Date: 2014-01-28
To: Gear Marmot Jacket
Miles today: 0.0

Warmth is my primary need   If I can¢t stay totally dry, I have to be warm. My mind has been racing with ways to be able to stay warm on the trail, after reading the exploits of the 2013 hikers who started out in March! I have to be warmly protected from the cold and wind. If it¢s not windy while hiking, I¢ll probably be somewhat warm. (I¢m thinking arm and leg warmers to help there.) But it¢s going to be that slap in the face morning cold, and the chill that comes in the evening, when we¢ve stopped hiking. I¢ve GOT to be warm. I even tried a pair of light fleece-lined hydroskin kayaking pants from LL Bean, but too much work to get them on.   Last April 10, 2013, my son and I went to our local REI store to see if he still needed anything for his PCT thru hike, and to see if there¢s a piece of gear that I may need for our AT thru hike in 2014. Michael picked up a titanium spoon (he found that, although cheap, plastic spoons don¢t last), and handed one to me, too. (We¢ll be using the one-pot, two-spoon method of cooking and eating.) ¢What else do you want to look at, Mom?¢   ¢Well, let¢s just see what the choices are for jackets. I want a men¢s and at least large to go over things. Men¢s jackets are a little longer and bigger to go over anything I might be wearing. Women¢s jackets are cut for fashion but do not keep my lower back warm.¢      Michael headed to the men¢s section upstairs and found the sale rack. Looking in the L to XXL sizes, we found three possibilities. Trying to assess the pros and cons of each, I settled on the bright red and orange, synthetic Marmot Caldera hoody, XXL! ¢You look like a mountain climber, ready for Everest!¢ I don¢t think it¢s THAT warm, but being big, well, huge, and that visible-if-I-fall-into-a-crevasse red and orange makes it look like I¢m getting ready to take on the mountains. Well, I am: Eastern US-sized mountains!      Although I wasn¢t thrilled about the color, what really sold me on this coat was that if I needed to also sleep in it, it was soft and squishy. The other coats were much stiffer. And, it would make a great, wonderful pillow! One last try before committing, and Michael got in on the action. He showed me how the hood could snug down to just an oval peep hole across my eyes, keeping my face toasty warm, almost like the fur ruffs on parkas in Alaska, that fold down off the hood and encircle the face. So I bought it for under $80.00.   The following Saturday, I planned to do the MS Walk with some friends. It was a dark and stormy night AND morning. Blustery, on and off again rain, with pelting rain. Hmmm. What should I wear? I wore leggings, and a hiking skirt, with wool leg warmers and a long sleeve wool Apex pull-over with a Smartwool cami. I took my son¢s rain chaps and my Marmot.   Since I rode with the people setting up, Lisa and Steve, I got there early and felt the elements for about two hours before the walk even started. The rain started blowing into the canopy, so I decide to put the chaps on. I already had my Marmot on. I put the left chap on and immediately felt warm. It had blocked the wind. I put the other chap on and, BINGO. I was toasty warm. People were wrapping up in extra blankets, and going inside to warm up before the walk started. I was good to go. The coat was water repellent, but I know I can¢t expect that forever, and should not depend on it. I came home elated. ¢It¢s not a fashion statement, but it kept me warm! And, I¢m going to invest in a pair of chaps myself. They were light weight, easy to put on, even standing up, and wind and water proof.¢   Oh yeah, having been born and raised in Upstate New York, it also gets hot and humid on the East Coast¢¦.. That may be another Gear Moment!Marilyn, Mother of: