15 days

15 days until we fly out to the east coast, 16 until we are on the trail, but then who is counting. Okay we are!! Sunday and some of Monday were taken up by food and gear prep. Sunday was a beautiful day and while we should have been off hiking and trying to get in shape again, we were instead seam sealing our new tent. We are going to be using the Gossamer Gear Squall Classic tent. This is a 2 person tent made of spinnaker cloth (read very noisy). The tent will require a trekking pole to stay up but we will have plenty of those with us. The tent seems a bit tight but considering how many shelters there are along the AT, I don't think a tight tent will be a problem. I'm not sure how many shelters we will stay at but having a tent along for just in cases, or if we decide to push on a few more miles will be nice.

We also spent much of the day getting ready and prepping food. We should probably be buying stock in freezer bags. We must have bought about 300 bags. We prepared a few meals from freeze dried meat, potatoes and corn or peas. We plan on mostly resupplying in towns along the way, but there are a few towns where the resupply is very slim to nil so we will supplement with a few well placed mail drops. I spend some time measuring out meals, and fruit. We then spent the rest of the evening laying out the food in piles and trying to determine where we had short falls. We are definitely short on breakfast meals, and a few suppers. Lunches we can either survive on the protein and energy chews or whatever we can find at gas stations for resupply. Our living room looks like a hiker invasion with hiker food all over the place. At least we have paths through the maze of food.

Busy week

This was a busy week. We only have a couple weeks left to finalize our plans then we are hitting the trail. We are going to hike the AT and this time I'm going much lighter than the last time. I have been trying to finalize gear, and make sure we have what we need. I think I have all the gear I need. I'm looking into getting a quilt which will lighten up my sleeping system and hopefully will work well for me considering I am a cold sleeper and when I sleep it is on my stomach.

We have our new data book which I scanned so I have a digital copy on my nook. I am not sure the nook will go along for the entire trail but it will be nice to read at the beginning. Reading was the one thing I noticed I missed most on the first trip, so I started carrying books when I found them. This time I can take about 16 Gb worth book for the low low price of 14 oz. Hopefully we will have the time and energy to hike the Long Trail too, but we will figure that out when we get there. The Long Trail, just like the Appalachian Trail is part of a three trail network. The Long Trail is part of the Triple gem which also includes the John Muir and Colorado Trail. The Appalachian Trail is part of the Triple Crown which also includes the Pacific Crest and Continental Divide Trails. Maybe one day we will complete the Triple Crown and by doing the Long Trail we will also have completed the Triple Gem.

Outdoor Retailer Show

This week was the Outdoor Retailer Show. This is a show that allows companies to showcase their new gear for the upcoming winter season. So much of the stuff show at this event will be for the Fall/Winter 2010 season. Some companies were also showcasing things available soon or already available. This is my second time going to this show and while I can't say I am psyched up to go, I'm not yet bored with the show either. I don't really care for going to some appointments but others are quite fun. I love seeing the new Smartwool products as well as Ibex products. I do like getting the swag that companies give out as well as trying new things. At this show, we were also looking for replacement gear for our upcoming backpacking trip. I am trying to lighten up my load for this trip as I would rather carry more food then gear weight. We have bags lined up as well as some outwear. I am going to be wearing mostly wool on this trip but I do need to find replacement hiking pants, as well as a lighter cookset.

This show was rather productive as we managed to get eVEnt rain jackets for cheap. Some companies sell off items or have special sells of items, we got lucky that a rain jacket we were interested in was being sold off for a great price. So rain jacket is out of the way, but I need rain pants. We managed to dial in outer gloves (actually mitts), and found some food that is good that we will look into for the trip. I also got a replacement spork and a long handled spoon. I also bought some ultralight stuff sacks and a headlamp. I think we are pretty close, just a few things left to dial in. I need to figure out if I need to upgrade my pack or not once all the gear is laid out. I want to but if I need a pack the same size there is no point. If I can go down to a smaller pack and save more weight, then I might just do it. More later on the gear list and the planning of our first long distance hike together.

