Date: 2006-11-14
To: Shakedown
Miles today: 0.0

Pronunciation: 'shAk-"daun Webster says this can mean an improvised bed, a boisterous dance, a thorough search, a period of adjustment, or a ¢testing under operating conditions of something new (as a ship) for possible faults and defects and for familiarizing the operators with it¢. I think our trip on the Potawatomi Trail this weekend can be described as any of those (we definitely did some boisterous dancing to try and stay warm!) but this trip really was all about testing our gear for faults and developing systems to adopt on the AT. Toasty, Michele and I set the date for this trip a little over a month ago when we first met on that warm October day so that we could test our cold weather gear. Mother Nature definitely gave us a run for the money. The HikeWith only four months and one day until we start the AT, Ann¢s husband, Mark, dropped us off at the Potawatomi trailhead around 11 a.m. and we set out for our short and sweet seven miles to our camp. It was a little rainy and even turned to snow every now and again to keep us on our toes. Although I hadn¢t looked at the temperature, I¢d guess it was in the mid-thirties. The air was crisp and the miles faded away. We stopped for lunch after a while (I had a packet of chicken and some trail mix) but quickly started hiking again when we started getting cold. It was after we stopped that my new Seal Skinz gloves stopped keeping me warm. Instead, they turned into individual finger coolers turning my thumbs and pinkies and everything in between to ice. Toasty graciously offered to share some of her warmth and I knew the smart thing to do was accept her gloves for a little while. The moment they enveloped my hands I knew I was back on track. They felt like little pieces of clouds softly transporting my fingers to heaven. Toward the end of the day, I won the bet I¢d placed with Michele that I would be the first to fall. I was just nearing the end of a bridge when my boots lost traction and my feet slipped right out of place. But, I caught myself and we all agreed it was a pretty graceful fall. We arrived at the Blind Lake campground around 3 p.m. and, aside from our feet feeling tired, we felt great. We immediately set up our shelters for the night and I quickly added some layers and sort of paced around trying to stay warm. Michele pulled out her fire starter and we found what we could of dry twigs and branches. Then we got scrappy. The three of us huddled around the fire starter as Michele tried to light it in the wind. After flaming for a few moments, we transported it to the fire pit as we carefully blocked it with a windscreen. Our poor fire didn¢t stand much chance against the wind and soggy pit so we started making dinner before it got too dark. I made Ramen noodles over my cat food can stove and cleaned up a bit before we all decided it was just too cold to hang outside much longer. We headed to our respective shelters around 5:45 p.m. for the rest of the night.   It was a long night. I now have a better understanding of why people have so many doubts during the first few weeks on the AT. It was hard to get warm. It was hard to stay entertained for 14 hours in a tent. And, with all of that time, it was easy to think of the many reasons I should stay in a warm place with my friends and family rather than spend six months outside. But, nothing lasts forever. I¢m sure that will be my mantra on the trail.   Anyway¢¦. once in my tent, I started using my PocketMail for the first time but my fingers soon became too cold so I just laid there trying to warm up. The night was long and I just couldn¢t wait to get up and start hiking again, if only to warm up. I fell asleep for about fifteen minutes and woke up a little warmer so I took another stab at PocketMail just long enough to get an email out to Eric. After that, there was not much to do but sleep so that¢s what I tried to do for the rest of the night. I tossed, I turned, I feverishly adjusted my hat and sleeping bag liner to minimize heat loss, and, finally, it was light out and I could get up.So, around 7:45 a.m. we were up and at ¢em. I packed my tent up and then made breakfast (oatmeal). Shortly after, we were ready to go. The hiking was great. It was hilly and the weather was perfect ¢ cold but not windy ¢ with a little snow to brighten the day. I think we hiked about six miles out, stopping several times to take some photos along the way. I wore my Smartwool socks as mittens and they did a great job. Surprisingly, the woods were full both days (but mainly on the second). There were hunters, bikers and us. I heard dogs, birds, gunshots and the snow hitting my rainfly like little pellets of ice. The lowest temperature I saw on my watch was 34 degrees so I have to assume it got a little lower during the night. The shakedown was a good thing. It gave me an insight to how I might feel in the first few days on the trail, it let me know, loud and clear, what changes I¢ll need to make to stay safe, and it definitely gave me newfound respect for warmth. The GearSo, it¢s safe to say that as soon as I can make my way to REI, the Seal Skinz gloves are going back. I understand they probably should be used in tandem with some sort of something that provides warmth but, I have to say, I had a sneaking suspicion that I wouldn¢t like them the moment I opened the package. Instead, I will likely purchase something close to Toasty¢s system which included Outdoor Research liners and a Lobster Claw Mitt. Although she says it was ¢stupidly expensive¢, if there was one decision I made on that trip, it was that I¢d gladly pay an arm and a leg to save my fingers. My tent held up well. I had a little condensation near my feet but I think I was a little lax on that end when I put it up. It felt roomy and sturdy. And my Tyvek footprint held up nicely too. My sleeping bag and liner kept me pretty warm. I will say that I was hoping to be ¢cozy¢ and that never happened but I know there¢s more I can do on my own to fix that. My feet were cold all night so I¢ll need to add fleece socks or something next time. My nose and face were pretty frozen all night too but I pulled my hat over my eyes and nose and draped my liner strategically around my mouth and that seemed to help. I just can¢t bring myself to breathe inside my bag (especially since I noticed that created condensation). It will take me a while to get used to sleeping in a mummy bag no matter what.My Vasque Breeze boots treated me well but I¢m still not sure what I want to start with on the AT.I love my trekking poles. Within the first five minutes of hiking I knew I loved them. It might be more mental for me but they really helped me take the focus off of how hard my legs were working. I was able to enjoy my surroundings and the hiking itself more because of them.My cat food can stove worked well but I will have to play around with the construction a little to make it as efficient as possible. For dinner, I used about 2.5. oz. of alcohol and for breakfast, about 1.5 oz. I¢d like to stick with my water system but I¢ll need bladders with wider mouths to allow for easier filling and treating. I think I will also buy a water tank so I can make less trips to the source. I¢m a little bummed to find out that the thermometer on my new (gigantic) watch is completely inaccurate unless I take it off ¢ but I suppose that¢s something I can work around. What I Learned:1.        Smartwool socks make great impromptu mittens.2.        My thumbs will go on strike if they get cold enough. 3.        Although golfing, hunting and biking in thirty-degree weather seems ridiculous, hiking in thirty degree weather seems completely natural (but might be described by a seven-year-old boy as ¢stupid¢).