Date: 2007-10-09
To: Walk on the Mild Side
Miles today: 0.0

I got my wish - one of my esteemed siblings, known herein as Auntie Mame, is talking about joining me for part or even all of the 08 hike. So, it is imperative that we get out there and hike, and try out the gear (reviews further along in this report), and deal with cold weather. Last Friday we set out to backpack a modest loop over Little Bigelow mountain. Uncle Tom, AM's husband and just-finished thru-hiker, came along with us, not yet able to resist an opportunity to be on the trail...can't say as I blame him!1pm found us crunching our way up the trail, wading through crispy bronze leaves punctuated by occasional intense red ones, removing long sleeved shirts in the surprising warmth. This was not going to be a cold weather test hike, after all! We were in no rush, so could stop, look around and enjoy the feeling of being in the woods for the whole weekend - great feeling! Not so great feeling was the full pack, since I usually day hike this trail, it was quite obvious how additional weight affects things.Safford Notch area is mostly deciduous trees, so usually you can't really see that it's a notch - but this time, as the leaves were rapidly falling, the view was much more dramatic: high rocky cliffs to the north, and hills to the southwest. We set up the tent on the platform, to practice one idea we had - sharing a two-person tent on the trail. (Tom got consigned to the tentsite just below us). Turns out that the Tarptent Rainbow needs careful rigging to use a platform, but Tom showed us this technique. It was definitely not obvious, but worked fine once set up. This particular tent has two doorways, one on each side. A great system, allowing each person their own space and entryway. Usually you're crawling over each other, and negotiating vestibule space. I can see that there would be sites where only one door would work, but the overall benefit of two doors is clear. My bed was set up with Big Agnes Aircore Mat, which is a 2 1/2 inch thick air mattress - weights the same as a 3/4 thermarest (19 oz.). The hitch is there's no "therm", just rest - so I brought the 12 oz. Z-rest mat (corrugated foam) to put on top in case it was cold. Gosh, a comfy setup indeed! But not exactly ultralight. We'll continue to keep an eye on what seems to be most important in the value-per-ounce competition. I realize Big Agnes and others make an insulated air mattress, but I didn't happen to have one, so used a make-shift insulator. Then it was so warm...oh well.Dinnertime - and the maiden voyage of the Caldera cone and stove - an alcohol stove that uses a windscreen that holds the pot as well. This seals some of the gaps and shelters the stove to produce a very efficient burn. But as in all maiden voyages, a certain amount of fumbling occurs....as AM noted, good thing there was no audience this time. The fumbling wasn't lethal, just awkward - getting the pot into the top of the cone, lighting the stove with ancient matches that wouldn't keep a flame, finding the lighter to resolve said issue, then of course opening the food bags while trying not to get crumbs on the platform, etc. etc. Eventually, a lovely pot of spaghetti - actually really good. (Enertia brand Switchback Spaghetti).Everything takes longer the first time or two - and this evening was no exception! Fortunately, it was incredibly warm, gorgeous, and all of us were feeling laid back and cheerful. What else did we have to do, after all?