More winning stuff

Last year I was at the Outdoor Retailer show and I won a drawing to kayak for 6 days with the Whales in Baja. I was more then a little surprise and totally thrilled. The only reason I was even entered was because I had an appointment with the company to sign them up to test gear with us. I feel the only reason I won was because about three of the names they called hadn't bothered to show up and so I was the last name called. I liked that the person doing the drawing started off with the first looser. The first item given away was for a wet/dry pack. The next 6 where for posters of prints from a Canadian wildlife artist who is doing the Wild Image Project. Several of the names called hadn't shown up so that left me the final winner. It was amazing how quickly the crowd dispersed after that. I got my photo taken and traded cards with people before my boyfriend showed up. I had to call him over to inform him that we were the lucky recipients of a kayaking trip. There is a picture of the two of us somewhere out there hugging and laughing.

So this winter show, I was again entered into a bunch of drawings. I didn't get most of the stuff I entered to win (too bad), but I did win the Woolrich drawing for a custom printed Thule car-top carrier. It was rather amusing as I hadn't tossed my card in, someone else did and it was after they already drew out a name for something else. Boy were they upset that I won and they didn't, they tossed their card in at the same time. So I am now the proud owner of a Woolrich imprinted car-top carrier. With that on my car I am guaranteed to never lose it in a parking lot again. It has the Woolrich plaid logo imprinted all over the top. I think it is pretty cool and amusing. I can't wait to actually use it. We tossed it into the back of the truck to get it home (it didn't fit it was that long) and it is sitting in the living room waiting for its first use. Although sadly we managed to scratch it up already.

Lots of planning

We have been running around a lot lately trying to get things organized for our upcoming kayaking trip. I won a kayaking trip to Baja (yeah lucky me) to kayak with the whales for 6 days. We will be going with Alaskan Mountain Guides. We decided to upgrade to the 10 day trip to get the most out of our trip. But basically we have had to pull out all the packed gear and unpack it. Considering that we just moved and the gear was nicely packed up, this wasn't too much trouble. I then had to sort through most of it to determine what we needed to bring, what we didn't need and what we might like if there was room. We have the major items we need so far including the spray jackets and pants (I have dry pants), footwear, paddling gloves and the little things like eyeglass retainers and sun hat retainers. So far there is still stuff missing from the pile as we are also planning a big backpacking trip. So there are two piles of gear, kayaking stuff for the kayaking trip, and backpacking stuff for the backpacking trip. But in the end, some of the stuff in the backpacking pile will have to migrate to the kayaking pile as the kayaking trip is coming up first. We need to migrate over our sleeping bags, some of the clothes, and some food items plus eating utensils. I also have to follow up with them about a tent. They didn't say to bring one, but said to bring a ground sheet. So I can't tell if they are providing tents, or if we are camping out under a tarp. I don't mind the tarp if there is full coverage but if it rains, sand will get everywhere. So since we have a small tent, I think a tent will be making its way into our bag. I would love to bring my PFD so I can bring my kayaking hydration bladder. I might if there is room, but I get the feeling there will not be enough room. I am afraid I will forget my hydration bladder on the PFD they lend me. I'd love to bring my paddle too but I somehow doubt that would survive the flight (or if TSA will even allow me to carry it on). Hoping to get some great pictures on the trip and have a great time.

Summer OR show

I thought the winter show was pretty big and crazy but the summer show while about the same size had more area being covered, like paddle sports. There were just as many parties and seemed to be just as many people crowding the aisles. I was running from appointment to appointment and when I didn't have scheduled appointments I was trying to meet with retailers to set up appointments or to pitch the new watersports section of the site. It was a crazy week and I think I will be feeling the effects of it for a little while. I will have to email tons of people and try to set up gear to be tested on the site.

It turned out to be a really great show in more ways then one. Not only was I pitching my own site, but I won a few nice items while I was there. I won a very nice messenger bag from KEEN. I also won a wool top from Icebreaker. I won several pairs of shows. And the big win was a kayaking trip for two to Baja, Mexico to kayak with the whales. I was really surprised to hear them call my name as it was really a last minute addition to the drawing. I was there to talk to the retailer and he entered my name in the drawing. So I was understandably surprised that I had actually won. Who wins these things? Apparently people do win them. So we are now all psyched up to go on this amazing trip. I really can't wait.

