The Appalachian Mountain Club’s White Mountain Guide is the hiker’s bible for planning day hikes and backpacking trips in New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest. People come from all around the world to hike, backpack, climb and train for mountaineering expeditions in “The Whites” which are known for their rugged beauty and scenic trails. In print for 110 years, the new 30th edition of the White Mountain Guide contains descriptions of some 20 new trails that have been added to the over 600 trails, many interconnected, that make up the White Mountains trail system. Dozens of other trail descriptions and directions have also been updated in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene in 2011, which heavily damaged and temporarily closed some trails. The new guide has also been reformatted with easy-to-read graphic icons so you can quickly see whether a trail is child-friendly, dog-friendly, the type of terrain it crosses, scenic highlights, and the best times of year to hike or snowshoe it. Each trail description in the guide includes the distance, elevation gain, and estimated time required to hike a trail, in each direction so you can quickly plan hike durations and estimate route difficulty. The trails are also cross referenced with AMC map locations (new this edition) which make it much easier to find the trails in the paper map set included in the boxed edition. (A companion tyvek waterproof 6 map set is also available separately and strongly recommended for carrying on hikes. ) Also new this year is a large format and waterproof map called the White Mountain National Forest and Guide that depicts the entire White Mountain hiking trail system, with the exception of a few very remote outliers. If you only want to carry one map on your hikes, this is the one to bring. It’s a topographic map that shows how all of the trails intersect and includes printed segment mileages so you can see how long they are at a glance. They really did a nice job on it. I bought two. How to Use the White Mountain GuideThe best way to plan a hike or a backpacking trip in the Whites Mountains is to consult The White Mountain Guide which contains a wealth of information not found on maps of the area. This includes driving instructions to hard-to-find trail heads, historical facts, search and rescue contact information, gear advice, and a wealth of information about the landmarks and views you’ll encounter when you hike along a trail. I often take a photo of the White Mountain Guides’ trail descriptions with my cell phone when I take hikes because they are really useful to refer to on the move, without carrying the “bible” in my backpack. If you’re new to the Whites or just sampling the most scenic hikes available, the guide lists suggested hikes at the beginning of each chapter. These are labelled and sorted by difficulty and they’re all gems. The guide also lists all the available campsites along the trails and explains any backcountry camping restrictions if backpacking is your thing. If you’re interested in hiking the White Mountain 4,000 footers or all of the New England 4,000 footers in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, the White Mountain Guide provides check lists of all the peaks, trail information for climbing them, and detailed information about applying for the 4,000 footer award and patch. ConclusionThe White Mountain Guide is an essential information source for anyone interested in exploring the hiking trails, peaks, waterfalls, campsites, and ski trails that crisscross the 796,000 acre White Mountain National Forest and hiking trail system. If you own a previous edition, it’s worth updating to the 30th edition which is better structured and easier to reference. If you’re new to the Whites, there’s no better trail guide that’s as comprehensive, up-to-date, and reliable as the White Mountain Guide. Also, be sure to pick up the new waterproof White Mountain National Forest Map which depicts most of the trail system in a single map and is very handy to have on the trail. Disclosure: The author purchased all of the products described above with his own funds.
The post White Mountain Guide 30th Edition Review appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/white-mountain-guide-30th-edition-review/
0 Comments
Frame bags or panniers? Those are basically the two options you have for hauling your gear on bikepacking trips. If you prefer panniers, Arkel’s Waterproof Dry-Lite Saddle Bags are hard to beat. Weighing just 19 oz (540 g) per pair, they can hold 28L of gear. Specs at a Glance
Frame bags and bike panniers both have their advantages and disadvantages and which you pick depends on your intended route, volume needs, and personal preferences. For example, if you ride a mountain bike and plan to ride single track or on narrow trails, frame bags are usually preferable because they won’t limit your clearance like bulging hamster cheeks in a tight squeeze. But if you ride more of a road-style gravel bike, panniers can be more convenient, in part, because they’re higher volume and more flexible. Panniers also tend to be much easier to take off and put on a bike at night than frame bags that have a million straps. For example, the Relevate Designs Tangle frame bag attached to my top tube, in the photo, above has 7 different straps that have to be unattached and reattached every time I step away from my bike so it’s not stolen. Panniers are a lot easier. You can usually just unhook them from your rack. Arkel’s Dry-Lite Saddle Bags have a simple roll top closure that clips close like a dry bag with taped seams to prevent moisture from seeping in. The two bags have hooks at the bottom to secure to your rack and a horizontal lightweight stiffener (a wooden dowel) to help them keep their shape. They connect together at the top using a system of overlapping velcro straps and drape over the top of your rack so you can just unhook them and pick them up as a unit. You can also configure the velcro straps to wrap around the top tubes of your rack if you want a bit more holding security. This isn’t well documented, but it’s easy to make it work as long as you realize that you have to drape the bags as a pair over the rack: you can’t just connect just one pannier bag at a time. Each of the panniers has reflective accents for safety and they roll up completely flat which makes them very easy to pack in a suitcase. Arkel has a good video on their website that illustrates the panniers in use. How much storage does 28L equate to for a bikepacker? I can easily fit all of my camping gear and extra clothing minus my stove and food in both the Dry-Lite Saddle Bags without busting a gut trying to roll them closed. Instead of using a trunk bag, I pack my food, stove, and water filter in a 3 oz. waterproof bear bag called a Lunch Box made by Superior Wilderness Designs which has 12L of capacity. Separating my food from my gear and clothes prevents it from getting contaminated by food smells and the Lunch Bag is easy to hang from a tree on trips to prevent bears from getting my food. Finally, I store all my biking tools, patches, and spare tubes in a frame bag and wear a small hydration pack if water is not abundant. How much lighter are Arkel’s Dry-Lite Saddle Bags compared to other lightweight panniers? They’re over 50% lighter weight that Ortlieb’s new Gravel Pack Panniers, which weigh 40.9 oz for 25L of storage. Nuff said! As more and more ultralight backpackers discover how much fun it is to bikepack with ultralight camping gear, you can bet that frame bags and pannier weights are going to matter to them as much as ultralight backpack weights do. Disclosure: The author purchased all of the products discussed here with his own funds.
