Date: 2005-03-27
From: Still at Hot Springs

To: A Day in the...
Miles today: 0.0

been wanting to put in a .. day i the life of.. journal entry.. so here it is..at first hint of light shining through my sleeping bag my eyes usually slide open.. then i wait for a few mins to listen for the whistle of birds to be assured it is in fact morning.. upon assurance, i roll over.. as i am a stomach sleeper.. and uncinch my bag.. then reach for the zipper, and slide out. Right off, I reach for my pack, and cram my sleeping bag in as far as it will go. then.. i slide on my hiking socks and slip into my usually wet boots.. from there i scurry to get my food bag from the bear cables.. and hurry back to the shelter.. Then, i reach into my food bag and pull out my mesh bag which contains my cooking pot and stove and the like.. that goes into my pack, right in the center atop my sleeping bag. Next my rainpants slide in behind the mesh bag to rest between my cooking pot and my back. Then i reach for my therm-a-rest stow sack.. which at night serves to hold all my random items.. 4 ziploc bags each containing different items.. like a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a mirror in one.. and in another a pen, advil, band-aids, and a headlamp... these ziploc bags are placed strategically around the mesh bag in the center. then.. off comes one layer of clothing.. my fleece pullover.. i fold it in half... roll it up.. then stuff it in a circle in my pack.. leaving the mesh bag visible. Next goes in my rain jacket... folded in half and rolled the same way.. and placed over top of the fleece.. still the mesh bag containing my cooking pot is visible. then. my hand book and journal are bent slightly in the shape of a circle.. and placed in the center opening.. occupying the space above my cooking pot. finally goes in my food bag.. on top, where i can reach in at any time and get something to eat on the go. Rollig up my therm-a-rest is my next chore.. which goes right ontop of my pack.. Before leaving i strap my crocs (camp shoes) to the back of my pack and grab my leki trekking poles. I also always down 32 oz of water before hitting the trail then fill it half way.. so i'm only carrying a pound of water at a time.. yet i'm hydrated for at least half the day.. this is referred to as cameling up.. then i start walking and i'm outta the sheter in less than 10 mins. If it's extremely cold.. it's less than 5 mins. Usually after a couple hours i stop for some crackers and a few sips of water.. if extremely tired I'll be sure to stop for this break at a water source.. where i'll drink my remaining water and fill up half way again (16oz.) Again, this way i'm hydrated.. but not carrying a lot of weight.. As far as getting water goes.. I just stick my nalgene in a stream.. or spring.. and fill it up.. then for 16oz of water I add one drop of bleach and wait 20 mins before consuming.. works great.. other than the quarter inch of sediment at the bottom of the nalgene staring at me with every sip i take. Typically I take 2 or three breaks like this during the day.. which each generally lasts about 5-10 mins.. But it seems to work well. Whenever I reach my destination I sweep off a place in the shelter.. next to the wall if it's open.. then lay out my therm-a-rest and my sleeping bag goes on top of that.. then I generally cook a mtn house meal.. which is awesome.. after eating i toss my stove and cooking pot into my food bag.. then hang it after brushing my teeth.. which my my toothpaste goes in the food bag as well... Finally, I climb into my bag and write in my journal for a few mins before passing out right after sunset..I'd like to elaborate a bit more.. but the guys here at the duckett house need their computer back (which is a mac might I add).. so, I'm off to the outfitter.. then onto Damscus within the next 8 days.. ! Farewell for now everyoneYours truly,Traction