Tomorrow is the last day of the show and I don't really expect to have too much to do. Mostly I have a few little things to do and we might even be able to get out before lunch and hit the road early for more trail time.

One week

One week until I get to take time off of work, fly out to Utah and enjoy catching up with people I met the first time I was out there. And more trail time. And a backpacking partner I actually like to backpack with. I am leaving it up to his Utah experienced hands to pick out some nice places to show off. I fear that he has too many to chose from and will be wracked with indecision. Guess it really depends on how I take to the altitude when I am out there. But I have two weekends out in Utah and hopefully will be able to hit some nice trails. I am looking forward to a change of view and change of pace. I have been doing so much kayaking that I fear I might be out of backpacking shape.

I also can't wait to get out there for the big gear show that is happening. I went out to the winter version of the show and it was awesome. I am ready to be wow'ed again with what I hear is the bigger summer show. I also can't wait to check out all the kayaking stuff. I have been reading that they have class III rapids below the reservoir to play in with the white water boats. I am just barely comfortable with the Class III on the Potomac here so I am not sure I will hit the white water out there, but I am definitely going to be hitting the water on the reservoir and have fun playing on the flat water.

Time to hit the trail

I have been on the water so much the last month that I think I am starting to feel a little water logged. Not only did I do the week long kayaking training certification but that weekend I taught two classes. One class was one on one instruction as only two people showed up and two instructors. I have also been running a lot of social paddles as well as peer paddles both during the week and on the weekend. Last week I ran the gorge with some friends and was so excited to be trying out a play boat that I forgot to change from my glasses to my sun glasses with the strap. Needless to say, I left my glasses on the bottom of the Potomac. At least it was only my glasses. The boat was so squirrelly that I kept capsizing it. So I really got in my rolling practice that run. I am waiting for my new glasses to come in. I decided to just order a few off the internet and I hope I can get the lasik done on my eyes at the end of summer.

So after all that paddling, it is time to go hit the trails. I have a nice gravity filter to play with as well as a sleep system by Therm-A-Rest that I can't wait to try. The system is supposed to feel more like a bed then a body bag. I hope I can sleep better. Only problem is my hiking partner is not here and I am not sure I want to carry the big tent. I am waiting for a lighter tent to arrive but in the mean time I think I might just tarp tent on this trip. I cam bring the hammock and optionally if there are good trees I can swing for the night.

New reviews site

I have been working like crazy on a new website based on the gear testing I do for the backpacking group I am a part of. This site is for kayak gear reviews and hopefully testing in the future. Right now the site is still really young but I have been working hard on both the front end to make it look good and the back end to make it stable and useful to the people who would be using the site. The site can be found here http://kayakgearreviews.org. I hope that this site will eventually get up and running as I really do believe that it can be a useful resource to people who are looking into buying kayaking gear. Not only that but I also hope to build a community around the site that the members can use to interact with. I have a forums and a social aspect to the site already set up and the reviews will be listed on another part of the site. I am really psyched up about this and hope it will work out well. I am going to the Summer OR show this year and hope that I will have time to approach companies about the site and see if I can generate some interest in getting manufacturers to test gear with the site. So rather then get outside and enjoy myself this Memorial day weekend, I actually put in many hours of work getting the site up and running and tweaking things to look just the way I want them too. I actually had to wait a few days for all the DNS servers to populate with the address and figure out if I had all the setting set correctly. Everything looks really good and KGR is live and ready to go. The site went live today which is really cool.

Outdoor Review show

I had a chance to go to an outdoor gear trade show, where manufacturers had new gear on display for the media and distributors to see. I went as working media for the site I do gear testing for and had an absolute blast. I wish I had known about these sooner. I felt like a kid in a candy store, a really big candy store full of really cool things. As I had never gone to one of these shows before, I was shadowing one of the veteran show goers so learn how things are done. I followed one guy in particular as he was going to many of the vendors that I was really interested in hearing about their new product lines. The show is pretty overwhelming and huge. I can't believe how big the venue was. I got sore feet just walking around trying to see everything. I wasn't sure what to bring clothing wise so I packed hiking stuff and wasn't that comfortable with the hiking pants I had brought. The only bonus to having them was that they had side vents so when I got hot legs later in the day, I could vent some. I learned a lot at this show and had a really good time. I am really looking forward to going back for the Summer show, especially since I hear they have kayaks to play with.