The post Arkel Ultralight Dry-lite Waterproof Panniers Review appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/arkel-ultralight-dry-lite-waterproof-panniers-review/ As I stood there on the shore of Shoal Pond, I realized I couldn’t hear a thing. No motorcycles in the distance or helicopters flying overhead. I couldn’t hear the wind, no ducks quacking, or even the water lapping against the shore. I can’t remember the last time I’d heard absolute silence. It was the magical moment I’d come for. It’s funny how you always find something you never expect whenever you go backpacking. I suppose that’s the lure that my solo trips have for me, when I’m alone in the wilderness and free to amuse myself at my own pace and inclination. On this trip I’d explored some off-trail river gorges in search of elusive brook trout, traced the headwaters of the biggest river in the Pemigewasset Wilderness, and enjoyed the early fall foliage. I’d set off the previous day from the Lincoln Woods Trailhead just outside Lincoln, NH to hike through the east half of the Pemigewasset Wilderness, a 45,000 acre tract in New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest. I wanted to hike up to the headwaters of the East Branch (Pemigewasset River), loop up the North Branch, check out Jumping Brook, before hiking south along Shoal Pond Brook back to the East Pemi. Fishing season is coming to an end soon and I wanted enjoy a little Tenkara time before it’s over. I’ve found that backpacking and fly fishing make a great combination if you’re willing to hike deep into the backcountry to fish virgin streams that very few people have ever visited. The fish are smaller but the rewards can be huge. But the rivers were running kind of low, so I focused mostly on hiking and admiring the early fall foliage. There’s nothing like autumn in the White Mountains and I make a point to head up north every few days so I don’t miss peak foliage. Winter is on the horizon and my goal is to soak up as much backpacking time as I can before it arrives in early November. Winter backpacking also has its rewards, but it’s a different kind of pleasure and far more social. I hiked up the East Side Trail along the East Branch Pemigewasset River and continued on the Wilderness Trail until I reached the Carrigan Brook stream crossing. The best fishing along the East Pemi is in the gorges and cascades which coincide with the stretches of trail that veer away from the river. In other words, you need to hike off trail and scramble along the river banks if you want to reach these secret places. The rewards are immense though if you’re in search of the sublime. I hiked along the banks of Carrigan Branch to the point where it drains into the East Branch and spent some time playing tag with brook trout. I got lots of bites and hooked one good, but he wriggled off the hook in mid-flight. I planned to hike by this point the next day and have another go at it, so I headed back to the Thoreau Bridge in order to hike up the Thoreau Falls trail find a good campsite before dark. The Forest Service is thinking about taking down this bridge in accordance with the Wilderness Act and because it’s not in such great shape. The bridge consists of a plywood decking nailed on two huge tree trunks that span the river. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if they did take the bridge down, but the ford here can be quite deep and fast in spring and after a heavy rain. The best ford is a good deal farther east up-river, but that is also subject to high water flows. Over the bridge, I hiked up the Thoreau Fall Trail looking for a campsite where I’d spent the night in 2014, the first time I’d hiked this trail. I passed its approximate location but kept on going in hopes of finding something better. The backcountry regulations stipulate that you camp 200 feet off trail in the Whites, which means finding a spot where the trail veers sufficiently far from the adjacent river, or crossing the river and camping along the other shore. I was lucky and found a legal pre-existing site without crossing the river, just before sun down and set about pitching camp. With sunset now at 6:45 pm, I knew I wanted to have a small fire in camp. So, I’d brought along a small wood stove so I could cook dinner and then sit around a bit feeding it with fresh wood before going to bed. I propped it up on some river rocks (it has a flash screen to put underneath to prevent scorching rocks and the ground) and got it going. I ate a nice meal and hung out a bit before I hung up my bear bag and crashed in my hammock. That’s the way I like it. The next morning I worked my way up the North Fork below Thoreau Falls, one of the scenic highlights of the White Mountains. The gorge below the falls is even more magnificent with swimming holes and trout pools galore. But hike down the trail to get to it. Don’t do something stupid like trying to climb down the falls. That’s a good way to get killed. After the falls, I hopped on the Ethan Pond Trail for a 0.5 mile and then headed down the Shoal Pond Brook