[at-l] Trip report - a cold walk in Harriman Park

[gypsy97 at bellsouth.net (gypsy97@bellsouth.net)]

Dwight, I'd recommend looking into a small company from CA called Western
Engineering.  They make a down sleeping bag that not only becomes toasty
within seconds of getting into it, but it has such loft that it is truly
comfortable with a good thermarest.  It was expensive - I think I paid
somewhere in the neighborhood of $250-$350 back in '97, but it was worth
every penny of it.  I got it just before my attempted thru hike, and was
very thankful to Felix for insisting (actually, commanding) that I get a
down 0 degree bag. On one very cold night, a fellow hiker buried both our
water bottles in a huge pile of leaves.  We were the only ones at the
shelter whose water didn't freeze overnight.

Gypsy

> From: "Dwight Lindsey" <Dwight@schneideroptics.com>
> Subject: > So . . . what did I learn?
>
> 1)  I can hike and overnight in the cold
> 2)  I need a zero degree down bag
> 3)  I need the most comfortable sleeping pad I can find, I'll carry the
> weight
> 4)  It makes no sense to use that hydration bag when it's that cold
> 5)  I carried a filter and a collapsible water jug, but melted snow
> instead . . .
> 6)  Don't get into the bag damp, if it can be helped
> 7)  Did I mention that I need a warmer sleeping bag?
>
> I'd tested the two bag combo in the back yard at 10 degrees, and it
> worked fine.  I think the differences were:
>
> 1)  It was colder, likely 5 degrees
> 2)  The bags in the backyard were warm when I got in them
> 3)  I was warm and dry when I got in them
>
> So, short overnight hike, nice country, two beautiful white tailed
> deer, and a few lessons learned.
>
> Did I mention that my wife thinks I'm crazy?
>
> Saturday night I flew off to Germany on business and I'm seriously
> jetlagged and writing this from bed in a German hotel.
>
> Dwight