Well, it was a great solo overnighter! I didn't think anyone would be able to join me on such short notice. As much as I enjoy the company, I also enjoy solo hikes. It's a good chance to mess with gear and relax a little. You go at your own pace.
This trip was about clearing the head and messing with some gear. First off I planned the hike so I had to cross the Castor river at the very begining of the hike. This was a test of my new shoes, Sportivia Ultra Raptors. I wanted to try hiking in shoes that aren't waterproof. So I just plowed into the river up to my knees and hiked across. It was FREEZING COLD but within 5 minutes after crossing i was warm enough. I did have to stop and tighten my laces up a bit but it wasn't uncomfortable hiking in the wet socks or shoes. By the time I made camp, my feet were only slightly damp and not uncomfortable at all. Changed into dry socks at night; by morning my other socks were almost completely dry.
This is a conservation area so there aren't really a lot of trails; going in I just hiked north along the eastern bank of the Castor river; at times it was more like climbing rocks and hills. So I didn't hike much, just wandered around and explored the river; spent a lot of time in camp reading a book, messing with equipment.
Next I changed out my tie outs on my hammock. I used a shock cord loop at each tie out to secure a tiny line lock. I ran my line up through those. There's a thread on the site that shows it and I attached a picture. I have to say, it's the best thing since sliced bread I can't believe how well it works, makes adjusting your tie outs ultra simple and it's still ultralight weight. I know some purists only want knotts but these line locks work far better than the pursac's I was using. Seriously, it's the best set up for tarp tie outs that I've ever used or seen. Even after it rained at night they held securely. I added only a few grams to my tarp weight by adding them. If you're not 100% on your setup you owe it to yourself to consider this way of doing it.
Next I tested out my new cook kit; it worked wonderfully. Also, I HIGHLY recommend Ramen Rescue from Packit Gourment. Add that to your Ramen noodles and it makes them so much better. I also add 1/2 a cup of parmesan cheese! I also enjoyed Mac and Cheese cooked in, and eaten from the pot; didn't taste like a rehydrated meal; instead it tasted just like it does off the stove top!! Used and REI camp spoon that won't melt if you stir boiling food in the pot and I used a homemade cozy for the pot after cooking to keep my food warm.
Tested a set of hammock gear 20 degree top and bottom quilts. These have their new suspension; all I can say is "perfect". My base weight on this trip was about 8.32 lbs; for that weight I love having the benefit's of full lenght quilts; no pads or fussing with anything!
Used my new Black Rock Gear Hadron-S hat; it's a dream to sleep in. In fact, it was almost too warm for this trip; it only got down to around freezing. Another benefit of the Hadron is that it doesn't itch as bad as my wool watchcap did.
I did decide that from now on I'll skip my Gossamer Gear Murmer Pack when I'm packign the full length quilts. The weigh isn't a problem but stuffing them into the Murmur seems to put a lot of pressure on the stitching; from now on I'll use my Gossamer Gear G4 when I'm carrying full length quilts and use the Murmur when I drop down to 40 degree 3/4 quilts.
So it was a great trip; ate well, rested, read a really good book, and even enjoyed a light rainfall at night; I like the sound it makes on the tarp.
Lesson; when you get a chance to go...go.
Here's a link to a short video that shows a part of the river.
Gideon
http://youtu.be/cHPBBqiyNw8
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