Trail, which is definitely one of the wildest trails in the White Mountains. How do I define wild? When you expect a bear or moose to crash through the woods alongside the trail at any minute and come face to face with you. This trail is definitely like that. I passed Shoal Pond and plunged headlong down the upper trail which is pretty wild with floating bog bridges and deep mud. It opens up farther south passing through open woods before passing through dense spruce until I reached Stillwater Junction. From here it was about an 8 mile hike back to my car, which I hiked casually, with occasional stops to fly fish along the way. We still have a few weeks before fall foliage peaks, but it was nice to enjoy a short hike (about 30 miles/w 2000′ of elevation gain) before the color peaks. Route shown – 25 miles w/2000 feet of elevation gain. Recommended Guidebooks and Maps:
The post Backpacking a Shoal Pond Lollipop appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/backpacking-shoal-pond-lollipop/ The Appalachian Trail would not exist if were not for the tireless efforts of volunteer trail maintainers and local clubs that maintain the trail from Georgia to Maine. Whenever I meet trail crews, volunteer trail maintainers, shelter caretakers, ridge runners, and trash picker uppers, I say hello, and thank them for the work they do. They all love the trail and the community of like-minded souls that it has brought together for a common cause. What I don’t understand is why some people feel the need to piss on the locals who help maintain the trail system by scratching out the names of the trails that the AT runs along. This doesn’t build up the trail or celebrate the efforts of the local people who maintain it. It’s a crude insult that threatens to unravel the fabric that holds the AT together. Every time someone defaces a trail sign along the trail, it demeans the people who maintain it. I’ve been a volunteer trail maintainer and if someone scratched out the name of my trail I’d be very sad, resentful, and angry. Take the sign pictured above. It’s on a segment of trail that runs through of busy section of New Hampshire’s White Mountains and is seen by many more day hikers than thru-hikers. What impression do they take away about people who hike the Appalachian Trail, when they see that the trail signs in their beloved National Forest have been defaced. This isn’t an isolated issue. AT trail sign defacements are rife in New England. I’m not saying that thru-hikers or section hikers are responsible for defacing trail signs. But if they were, I’m sure it would be a very small handful of angry people who think this is a fun joke. Regardless of who’s responsible, I do think it’s important for anyone who hikes the AT to remember that many locals make the global totality of the Appalachian Trail a reality. If you see someone defacing a trail sign, ask them to stop and explain why it’s important that we respect the local volunteers who make the Appalachian Trail possible. We’re all guests when we hike the Appalachian Trail. Please respect the people who host us. The post Appalachian Trail Sign Defacements: Help Us Stop Them appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/appalachian-trail-sign-defacements-help-us-stop/ The Katabatic Gear Onni V40 65L is a 34 ounce rolltop backpack that’s designed for challenging multi-day backpacking trips. It’s made with a water-proof laminate called V40 (XPac) which is slightly heavier than cuben fiber but less expensive and more abrasion resistant. Katabatic Gear offers all of their packs in two fabrics, High Tenacity Nylon and V4o, which is made for people who are really rough on their gear. I review the V40 version of the Onni below, but the nylon version is virtually identical. Why would you want the V40 XPac version of the Onni 65L instead of the nylon version?
Katabatic Gear used to make a cuben fiber pack called the Helios 55 (see the Section Hiker review), but the demand for this cuben fiber backpack was low so they’ve stopped making it. Too bad, because the Helios 55 was a fantastic backpack. The Onni 65 (really 68 liters) is very similar, but performs somewhat differently because it has a higher volume and deeper dimensions, which put more of a strain on the hip belt. Specs at a Glance
Internal Storage and OrganizationThe Onni V40 65L is organized like most roll-top ultralight-style backpacks, with side water bottle pockets, a rear mesh pocket, and side compression straps. Now 65 liters (it’s actually 68 liters in a size medium) might sound like an enormous volume, but Katabatic Gear, like many smaller manufacturers computes their interior pack volumes differently from most mainstream pack makers. Instead of just measuring completely closed pockets, disregarding any added extension collar volume (which is the industry standard), they include the extension collar and open pocket volumes in their total. Keep this in mind when comparing the Onni with packs from other manufacturers who may compute pack volume differently. The Onni 65L’s storage is broken down as follows.
