Friday April, 13 

This is an attempt to enter data using voice recognition.  If I could take this on the trail with me I could keep my journal up to date in real time and it would go so much easier.  If I could use this on my kindle keyboard I could dictate as I Hike.

H

Saturday, April 14, 2012

I bought a retractable USB 2.0 kit which contained four USB connectors and one retractable USB extension cord.  I am hoping this will fill all my connection needs.  The USB charging cable I ordered for the phone did not work so I make one using the phone end of an old 12 volt adapter and the computer end of a USB cable, cutting and soldering them together, and have an eight inch USB adapter for my phone that works great.  I may redo it and make it 3 or 4 inches shorter and weigh a few grams less.

I picked up a package of Starbucks Via coffee yesterday at Costco and thought I would try it today.  Guess what! It tastes just like instant coffee!  Of course, I have never really been a fan of Starbucks, anyway!  But this may just work on the trail.

I am doing four miles hikes, every three days, with about 20 pounds worth of backpack.  I have four of those in and ready to kick it up another mile or so, whatever the next leg of the road is.

This morning I was shopping on the Internet for a sleeping bag that could go to 15°.  I found a TNF (the north face) cat’s meow synthetic fiber that weighed in at 1 pound 8 ounces.  I was thinking of a warmer bag, but, if I leave in February, I may need a “warmer” bag.

H.


Sunday, April 15, 2012
Yesterday, or was it the day before, I took all of the hiking gear and supplies to the shed and weighed and photographed them.  I’m up to 33 pounds already, allowing 8.6 pounds for base gear not purchased yet.  Such as:

Base Gear
Tent/Tarp	1	40.00	40.0
Sleeping Bag	1	40.00	40.0
SB liner	1	5.00	5.0
Foot print	1	10	10.0
Back pack	1	40.00	40.0
AL Tent Stake	8	0.3	2.4

 My goal is to stay under 30 pounds total pack weight and I have more things to add.  Not much room left! Weights are listed in ounces.  Would love to come in under weight, but I don’t know If I can afford that!

…Fast forward a few hours…

OK, after I did a four and a half mile hike today, I ordered the base gear, finally!  This is what it looks like.  Individual weights are listed in ounces and the total in pounds. The tent weight includes allowances for stakes and tie lines.   So coming in at 9.2 pounds isn’t too bad, I guess!  Pack weight is looking to be around 31.2 pounds total pack weight with food and water.  Add another five pounds for clothing that I will be wearing, shoes, and hiking poles and the total comes to 36.6 so far.  I would like for that number to be under 35 pounds.

Base Gear				Lbs
Tent/Tarp	1	42.00	42.0
Sleeping Bag	1	44.00	44.0
SB liner	1	5.00	5.0
Foot print	1	10	10.0
Back pack	1	34.00	34.0
AL Tent Stake	0	0.3	0.0
Nite IZE Tent lines	0	0.5	0.0
Sleeping Pad	1	12.00	12.0
				9.2

 I found the tent on Ebay for $279, $90 off list, which is the best price I have seen.  The others I ordered from BaseGear.com.  The sleeping bag, a Cat’s Meow synthetic weighing in at 44 ounces was on sale for $150, down (no pun intended) from $200.  The backpack is a Granite Gear Crown V.C. at 34 ounces, for $160, after a 20% off (of $200) for first order. The sleeping pad is a Therm-a-rest NeoAir XLite listed at $160, but I got the 20% discount for it also, bring it to $128.  Adding in $48.79 for faster shipping brought the damage for the day to $765, after rounding.  So the waiting begins!







 

This week we plan to take off for Moab, UT for a few weeks.   I will give me a chance to get in some real trail miles and hopefully some overnight time in the tent and sleeping bag.  Here’s to hoping it goes well! 

H.

Been a couple of week, time to update!

I am up to four mile every three days with the pack. Got on the scales the other day and from SO (skin out) was looking at 22 lbs. total, (pack, water jugs, clothing, shoes and poles).  Just added another 4 lbs for tomorrows trek.

During a  Costco run, found some new carbon fiber hiking poles and a Nike light weight "dry-fit" shirt..  Who would have thought that two ounces each pole would make such a difference!  Next trip to Costco, I picked up three more of the shirts, three pairs of dri wix hiking underware, six pairs of  kinda dri socks (we'll see) and found the Stri-pen (for water purification) for $50! I had been looking at on line and the lowest on line price I had found was $80.

I ordered a Titanium Pot and Spork, and some  tiny #9 biners with tie lines for my tent/tarp, made a couple of pot cozies.  My box is starting to get crowded! 

I have been looking at different modes of keeping a journal and have decided to get a Kindle Keyboard.  I decided that to combat boredom on the trial, I should do a lot of reading.  I do that now (a lot for me, anyway) when on the road in the RV but  I don't want to carry a lot of books.  Kindle solves that, and with a $0.99 app will make a good journal.  I ordered the one with free 3G, and WIFI, so I can surf a little and do Email  if near a town with a 3G tower!  Will not replace my Ipad, but at 1.0 lb. less weight, it will work for me, and be great for book reading and maps in PDF format.  Now I don't have to buy an Iphone.

My electronics will now include my current six year old "dumb" phone, (for which I had to order a USB cable adapter for charging from a USB port),  that is good for making phone calls (who would have thought), the Kindle Keyboard, (for notes, journals, maps,  reading, emails, net surfing), and a Nikon Coolpix S9300 camera (yet to purchase).  I have a solar charger and hope it works well, but may have to buy a 5000 or so MAH backup battery to keep everything going.  If I get a backup battery, I would most likely send the solar home.  All depends on how much charging I will need, hopefully, not much.

I have also decided to move up, by about a month, my departure date.  More hiking in cool/cold/snow weather and less in the hot and humid.  Can't avoid the rain unless I wait until it is too late to finish in the north before the park closes!. So Mid FEB to mid AUG time frame.