The venue for the shows is out in Salt Lake City over the course of 5 days with the first day as a demo day to try things. I happened to fly in during a big temperature inversion which had the city socked in with fog. I was staying at a fellow gear tester's home and little did I know he had a 2 year old kid that liked to wake up at 4:00 in the morning and bang around. It was almost a good thing for the time difference as I was up before the kid, but that meant I got very little sleep. In fact, I was lucky if I got about 3-4 hours per night while I was there. Between going to bed pretty late, then waking up early, I was wired from lack of sleep. The show also made for somewhat long days with all the waking around and trying to see everything. Someone had a pedometer and one day we walked almost 8 miles. The problem is that the building has concrete flooring and not much padding on top of it. It was hard on the feet and back. Next time I am bringing my crocs, I think my feet will be happier.

The nice part of the show and being working media was the stuff that the vendors gave us. Since I was piggybacking along with people who knew what they were doing, I got all kinds of really nice stuff. I got a Kleen Kanteen bottle, a pair of Patagonia shoes, and lots of really nice socks. I realized that is a way to ask for stuff and I need to learn how to do that. I can get some stuff but apparently I could have gotten more from some vendors. Oh well. It was lots of fun and I look forward to another show.

Inaugural Day

I picked a really bad time to fly out of the capital. All the bridges were closed to vehicular traffic except buses and taxis. I was planning on public transit anyways. My flight out left around 4, but I decided to leave at 12:30 opting to sit in an airport and be on time then to fight with unknown numbers of people to miss my flight. In the end, it was actually a little creepy to be traveling through sections of DC and not encounter any traffic and few people. Life goes on, but this was strange. At the last stop in the District the station was flooded with people and I was really glad I already had a seat. As the metro traveled over the overpass, I looked out and only saw a couple of buses and taxis on a normally crowded bridge. The airport was not too crowded when I arrived, but slowly became more and more crowded as people made their way back. I overheard people talking about how badly crowded the metro system was. So bad in fact that one couple decide to just walk to the airport. That must have been some walk. I'm really glad I left early. AT least I had some knitting to work on in the lounge.

I was flying out to Utah to enjoy my very first trade show for outdoor gear and equipment. My first introduction to Utah was getting rerouted to Colorado to refuel as there was a temperature inversion in Salt Lake City that was causing bad fog. They were landing planes but cautiously. We needed to refuel so we could circle waiting out turn. What fun. I wasn't sure I was even going to land that night and neither did the people I was staying with. I did eventually land around 11:00. I was warned there was a 2 year old who would be bumping around when he woke up at 4 in the morning. So that made for a very short night of sleep with a 2 hour time difference. Fun stuff. I am ready to go and enjoy the show though.

Gear testing

I have been busy with gear testing recently. Actually I was asked to be a call manager so now I have to prepare notices of gear that is available to be tested, post a call then look at all the applications that come in. While it is fun to write the call, it can be quite a bit of work going through all the applications and as usual I tend to let them all pile up until the end of the call. So far I have been pretty lucky that the calls I write don't generate many applications, but at the same time, I wonder why my calls don't generate as much interest. Oh well.

I am now testing a thermal jug, a day pack, a light down jacket, and a 15 F sleeping bag. I am about half way through testing a watch and I think this is the last watch I test. They are harder to test then I thought they would be. I think it would be nice to test a tent or shelter but I already have plenty of them and was actually thinking of buying a Henry Shire Rainbow tarp tent. Much lighter then anything I have tested. And since we already tested it, I'm not sure I will have a chance to actually test one, so I might as well buy one and enjoy it. I just got most of the new items for testing recently so I have barely had a chance to play with them. In fact I just got the sleeping bag a few days ago. I love the fiery red colour.

Its snowing!

I think this is the first real snowfall this season. We had a light dusting twice before but nothing that really stuck around. It has been snowing since about 10:00 this morning and hasn't really let up. Everything outside is slowly being covered up with a white layer.