Main compartmentThere’s no denying that the 65L Onni is a high-capacity pack, even if you don’t count the volume of the open pockets. But it’s a roll-top which makes it easier to shrink the pack’s volume when you don’t need it. I like having a pack this size for cold weather hammocking or winter backpacking because it’s big enough for me to fit extra insulation and layers without having to go crazy trying to jam them into a smaller volume pack. It’s also handy for trail work trips and multi-sport trips like fly fishing or packrafting when I need to carry bulky sport specific gear like waders, a wet suit, or a PFD. A larger pack like the 65L Onni is also handy if you need to carry a bear canister (a Garcia 10L Bear Canister fits vertically with room to spare.) The interior of the main compartment is coated with a glossy polyethylene (PET) which according to Katabatic Gear is more durable than a PU coating. This means that you don’t have to carry a pack cover since the fabric can’t absorb water. The seams are not taped, but sewn, but there’s little chance you’ll have significant leakage unless you stand the pack in a puddle or drop it off the side of a packraft. Katabatic Gear still recommends the use of a liner, though. I use a white contractor’s bag inside the Onni, primarily to make it easier to see my gear against the white plastic, since the inside of the pack is grey and it’s hard to see gear buried deep in the pack. The Onni doesn’t have an internal hydration pocket for holding a bladder, but there are three webbing loops at the top of the back panel to hang a reservoir along with hydration ports behind each shoulder. The central stay is held in place by a velcro topped channel, so you can pull it out and bend it. The two sides of the roll top opening are held together by three pairs of small but powerful magnets glued into the hem. The magnets are strong enough to interfere with a hand-held compass if it comes in close proximity to them, so this isn’t a feature that I particularly like. Katabatic Gear doesn’t believe it to be a significant issue, but I’ve had problems with backpack magnets and compasses in the past and have no inclination to revisit them. You can easily cut the magnets out and repair the holes with a dab of Shoegoo, without affecting the roll top performance. Side pocketsThe Onni V40 65L has a pair of side pockets made with what Cordura instead of V40. The pockets are large enough to fit two x one liter bottles and it’s easy to reach back and pull them out or replace them while wearing the pack. If you prefer using Smartwater bottles, they have a tendency to fall out of the pockets when you’re scrambling or you put down your pack for a rest because the pockets aren’t tall enough. Try using a shorter bottle. Alternatively, the side bottle pockets have a compression strap that can be routed outside or inside the pocket (there is a female connector inside the pocket and one on the outside), so you can strap a tall bottle in place by running the strap outside the pocket. But forget about reaching back and pulling it out to have a drink. More on the Onni side compression straps below in the section on attachment points. Back mesh pocketThe back mesh pocket is quite sizable (9L) and made with heavy-duty mesh to resist tearing, even when hiking off-trail. The top is held closed by a webbing strap that runs over the roll top. The mesh pocket is so large that I can store my stove and cook system, tarp, tent stakes, and water filtration systems (wet and smellies) and still have room for any layers or food I want to carry close at hand during the day. Optional hip belt pocketsYou can order optional hip belt pockets with this pack. These are long, large, and close with a beefy YKK zipper. They’re faced with a stretchy soft shell fabric (a Cordura Spandex blend). The front of my hip belts take more of a beating on east coast bushwhacks than any other part of a pack, so I wish these were made with a tougher fabric like the V40. On the flip side, they are an option so you can do without if you’re going to destroy them anyway. External Attachment and Compression SystemThe Onni 65L has a two tiers of long compression straps on the sides of the pack which are the primary external attachment points on the pack. They’re well sized for lashing packraft paddles or fishing rods along the side of the pack and resting in one of the side pockets. While the bottom tier of compression straps can be used to hold the sides of the roll top closed (the way many roll tops work), they’re best used for side compression when filling the backpack tightly with a lot of gear. The sidewalls of the main compartment have a tendency to bow out into the side pockets if you wedge an oversized stuff sack (for example) into the base of the pack. The bottom compression straps can prevent this and preserve the side pockets’ volume if you tighten them before you pack the pack. Otherwise, it’s difficult to compress a load on the Onni V40 65L after it’s been packed. If you want to rig up your own external attachment system around the back of the pack (over the mesh pocket), there aren’t any gear loops or good attachment points to anchor your own cordage. However, like the Helios 55, the compression straps on the Onni 65L are reversible with male and female ends that connect over the rear pocket. These are good for strapping snowshoes to the back of the pack, for instance. The shoulder straps don’t have daisy chains sewn to their fronts, which makes hanging gear (GPS, InReach, Whistle, Map Pocket, Camera Pocket, etc) off troublesome. There are a few fabric loops where you could hang small water bottles or bear spray from the shoulder straps, but they’re not sufficient for much else. I managed to hang a whistle and camera pocket from mine with some extra attachment hardware, but prefer shoulder straps with daisy chains sewn on the front to make this easier. The pack also has four elastic cords w/cord locks positioned along the back mesh pocket for strapping trekking poles to the pack. They’re functional for trekking poles, but I prefer having a real buckle for attaching an ice axe shaft. Axes and elastic cords will be ripped off your pack when they catch on an overhanging branch. Ask me how I know. Backpack Frame and SuspensionThe heart and soul of a backpack is determined by its frame and suspension system. The Onni 65L frame has two parts, a rigid foam back panel and a center aluminum stay. The stay terminates inside the hip belt, which is sewn to the to base of the backpack. The foam pad is slightly pre-curved which helps with ventilation, but stops short of an