Date: 2003-01-21
To: Hiker Mania Weekend
Miles today: 0.0

Hiker Mania WeekendAll of my hiker buddies have gone home and Pinebrook Cottage has returned to normal; I¢m on the computer doing trail related things when I should be writing a report for work, Aggie is settled in her leather chair (formerly Jack¢s leather chair), Sooner is sleeping peacefully next to me, and the cats are snoozing in front of the heater vents with visions of warmer days and tasty chipmunks dancing in their heads.Our weekend started with Clair arriving first, engulfing me in one of her signature big, warm hugs. Aaron was next, after a trip to the vet with pup Nuptse who had been hit by a car earlier in the day. Luckily, she is bruised but not broken. Toby was next, anxious to get the weekend started and much earlier than usual after having taken a few hours off from work to get here at a reasonable time.Friday night was spent getting acquainted with Clair and going through packs, item by item. I learn so much by going through other hikers gear!Toby had made Clair a Pepsi can stove as he had Aaron and me previously, and gave us all homemade windscreens too. What a guy.On Saturday we hiked 9 miles in snow and 20o temps with 10-15 mph winds. As long as we kept moving it was quite enjoyable. Our only long stop was for lunch and it got mighty cold by clean up time.My clothes preformed magnificently and another fear has been lifted from my mind. Above my waist I wore a Patagonia balaclava, Patagonia Expedition Weight Fleece long underwear, and a Patagonia Flash R-1 shirt. Base layer on bottom was the Patagonia Expedition Weight Fleece long underwear, Patagonia loose tights (I like the 2 pockets), and my Patagonia Super Cell wind and rain pants. My Marmot Precip jacket didn¢t go on until we stopped for lunch. On my hands I wore Patagonia stretch gloves and added my OR rain mitts after lunch. I was very comfortable the entire day except for a short time at the end of lunch.I used 2 hiking poles for the first time and found that I prefer only 1 pole. Because of my Nomad Lite, I¢ll carry both on the trail, but one will probably be strapped under my helmet holder on the back of my pack.Aaron was only able to hike with us for a very short time due to his knee injury so he returned to his Jeep and met us for lunch near a road crossing then went back to the cottage and watched football with Jack for the afternoon.We all had pink, rosy cheeks by the time we arrived back home around 5PM. After relaxing for a few hours it was off to a local Pizza Hut to try out our hiker appetites. Thanks, Clair for treating. What a nice surprise.Sunday found us down in Monroeville at Expedition Outfitters. Aaron had to return to work and wasn¢t able to join me, Toby and Clair while we whiled away an hour looking at everything on the shelves and racks. I came away with a 1.4 ounce carabiner to attach to my food bag for hanging from the crafty bears, some buckles to add straps to the bottom of my pack for my tent, and a pair of Montrail trail shoes for when the weather gets nicer. They¢re only 1lb 15oz, a tad less than my Sundowners.Sunday night we sat around the fire and talked about mail drops. For every hiker on the trail there is a different idea about how they should be handled! I¢ve decided on no more than 10, with a bounce box traveling ahead of me.It was a great weekend and probably the last time we¢ll get together until we all meet up at Amicalola Lodge on the 13th of March. Toby, Clair and Aaron are truly good people and I look forward to sharing time on the trail with them for however long it lasts.The end of the month we¢ll be heading to Jersey to celebrate my 50th birthday with my family. I¢ll take my mail drop boxes to my brother, John, along with some Mountain House meals, my WM Ultralite sleeping bag and whatever else I feel is necessary. I¢ll visit my stylist, Monica and have the natural blond high lights put into my hair for the last time in probably 6 months (aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh) and say my good byes to family and friends in Jersey. Sister Kim and brother-in-law Rory are hosting the event for me. I¢m really looking forward to this milestone. Life is good.