I have a quick backpacking trip planned for this Friday and we are expecting more snow on Saturday. Could be interesting. This will be an easy winter camping trip to try to hammer down gear and also make sure the tent I am testing gets tested. I will unfortunately be carrying a really heavy winter bag until the 20F bag (my next test item) arrives. While it is a really good bag, a Sierra Designs Woman-specific bag rated to 0F, it is about 4.5lb. I only really use it as a winter quilt in really cold weather inside the apartment. Now that my apartment has heat included and they keep the place as warm as a sauna, I have not needed it. I can't turn off all the radiators, there is one that will not close, so I can only regulate the heat by strategic window opening.

Thank goodness its Friday

For some reason this week has passed exceedingly slowly and yet I alsmost can't believe its Friday. My boyfriend was out of commission for two days with back pain. It is slowly getting better and he is back at work but I felt a little bad leaving him alone at my place with nothing to do. He said the sleep did him good. I think the cat really liked the company. I do feel bad for the cat as I don't make it home very much anymore and I will be out camping this weekend.

I am organizing my first backpacking trip of the year. I was added to the meetup group as an assistant organizer so I have the power to add my own event. I have three other people who are interested in going. I set it up as an easy hike. Just in to a nearby shelter, spend the night then back out. This gives me a chance to break in my feet to my sandals and test several pieces of gear at once. I have a backpack and bivy to test as well as soft shell rain coat and pants.

The fermentation on the second batch of beer went faster than the first batch, which is what I was hoping for. So I am hoping that tonight I can get the third batch on and set up for a hike. I am hoping to find time to run to the beer store as the chocolate extract finally came in for my chocolate stout. I also finally ordered my beer brewing books. I ended up getting Brewing Great Beers and Radical Brewing. Both looked very good and I can't wait to really start reading them. I am not sure where I am going to find the time for that but I am sure I can squeeze it in somewhere.

Lazy rainy weekend

What a lazy weekend. It rained for most of Saturday afternoon and into Sunday. It didn't help that I wasn't feeling good and my boyfriend had a sore throat. We ended up sleeping in and getting almost nothing done. It was quite relaxing but I felt really lazy for having done very little. We did manage a little shopping and then caught a movie.

I had a chance to get my new rain coat that I am testing wet this weekend. The reports are due soon on the coat and matching pants so I need to finish them and get them in. I am testing a GoLite soft shell rain coat and pants set. The set is interesting because the inside and outside of the jacket and pants are made of a brush nylon. It really does not look like a traditional rain coat and neither does it feel like one. They are relatively quite when I move and are soft to the touch. The pants are stand alone rather then a shell and the jacket is comfortable enough to wear just a t-shirt under and not have to worry about sticking to the inside. I really can't wait to really get these items out on a hard hike with rain. What has me wondering is how much it really can stop rain from seeping in through the fabric.

Happy Birthday to me!

It's my birthday today and what am I doing to celebrate? How about trying to get my taxes done so I don't have to worry about them. I managed to slog through all 6 forms that I had to fill out. I also found out that I filled out my taxes wrong for the last few years and I should go back and look at them. If I can get a better return then I should amend them too. One of them will have to be done before this years tax deadline. So add two more forms to deal with on top of the 6 I already did. Ugh!

One of the girls in the lab brought in a really nice brownie style cake with rich gooey frosting. They also sang for me, which was slightly embarassing. There goes the diet though. I have been picking up a little weight again over the last month since I haven't been paying attention and since I keep eating out with my boyfriend. It really isn't a lot of weight but it is there and once it start accumulating, if I don't move into attack mode, it will keep accumulating and become even harder to lose. Also, for some reason it seems to accumulate only in my stomach first so my pants are starting to get tight. Good thing hiking season is pretty much upon us here is DC. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous over the last few days. So it is time to get out and scale some mountains and use some of the new gear I just received for testing.

I heard from my parents and my brother today. I also got a birthday card from my grandparents. Very nice. I am wondering though if my boyfriend forgot or is waiting until he gets back from his trip home. I guess I will find out Sunday when he gets back. I won't hold it against him, it is just a day after all. But a simple Happy Birthday phone call would have been nice. Especially since he kept asking me when it was, like he was making a point of remembering it. Maybe he has something up his sleeve.