articulated lumbar pad. A pair of load lifters are attached to the top of the foam panel which is stiff enough to be effective if you crank down on them to re-angle the pack. The front of the backpack facing the wearer is covered mesh that’s layered over a ridged and perforated foam panel. It works surprisingly well at preventing your shirt from becoming soaked. The hip belt is sewn directly to the base of the frame, which limits your ability to swap in different sizes, but normally provides very good load to hip transfer. The Onni 65L hip belt isn’t very stiff however and is really just a thin piece of fabric covered by spacer mesh at the point where it connects to the frame and the pack’s back panel. When the Onni is filled with 30-35 pounds of gear, water, and food, which is its recommended load limit, the hip belt has a tendency to buckle under the load and slide down over your hips. I recommend that Katabatic Gear widen the back of the hip belt where it connects to the frame as this will prevent slippage, while still providing a good hip wrap to accommodate many hip shapes. It really is that simple. The question arrises, why does the hip belt buckle on the Onni and not the Helios 55 (no longer made), which used a near identical frame and hip belt system. I think the answer lies in the Onni’s larger pack dimensions. It has a deeper and wider packbag with a larger rear mesh pocket that creates a very different loading profile than the Helios, which was smaller in volume and aligned more closely to the hips and back. Based on my experience testing the Onni 65L, it does not live up to is 30-35 pound load rating. Unfortunately, I really can’t see any value in carrying a pack this large with a lower weight rating (25 pounds) and suggest you look at packs from other manufacturers in the same volume range if you plan to pack heavy. AssessmentThe Katabatic Gear Onni V40 65L backpack is a rugged and durable ultralight-style backpack with a ventilated back panel made from a waterproof and abrasion resistant ultralight fabric called V40 XPac.While the Onni 65L (68 liters in a size medium) is similar to the Helios 55 (no longer available) that Katabatic Gear sold previously, the hip belt of the pack has a tendency to collapse under 30-35 pound loads recommended by the manufacturer. As these loads are the minimum one could reasonably expect from a pack of this volume, I’d recommend that you consider other lightweight and durable backpacks in the same volume range including the ULA Circuit, the Seek Outside Divide, or the Hyperlite Mountain Gear 4400 series. I have not had the opportunity to test Katabatic Gear’s other new backpacks including the Onni V40 50L (really 51L), which may in fact perform quite differently than the 65L (really 68L) because it has smaller pack dimensions and can carry less gear. Pros:
Cons:
See Also: Disclosure: The author received a sample backpack for this review.
The post Katabatic Gear Onni V40 65L Backpack Review appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/katabatic-gear-onni-v40-65l-backpack-review/ Bear bags are intended to protect your food on backpacking trips and to prevent bears from becoming accustomed to eating human food. “A fed bear is a dead bear”, as the saying goes, and no one wants to see a bear killed because someone was careless and didn’t hang their food in a bear bag or some other bear-proof container, like a bear canister, a Ursack, or a bear-proof cooler. What should you put in a bear bag or bear-proof storage? Is it limited to food or are there other things that you should store as well? The answer is yes. Here are the items, I’d recommended hanging in a bear bag or storing in an IGBC approved bear-resistant container.
Here are some other items, you might consider storing at a distance from your tent even if they have no food value.There’s no point in encouraging a close inspection by an alpha predator at night.
Why take these precautions? Bears have an extremely good sense of smell that’s 100 times more sensitive than humans and 7 times more sensitive than a bloodhound’s. In other words, they can smell things that you’re not even aware have a smell. See Also: The post What Should You Put in a Bear Bag? appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/what-should-you-put-in-a-bear-bag/ The UGQ Zeppelin Under Quilt is an exceptionally well crafted, custom-made hammock under quilt. Made in Michigan by UGQ Outdoor (formerly named Underground Quilts), the Zeppelin comes with a set of standard features that make it easy for people new to under quilts to use from day one, while also catering to hammock “specialists” who want a full suspension system and the ability to finely tune the fit of the under quilt to their hammocks. While the Zeppelin is available in a wide range of temperature ratings and sizes, I think it’s an especially good choice for cold weather hammocking or if you sleep cold, due to its thoughtful baffle design and material options. Specs at a Glance
Zeppelin HighlightsThe Zeppelin is available for many temperature ratings, in different lengths, with different grades of down insulation, and fabrics. That can be a strength and a weakness of buying from a smaller cottage manufacturer, since the number of options can be overwhelming. My advice is to read through UGQ’s product pages carefully when ordering because they provide a lot of easy-to-digest advice about the different fabric, fill, and suspension choices they offer. I followed their recommendations when configuring the Zeppelin reviewed here and it turned out perfect. Suspension System and HardwareThe Zeppelin comes with a full primary and secondary suspension system. This includes full-length side channel to hold the under quilt up close to your hammock’s side and separate elastic cords so you can position the under quilt where you want it along your hammock. The cords are colored coded (black and white) which makes them easy to tell them apart. Both the primary and secondary suspension cords come pre-attached to plastic half-biners that hook over your ridgeline. These are much more durable than s-biners and easier to use when wearing gloves. They also make it easy for beginners to get going right away when they receive their quilt. I consider them a huge value-add and a key differentiator over other quilt makers. They’re also included in the purchase price. The Zeppelin is also equipped with left and right Pack Hook Shoulder Locks. These allow you to clip the quilt to your hammock guy out on your outboard shoulder, either left or right from centerline of the hammock and prevent quilt creep when the quilt shifts off