Date: 2011-12-18
To: All Trails Lead to Where You Are
Miles today: 0.0

Decided to camp out in the back yard last night to check if my sleeping pad was going to be warm enough in freezing weather. I used my Thermarest Prolite Plus Large with an additional foam pad on top. I seem to sleep better on this lower 1.5" pad then my recently aquired 2.5" Thermarest NeoAir All Season. I really wanted to like the NeoAir because of its higher Insulating R-Value, but it is a little 'crinkly' and I feel like I am going to roll off of it. It was 28F when I went to bed and fell a few more degrees down to 25F overnight. The combination seemed good, although the ground was not frozen as temps have been mild previously this week. I did feel colder around 4:30 am and should have put on a layer besides my shorts and baselayer long sleeve shirt, but decided to roll over and sleep cool until 6am. It was good to get out, but I still do not sleep as well as I do inside. I'm sure after upcoming exhausting days hiking and sleeping outside on a consistent basis, I will adapt. I have hiked several times over at Green Lane Park during the last two weeks. Several back and forths on the Blue trail and I explored the Red Trail this morning. I started at the Dam (see photo section) and used the connector trail to get to the red trail. Somewhere along the way, I found myself without red blazes and exploring several horse trails (read: lost). There were many trails that crossed each other and most were unmarked. After 1-2 miles, I came back to a crossing on Knight Road and saw the red marker. Although not extremely worried, it was nice to be back on the planned path again. I realized that all the trails I took lead me to where I needed to be. I have gotten a layering system that works well for me in the freezing/cold temps. BOTTOMS - Although too hot for warmer weather, I like hiking in my soft shell pants in the cold rather then my thinner nylon pants with long underwear. TOPS - My base layer is a thin Mountain Hardware long sleeve merino wool/synthetic blend zip, then my Marmot Variant Jacket (Insulated front with Polartec back and sleeves) and a very light Patagonia Hardshell Trail Running Vest as an additional wind blocker. I also carry my Insulated Lightweight Jacket, but do not use that unless I stop for more than a few minutes. HEAD - Lightweight Balaclava and Fleece Hat as well as my vented baseball cap when it warms up. This system works well for me and is pretty versatile for different temps/weather and exertion levels. I did get some sunburn on my face today and need to be more attentive to that even in the cold weather. On a side note: I was thankful for the freezing temps as most of the ground was still frozen. It kept my feet much drier since most of the muddy areas (Horse trails) were semi-solid still. I will be busy over the next month and may find it difficult to make time for a lot of hiking. I have decided to purchase an investment property down in Florida to rent out(while I still show good job security/history/income), even though this will make me more 'cash poor' it will be providing additional income even while I am off thru hiking. Also, I have decided to take some vacation in January (two weeks) to spend some time with my daughter before going away for an extended period of time. We are going to go on a short cruise to the Bahamas (a first for both of us) then visit my best friend, his wife and newborn in TX. Busy, but I am very blessed to have these opportunities to enjoy and spend time with family and friends!