I got to do three backpacking trips (Henry W. Coe State Park, and two in Jennie Lakes Wilderness) and one "pretend" backpacking trip (this past week near* Desolation Wilderness.
So, here's what I've learned:
- My 20°F Sleeping bag is fine down to about 30. I had to put on my down jacket at about 4am to stay comfy. My feet got too warm and I had to take of my sleeping-socks. I'll have to figure out what to do about that; I'm afraid that opening the foot zipper will be too cold.
- The 60/40 down fill on my sleeping bag is obvious when used as a quilt and temperatures drop to (probably) the mid-30's. (Might try to attach one of those $20 Costco down throws on that side to make that better.)
- I can indeed hike 8.5 miles in a day with a 30 pound pack. Yay! I get really tired and my legs hurt and it was difficult to sleep because I was sore despite being exhausted, but I did it.
- I actually hate going downhill. I hate it more than going uphill. But only very, very, very slightly. Why can't all trails just be flat and unpaved? (Downhill tends to aggravate my knee pain.)
- Speaking of knees; variety is the key. All uphill or all downhill will kill 'em.
- Sometimes, I don't feel like boiling water for dehydrated dinner packs.
- My tent is, in fact, water proof.
- If I fuck up and put my tent in a water-collecting divot in the ground, the inside still stays dry! (In other words, my tent succeeded where I failed.)
- Mosquito nets aren't as silly as I once thought they were.
- Some trails on some maps, even if that map was made by the government agency managing the land, don't exist.
- Campfires make most any day near perfect.
For future equipment, here's what I think I need/want:
- Decide if my (one size too large) down jacket is better than a fleece jacket. (I did like the hood of the puffy when it was 30-ish degrees...) (And in the wind.)
- Two (or three) of these nice 2 liter water bladders I've seen.
- Base layer for my legs.
- Second(?) base layer for legs for sleeping.
- Backpack rain cover or compactor bag liner? (I'm leaning slightly to rain cover.)
- Rain pants? Or just treat my current pants for water repellent-ness? Or just deal with the base layer and moistened pants... And wind. Ooh, I forgot about the wind. Ugh. Need more thinking...
On to the next adventures which are, a four-or-five day trip somewhere in January or February. Somewhere like Death Valley, Joshua Tree, Henry W. Coe State Park. And, I'm expecting to start the PCT in March. (Yikes, that seems so close...)
(*Near Desolation Wilderness: I'd planned to go into the Wilderness for a two night trip but the weather was too cold and possibly too wet for what I was comfortable with. So, I car-camped in a USFS Campground in case my preparations were not good enough for the 30° F overnight lows.)