the hammock. I don’t use these because I don’t guy out the side of my Warbonnet Blackbird, nor have I experienced any quilt creep using the Zeppelin. But if you do guy out your hammock, they can be quite useful. Draft CollarsI consider draft collars to be a must-have feature on rectangular-shaped under quilts because they block wind from entering the end of your quilt and reducing the effectiveness of the insulation. The draft collars on the Zeppelin are filled with the same down fill power used in the rest of the under quilt. There’s an elastic cord and cord lock at each end of the under quilt that lets you cinch the end so it conforms to the hammock, while the draft tubes ensure that no cold air leaks past the ends. If you’re too warm, which does happen, you can release the tension on the elastic cord and let air leak between you and the under quilt to cool off. Down FillYou can choose different down fill powers for the Zeppelin. The 950 and 850 fill powers are goose down while the 800 fill power is duck down. All of it’s ethically source and none of it’s treated with waterproof coating because UGQ has observed that treated down clumps and loses its thermal efficiency over time. The DWR coated shell fabrics that UGQ uses for their under quilts also minimizes any risk of moisture accumulation making this a non-issue in real world conditions. High fill power goose down prices have dropped significantly over the past few years, so I’d encourage you to price out the 950 fill power goose down as an option if you’re considering a Zeppelin. The 77″ long, 20 degree under quilt reviewed here has 12.34 oz of 950 fill power goose down compared to the 14.42 oz of 800 fill power duck down needed to provide the same thermal benefit, so a significant weight saving. See UGQ’s spec tables (scroll down) for more weight comparisons. Baffle DesignThe Zeppelin under quilt has ten shaped differential cut chambers that provide maximum loft with smaller chambers than you would find on the average quilt, resulting in better distribution and less down shifting then other larger chambered designs. Each down chamber is constructed using mesh baffles, so warmth can pass between them, allowing for better heat exchange between your core and extremities. RecommendationThere are an increasing number of hammock under quilt manufacturers today making products from a wide range of materials, for different types of hammocks, and across a wide spectrum of price points. How do you sort through it all and get the best under quilt for your needs? In my experience, it’s best to buy a hammock under quilt from a cottage manufacturer that specializes in making hammock gear. I’ve used some so-so under quilts from quilt companies that cater more to people who sleep on the ground than in the air. This is especially true for cold weather hammock insulation (30 degrees or less) where having draft collars on the ends of an under quilt and using the latest down-proof shell fabrics has a big impact on comfort. Companies like UGQ Outdoor, which are hammock gear specialists, live these issues everyday and are willing to invest in making the design patterns for these more nuanced needs. Under quilts are a big part of their business and you’ll get better attention to detail by buying from them. The UGQ Zeppelin under quilt reviewed here is really superlative. I don’t think I’ve ever slept in a better under quilt and I’ve owned a few in my day. The 20 degree manufacturer temperature rating is conservative, but I’d still advise using a winter sock when camping in any kind of breeze. The stitching and fabrication are flawless as is the included hardware. If you’re new to hammock under quilts or a seasoned pro, you’ll find UGQ’s Zeppelin easy to love. Highly recommended. Disclosure: UGQ Outdoor provided the author with a sample under quilt for this review.
The post UGQ Outdoor Zeppelin Under Quilt Review appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/ugq-zeppelin-under-quilt-review/ This is a follow up review to my original review of the Kovea EZ Eco, which I published last year on SectionHiker.com (click for previous review). In that review, I found many things that I liked about the stove but ultimately could not recommend it because it appeared to be having problems with the regulatory mechanism that controls the flow of gas. Kovea contacted me, and about a year later, I got a re-worked version of the stove, which is now available from REI. This review is of the “domestic” version of the stove. Since it’s made in Korea, that means the Korean version. The version of the stove now for sale in the US has some cosmetic differences (and the instructions are in English), but the internals are the same. It looks like they switched vendors on the pot; the pot now on sale in the US is a little different from the one I received for this review (Kovea makes the stove but contracts out the pot), but again those differences are cosmetic. A Canisterless Canister StoveThe EZ Eco is the “canisterless” version of the Kovea Alpine Pot. The Alpine Pot is Kovea’s take on a Jetboil type stove. What do I mean by “canisterless?” Well, if you look at the first photo in this review, you’ll see the stove fully set up – but you don’t see a canister. The stove runs off of an internal tank that one fills before one leaves on a trip. How to FillOn the bottom of the stove is a brass fuel port under a rubber cover. One can either fill from a normal threaded backpacking type gas canister via an adapter – or one can fill directly from a restaurant type 100% butane canister, the type used in the restaurant and hospitality industry. To fill from a “restaurant” type 100% butane canister, one simply removes the cap from the butane canister, places the built-in nozzle of the canister into the fuel port on the stove, and pushes down. The gas starts immediately flowing into the tank. If you’ve ever filled a refillable butane lighter (like the kind used for cigarettes etc.), you already know how to fill an EZ Eco. Fill until the fuel level in the “window” is level with the “MAX” line. The EZ Eco has a relief valve, making it nearly impossible to overfill. Why use “Restaurant” type canisters?Why might one want to fill using restaurant type canisters? Well, they’re cheap. Really cheap. In the US, I’ve seen them for as low as $1.25 each if one buys a four-pack. Even if they were double that price, they’d still be cheap. Restaurant type canisters come in “8 ounce” size (about 227 g). An equivalent sized backpacking type gas canister runs about $6.00 – roughly triple the price of restaurant type gas canisters. The Downside of