More tests finished

I managed to get a whole slew of reports written and uploaded for the gear testing I do. It was not a good week when I found out I had at least 4 reports due in the span of 1 week. I had at least written most of each report over the last 2 weeks leaving proofreading and tying up the ends. The spanner in the works came when I received a new backpack for testing bringing the report count up to 5 due in the next few days. Add on the new man in my life and things became quite interesting. Thank goodness I invested in a laptop months ago. Double thank goodness that there is a wifi node at his apartment that I can use to get access to my reports (I find I am doing just about everything online nowadays). So I managed to get everything in under the wire. So I am now the proud owner of a set of YakTrax, a GoLite long sleeve shirt and a Redledge fleece jacket. I am now in test mode for a bivy, a backpack, snowshoes (hopefully West Virginia won't run out of snow any time soon), and two little pocket books. I also recently put in a application to test rain gear. I hope I get chosen for the jacket and pants set. I try to never get my hopes up, I send in an application then forget about it until I get an email saying congratulations. It is best to not get too attached during the application process.

Snowshoes and yarn

I only had about three hours of sleep the night before, so I left work a little early and crashed. As I was leaving this morning I noticed two boxes vrom UPS waiting for me. Either they had arrived in the morning or I had missed them last night. So the snowshoes I am going to be testing have arrived. They are quite nice. I can't wait to take them out for a spin. They weigh in at just under 3 lbs. I also received the yarn and needles I ordered. Now I can finish a project I have had on the needles for a while now. I ran out of yarn. I hope the colour matches well as I don't really want to rip it back any more to blend the colours. I think I have enough loose yarn from the last ball to blend a few rows but only if it isn't too noticeable.

Not sure why but I had a really nasty case of insomnia. I woke up at midnight and couldn't get back to sleep. At least last night I was able to catch up a little. I felt like a walking zombie near the end of the day. Everytime I sat down in front of the computer to work on the mounting paperwork, I found myself drifting off. I am still feeling a little tired from staynig out late on Friday night after the holiday party then again on Saturday night after the movie meetup. I ended up skipping supper last night in favour of going to bed early. At least I am not snacking on junk. I did lose the 5 lbs from NanoWriMo. I ate a little too much junk while I was writing. My wrists are still a little sore as I find I am not typing protocols at work then trying to finish the novel at home at my non-ergonomic workstation. I really should pull the keyboard off the computer and hook it up to the laptop. It would help with the posture and I wouldn't be resting my wrists so much on the laptop surface.

I rearranged the boxes in the apartment. I put all the book boxes in the closet to hide them away until I get bookshelves. I unpacked a few of the smaller boxes of things I have space for right now. I think the aquariums are going. I posted them on Craigslist, I will see what happens. If there are no takers before I leave I will have to invite someone over to help rearrange furniture to make the apartment more livable. I think I will keep the little one gallon aquarium, I might get a couple of nice fish and bring it into work.

Carderock Hike

The day hiking group was getting out today so I decided to go. I didn't realize that the hike was only along the C&O canal. This meant is was a nice flat hike. I was completely prepared for real hiking and thus over prepared. Apparently there are toilets spaced at nice intervals all along this part of the canal. The weather was nice and brisk, perfect for hiking as the cool wind prevented over heating. I was wearing my hiking sandals netting me a few strange looks. No my feet were not cold! The one think I noticed was that after not wearing my sandals for almost two months, my feet were nice and tender and I ended up with a few raw points. It was a shame because there is another hike next weekend and I don't think I will be able to go if my feet are still raw. Also, I really dislike my leather hiking boots due to their stiffness so hiking in boots are out too. I will ahve to go out and get some trail runners so I can have spring and fall footwear. Otherwise, I will have to toughen up my feet and find a way to keep them tough.

I found out I will be testing snowshoes this winter. They have asked me to trade with another tester as the company was unwilling to ship overseas so I am testing a very small light pair. they look like fun and I can't wait to get ehm and try them out. I hope I can get them before I leave for Christmas break as I want to play with them over the break. Snow is easier to come by in Canada then down here. I will have to travel out to the mountains. I have also heard that a little snow here will shut the city down. I am glad I live walking distance to work. If there is any large accumulation, I can run in deal with the few emergency things then come back home. Everyone else lives a fair distance away. I keep trying to tell myself that I am made of tougher stuff but I find the cold is affecting me more then it used to.