No, I'm not on the Appalachian Trail. It is early February and I'm sleeping in my backyard in 30 degree weather. The ground is steep across the yard and its been foiling my attempts to try out my sleep system. For the most part everything is working fine, but the grade of my yard is impossible. After an hour or so of fruitlessly trying to stop the wind from entering my bag. I finally locate the drawstring to my bag and draw it tight. Despite me, my bag, and sleeping pad endlessly sliding downhill, the rest of the night passes uneventfully. I wake up for good around 7 a.m., observe the frozen condensation on my tarp before sprinting inside for a hot cup of tea.
It is hard to imagine that in 17 days this will not be the practice of a naive thru-hiker in training, but a day to day reality. The weather will likely be worse, the ground less forgiving, and my body considerably wearier. There is another option on the trail. Every day or so along the trail are 3 sided shelters for hikers to stay. Shelters serve as a sort of communal gathering place for hikers taking breaks or stopping for the night. Most hikers use these throughout their hike, obviating the need for a tent at all. Even so, I'm taking along a tent just in case the shelters are too crowded, too mice-ridden, or just not the place I want to stop for the night.
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| One of my hiking poles serves as the only support |
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| The front flaps are rolled up to give a view into the interior. They can be rolled down for complete enclosure. |
Kyle one night on the VLT I stayed in my fully enclosed tent which worked well most every time until it poured enexpectedly. I had to run for the shelter about 50 yards away. The tent floor and ground tarp didn't keep the water out.I'm glad the shelter only had two people were in it. Uncle Bob
ReplyDeleteI'm expecting that we'll stay in the shelters on really rainy nights...perhaps we should keep a tally of the rats/mice we subsequently destroy?
ReplyDeleteKyle: Here in a couple of weeks this blog spot will become a bit more active. I'm sure your uncle Bob, grandpa and other family members will visit the site often as will your mother and I to follow your progress. Your mom will send the site URL to her family as well so they can participate in your adventure. Dad
ReplyDeleteOMG WHY would you want to do this??? Just kidding! LOL! I camped in my back yard last summer (which was FLAT and it was 80 deg. out) just to humor my husband. I made it until 4:00 a.m and my body felt like rigor mortis set in. I went INSIDE to pee and caught a glimpse of my big, beautiful bed. Lets say I never made it back out to the tent. Nor will I ever do that again! Hubby and dog are on their own!!!
ReplyDeleteSeriously though...what a great life experience. I will be at my 5 star all inclusive hotel in Punta Cana next week.
Best of luck to you both. I will be following your adventure!
Love your aunt,
Princess Bunni ;)))