Restaurant type canistersThe down side of course is that restaurant type canisters contain just “plain” butane (i.e. n-butane). N-butane is a lousy fuel in cold weather. Now, for a summer hiker, that may matter not at all, but if you’re going to go out in temperatures that are heading toward about 50 F/10 C or lower, you definitely don’t want to bring n-butane as your fuel. Butane doesn’t vaporize well in colder temperatures (and not at all below freezing) which leaves you no pressure to run your stove on. Herein lies the advantage of backpacking type canisters. Why use Backpacking type canisters?They figured out years ago that n-butane alone wasn’t much good when temperatures start getting toward 50 F/10 C or lower. So they added propane and in some cases switched from n-butane to isobutane. A blended fuel of some mix of propane, isobutane, and n-butane maintains good operating pressure down into colder temperatures. One can typically get good operating pressure at freezing and even below with a blended gas. Sure, backpacking canisters are more expensive, but n-butane just isn’t going to work in cold weather. You can use the Kovea purpose-built adapter, shown above on the right, that is ideal for filling the tank – or you can use an adapter of the type used to fill regular butane lighters – such as the Brunton “Fuel Tool” shown above on the left. Screw the adapter onto a typical backpacking canister of gas, and then fill just as you would with a 100% butane restaurant canister. Since the Kovea adapter comes with the stove, I recommend just using it (hey, it’s free, right?), but if you lose it or are somewhere where gas is available but don’t have the Kovea adapter, you could always use an adapter meant for filling regular butane lighters. The Advantages of CanisterlessWell, there’s the obvious advantage of not having to carry a canister, but other advantages include:
FEATURES OF THE STOVEHeat ExchangerLike a Jetboil, the EZ Eco features a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger consists of a number of aluminum “fins” affixed to the bottom of the pot. The heat from the burner flows over the fins. The fins absorb the heat and conduct the heat to the pot and thus to the contents of the pot. It’s a very efficient way to cook. Whereas a conventional canister gas stove typically takes 7 or 8 g of fuel to boil 500 ml (approximately 2 cups) of water, a stove set up with a heat exchanger takes something on the order of 5 or 6 g per 500 ml boil. While on a day hike, perhaps that won’t make a difference, but on longer hikes, that efficiency means you can either carry one canister instead of two or perhaps prevents you from sizing up to the next larger canister. Whether your trying to save weight or bulk or both, a heat exchanger pot set up can be the way to go. ControlsThe controls are interesting. Instead of a valve that rotates around an axis, the EZ Eco has a lever that one moves back and forth. I actually find this method easier than a valve that one has to rotate to open and close. The stove comes with a piezoelectric ignition which is easily employed by pressing a large green button to the left of the valve control. It’s EZ – A good stove for young usersOne advantage of these easy use controls is that younger users have no problem operating them. They’re very simple. Combine the ease of use with the lack of need to hook up a canister (of highly flammable gas), and you’ve got a safer stove system for younger users. I could see a stove like this, with easy controls and no fuel to hook up, being a really good option for Scout troops or families with children. LidThe lid has a nice stand up tab that stays put when you pop it up. I like that. I don’t like fumbling for the tab to lift the lid when I’m trying to add ingredients. The lid is a reasonably good fit, but I wouldn’t try to turn it upside down while there’s water in the pot. Update re the lid: On the final version, the version now for sale in the US, there are two sort of stretchy rubber band things to keep the lid on. See photo below. I’m all in favor of it. I hate it if the lid falls off when I’m trying to pour. Note also that they’ve changed the overall color to yellow instead of green on the final version. Honestly, I think I liked the green better, but this isn’t a fashion contest, now is it? “Legs” and “Feet”The stove base comes with legs and feet. The legs rotate out to give the stove stability when in use or rotate in for packing up. The burner has a safety: The fuel won’t flow unless the legs are rotated out and locked into position. At the tip of the legs is a rubber “foot.” The rubber is a nice, grippy material that would allow one to operate safely on uneven or sloping surfaces. I don’t recommend cooking at the angle shown in the below photo, but with these grippy feet, you could do it. CapacityThe pot could hold one liter if you filled it to the brim. Filling the pot to the brim is of course neither practical nor safe. NEVER let a pot boil over onto a gas stove. The boiling hot water could cause a sudden surge in gas pressure that could cause a stove to malfunction. Let’s see. Highly flammable gas near a burning flame and you’re going to suddenly boost the pressure way, way up. Hmm. That just doesn’t sound like a good idea, now does it? NEVER let a pot boil over onto a gas stove. Kovea adds a “MAX SAFE FILL” line at the half liter mark. I think that’s overly conservative. A careful person could get along fine with 750 ml in the pot, but note that I said a careful person. You want to keep your eye on the stove and not leave the stove alone while it is on. WeightOK, so how much does this thing weigh? But wait. Remember that there’s no canister. The smallest canisters weigh 100 g/3.5 oz empty. So, for comparison purposes, add 100 g/3.5 oz to any stove you compare the EZ Eco to. With that in mind, below is a table of weights. The total is 773 g/27.3 oz. Ouch. Even if you deduct 100 g/3.5 oz to make a true comparison (to a stove that you have to take a canister along with), that’s still on the heavy side. But just a couple of painless tweaks drop that down a bit: Leave the little cup and HX cover at home. Those are the obvious things to leave behind. That drops things a few ounces. The bag is a nice bag, but a plastic grocery store bag will keep things together nearly as well. Drop the cup, bag, and HX cover, also deduct 100 g/3.5 oz for the canister that you don’t have to carry, and you’ve dropped to 561 g/19.8 oz, a far more tolerable weight. You could also leave the lid behind and just carry some double folded aluminum foil, but that’s a bit too much hassle for me.
