it after attaching all the guylines.  In the stuff sack, sans stakes, it weighs 13.5 oz.  Not too shabby!  It is extremely roomy inside.  There is a surprising amount of head room.  I should have guessed, since it wanted my hiking pole extended to 52" (which is pretty tall for an ultralight one man tent.)  While I had the pole extended, I painted a circle on it at the right spot.  My poles are unmarked so finding any specific length requires a measuring tape.  This way I'll always be able to find the right length.  Until the paint wears off.

The included seam sealer wants to be applied when it's over 60 degrees out.  It wasn't that warm today.  It will be later in the week, but I'll be at work.  I might come home from work for an hour just to seam seal, as it will be over 70 one day this week.  On the other hand, it's not supposed to rain this weekend, so I could go with an unseamsealed tent.  That pretty much guarantees rain, though..

I was texting DeLee while setting it up and having a look at it, so without further ado here are the pictures I took for her:

The view from inside looking out

My feet all the way down at one end.  Note the lots of room over them.

It takes TEN guy lines, which is a lot.  The guy lines sort of take the place of tent poles.

I'm sitting in one front corner, which my coat tossed down at the other end.  You can see the six inch gap all the way around the bottom.  That's mesh.  I'm sitting on the ground sheet, which is *inside* the tent.

With the extended beak down, for privacy or protection from driving rain.

Doggie is posed for size comparison.

A view showing how wide the door is.  Extended beak is rolled up.

And this view from the side sort of shows the bathtub floor of the groundsheet,  In theory I need to seam seal the ground sheet, but I can't find the seam!  I'll have to email Joe.

Shirley thinks we dum simmed

I've been trying to gather my gear for next weekend's backpacking trip.  How come it's so frustrating every time?  I can't find my X.  I don't remember the last time I saw my Y or Z.  It's all alphabetical up in here.

So, as I do every single time, I'm making a list of items that I need to locate (or refill) before I leave for the trip.  I hope that folding the laundry will provide me with all the clothing (except my silk shirt, which I have no idea where it is but I know I haven't worn it recently.)  I know I have at least three headlamps and I'm not sure where any of them are right now.  And since it's been more than a week since my last backpacking trip, I no longer have a fresh mental list of what I usually take.  Oy. (Although, I do have gear lists from previous trips.  That helps.)

Anyway, that's what I'm doing this evening.  That, and slowly migrating all my camping equipment to the sunroom, so that in the future it'll be a little handier (as compared to scattered around the entire upstairs.)  (And downstairs.  The stuff is freaking everywhere.)

This morning, I slept in, and then when Shirley and Susan got home from their respective churches, we went out for dim sum!  Unfortunately, by the time they got home from church and we got over to Wheaton, the pickings were getting a little slim.  I never did see some of my favorite items.  It was still tasty, though.

Shirley pouring tea while we waited (and waited) for somebody to come by with food.

Shrimp and chive dumplings, chicken curry egg rolls, some kind of noodle thing

I got to try a few things I'd never had before, so that was nice.  But if we go back, it'll be earlier.  We think the sweet spot is around 11:30.  Also, yesterday may have been overdoing it.  I was hungry again by the time we left the restaurant.  Stupid appetite!

Also also, there may be some apocalyptic kind of thing going on, because Andy voluntarily ate next to Olli today.  It was totally his idea.  I'd keep an eye out for dogs playing with cats (crap!  this totally happens here!) and other omens and portents.

Andy acting like it's totally normal for him to be this close to Olli.  Olli being shy about having his picture taken.

I so deserve dim sum tomorrow

Woohoo!  I did it!  I finally had the fortitude to walk the park twice. I've had the strength for a long time, but I've never been able to face the boredom of retracing my footsteps for another two hours.  Today, I buckled down, listened to my podcasts, and did it.  I had motivation.  Guilt free dim sum!  I am so there.  Tomorrow.

I did around eleven and a half miles in around four and a half hours. That's pretty close to what I'll do next Saturday, but I intend to take a lot longer to do it then.  It'll be prettier terrain, it'll be tougher terrain (we'll be starting in "The Rollercoaster"), and I'll be carrying significantly more gear.  Plus, it's hard to charge ahead while gabbing, and much of the point of going backpacking with DeLee is the conversation.

I had a nutritional plan for today, and it worked pretty well.  Cereal and a banana for breakfast, high carbs snacks on the trail, regular low carb for dinner.  After having cereal (high protein, high fiber cereal) and a banana, I was on some kind of crazy sugar high.  Man, my body adjusted to low carb very quickly.  I decided I better not add caffeine to the mix, and swapped my Keurig cup for something decaf.  And then I charged off to the park.

Isn't that a nice little trail?

I find bridges to be very inviting.  It's nice to cross a ravine / stream with little effort and dry feet.

After that, mildly triumphant, I drove down to check on Pluto.  I had intended to blanket him against the incoming snow, but it was still nearly sixty degrees!  Instead, I fed him cookies.

This was the best picture I could get.  Cookie shark wouldn't leave me alone.  I'll be keeping an eye on the weather and possibly dashing out to blanket him, but as you can see it was still gorgeous out.

JD suggested a nap after I got home, and it sounded like a genius idea to me.  Unfortunately, I couldn't sleep.  I have two more chances, though.  Three day weekend woo!  I realize that some people have more exciting plans than napping, but I really like napping.

The Trail showed up at my house today

This is how my day went.  I didn't notice that I was wearing one boot, one running shoe, until I got to work.  I stopped at the vet's office on the way.  I figure I was wearing the footwear for an hour before I noticed.

I would like to be a morning person.  I've tried.  I'm just not.  I can get up, but I can't be alert.  OBVIOUSLY.  There is a very good chance that any decisions I make before about 10 am (having been up 2-3 hours) will be wrong.   If at all possible, nobody should ask me any questions until after lunch.  Ideally nobody will talk to me at all until my brain has gotten up to speed.  Some kind of minimum coasting is required for conversation.

I am so grateful that today is Friday.  I'm planning to go to bed early and get up late.  And then, if I have somehow recovered from today's somnolence, I'm going to try to get in two complete perimeter loops around the park.  I need a huge calorie deficit so I can go out for dim sum on Sunday without adding a spare tire.

I received two awesome things in the mail today:  My own personal white blaze

Made personally and gifted to me by the creative genius that is Just Blue Skies

And my new tent, a Zpacks Hexamid Plus.  I hope to set it up and seamseal it this weekend so it's ready, but I don't intend to use it on my camping trip next weekend, as I want to use a warmer tent.

When it's set up, the Hexamid will look like this:

Very open, very airy, very LIGHT

Whereas next weekend's tent will look like this (unless the forecast changes a lot)

Much more enclosed, although of dubious seamsealing now that I think of it.

And that's all my scattered brain is holding right now.  G'night.