I’m at work again today, so there hasn’t been any training for a while.  It’s still raining anyway; it has been for days.  I sure hope this weather system makes it’s way east and through Virginia before I get there on the 27th.  There’s a chance that Jeff and I will be essentially day-hiking for the first 2 days, so that would make it tolerable if it’s still raining.  (That’s SlackPacking if you need to know.)

Today’s equipment is my down quilt from Enlightened Equipment.  I have the 40 degree Enigma quilt in orange and charcoal (below).  The quilt is perfect for hammock sleeping and does fine on a sleeping pad too.  It weighs in at 14 oz.

You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself. – Alan Alda

I’ve been trying to figure out how to occupy myself if I get stuck in a shelter or town waiting for the weather to clear.  I have a ukulele that I hiked with last year but it’s bigger than I want to carry 1,000+ miles.  So, I went to Music Folk in Webster today and ended up buying a Susato Oriole Whiste (C).  It sounds great and weighs in at 1 oz.

To move the world we must move ourselves. – Socrates

A week for tomorrow I leave for Northern Virginia.  To my surprise I’m still fine tuning equipment.  I bought a new rain jacket that’s on its way from Amazon.  (Outdoor Research Helium II Jacket.)

Today’s equipment is my hydration set-up.  I’ve got 2 Smart Water bottles (750ml & 1L) along with a 2L folding bottle for extra when needed.  Purification is with AquaMira chlorine dioxide drops.  There’s also a Sawyer Squeeze in my bounce box for backup.

You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was. – Abraham Lincoln

At work teaching today.

Here’s the featured equipment for the day, footwear.  I’ll be wearing Salomon Trail Running Shoes and Darn Tough Socks.  I’ver been wearing the shoes and socks all spring and have hiked a good number of miles in them.  They’re broken in and ready to go.  I have Mountain Hardwear Trail Running Gaiters which are very light weight but are now discontinued.  My camp shoes are Vivo Barefoot Ultras.  They are ultra light weight and completely waterproof.  They’re great for water crossings, hanging around camp, and I may even hike some in them when I get tired of the Salomons.

And finally for the blisters, Body Glide.

Ready to go now, but have to wait another 11 days to hit the trail. 😦 The bounce box is packed, sealed, ready to mail.  I went to USPS.com and priced mailing the box (weighs 17 1/2 lbs) to Front Royal ($20).  It’ll get mailed off next Monday.

Today’s featured equipment includes my Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol Sleeping Pad and Therm-a-Rest Z-Seat Pad.  I have already used the sleeping pad extensively and it still looks like new.  It’s practically indestructible and works great as both a sleeping pad and as backside insulation for my hammock.  I have the “short” 3/4 length pad that weighs in at 10 oz.  The seat pad weighs 2 oz.  Here they are inside my pack and then laid out.