"...Now that my gear is strewn across my bed, let me take inventory... " I began to revel in the feeling of nylon and polypropalene. The glorious perfume of neoprene and well-worn polyester. It's a bit ironic that the best equipment for comfortably enduring nature is made of man-made fiber. With the exception of wool, of course.
Anyway, from there I thought it'd be a good idea to weigh my base-gear and perhaps strap up and take a walk with Harley. Base gear: Tent, footprint, sleeping bag, sleeping bag liner, cook kit, toiletries, 1st aid kit, water filter, hiking poles, camp shoes, water bladder, backpack and pack cover. This, plus some extra line and sun-hat all weighed 18 lbs. Where I heading out for the trail, I'd also have cooking fuel, food, water, a change of clothes and rain gear. For a week-long hike, my pack weighs about 30'ish lbs.
But a week-long hike is a few months down the road. Today, with my trusty side-kick Harley the Uber-Hound, I headed out on what I affectionately call "The Loop". 5 miles of dirt roads, country views... basically a teaser of all things I love about being in the woods. For 2 lovely hours, I was outside, in the woods'ish, feeling the comforting weight of my pack on my back while feeling the weight of the world drop off. Bliss.
We got home around 1PM and I promptly ate lunch (healthy!! Salad w/ avocado, apple, carrots, peppers and ginger dressing) and crashed on the couch for half an hour. Harley is still crashed out at 6:00. That boy needs more exercise. So do I. Today is a good start.
Base gear, minus food, water, extra clothes and cooking fuel.
18 pounds in one tidy little package.
Look Mom, no snow!
Spring thaw, babbling brook...
Based on the ears-o-meter, wind is approximately 14 mph.
So tired, he missed his target altogether. "The floor is just fine, Mom. Really."
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