When comparing to other stoves, deduct 100 g/3.5 ounces for the canister you don’t have to carry. Note: The above weights were measured by me on my scale at home in grams. Weights stated in ounces are based on a conversion factor of 28.349523125. Rounding errors may occur. If any apparent conflict in weights exists, weights measured in grams should be considered the more reliable. The above weights may vary from the manufacturers stated weights, but in this case, the manufacturer’s stated weight of 770 g/27.2 oz is reasonably close to my 773 g/27.3 oz. Cooking AbilityWell, you generally don’t buy an integrated canister stove to make gourmet meals. Integrated canister stoves like the EZ Eco are more associated with fast boil times and efficiency than cooking ability. However, I found that I could do more than just boil water. I found that I had good flame control and that I could simmer if I wanted to, without the stove unpredictably blowing out. That’s more than can be said for some other integrated canister stoves. Fuel Capacity – Is it practical?The maximum amount of fuel that one can put into the tank is 27 g. The smallest backpacking canisters ever sold in the US were 50 g (for the old Rando 360 stove). The smallest backpacking canister sold today in the US is 100 g (Jetboil brand). A max of 27 g sounds a bit small. Now, the EZ Eco takes about 5 or 6 g per 500 ml (2 cups) boil, so that’s a total of about 5 boils per tank. Kovea claims that there’s enough gas for 6 boils per tank, but that’s under ideal conditions. I think 5 is a much more realistic estimate, and if it’s really windy, 4. Maybe it’s 6, but for the purposes of this article, let us assume 5 boils of 500 ml of water per full internal tank of gas for the EZ Eco. Solo weekend tripNow, for a solo person out for a weekend, that number of boils actually might suffice. Most backpacking meals take about 500 ml of boiling water to reconstitute. If a solo person went out Friday night, had a hot supper, had a hot breakfast the following day, had another hot supper in the evening, and finally a hot breakfast on the last day, that’s four boils of about 500 ml each. Four boils might well be sufficient, and remember you’re going to get about five out of a tank, so you could even throw in a cup of coffee or two. Most hikers just eat cold lunches on the go, so this is a realistic and workable amount of fuel for a soloist for a weekend. It’s not generous, but it’s workable if you pay attention to what you’re doing and know the basics of stove fuel economy. Longer trips, trips with a partner or group But for a longer trip? No.For two or more people? No. Not for a full weekend at least. Now, for two, it might be OK for a single overnighter (leave Saturday, come back Sunday), but not for a full weekend (leave Friday, come back Sunday). I would think that the stove really needs at least a fuel capacity of 50 g and preferably 100 g. A 100 g fuel capacity would last a soloist easily for a week, including “extras” like coffee and tea. A 27 g fuel capacity simply will not. Day use/Short overnightersI think the best use might be day trips or short overnight trips (like a full-weekend solo trip or a single overnighter trip for two). This is a somewhat limited use for a stove with MSRP of $150 – but see the following two sections before you write it off. “Hikin’ Jim, you big dummy; the fuel capacity is no problem at all. 90+ percent of my backpacking trips are only for a weekend, and I can just suck it up and carry a canister once in a while for a longer trip.” Yes, you could do that. That’s a perfectly manageable work-around. You do however have to carry the weight and bulk of both the canister and the stove’s tank. Some people may find this (carrying a canister occasionally) a good way to make this really nice stove system work for them. The “True” PricePriced at $150, the MSRP of the Kovea EZ Eco Stove sounds a little high compared to other regulated integrated canister stoves. For example, a Jetboil MiniMo is typically around $135 to $140, and the MSR Windburner is $140. However, if you save $4.00 for every 8 ounces (227 g) of fuel you buy, that price differential quickly evaporates. In other words, the true price of an EZ Eco is actually lower than stoves with a smaller price tag. Over the life of the stove, the EZ Eco is less expensive than other stoves simply because one can save so much on fuel. Now, of course, this assumes that 8 ounce butane cans are available in your area for $2. Sometimes, I’ve seen them for $3 in which case you’d still be buying gas at half off, but your savings would be reduced. If you do a lot of hiking and camping, you might look into buying a 12 pack of cans. I’ve seen them for as little as $1.65 each when bought in a 12 pack. You could always split the pack with friends, members of an outdoors club, or a Scout troop. Summary – The Kovea EZ EcoWhat’s good about it?
What’s not so good about it?
The Kovea EZ Eco – Highly recommended.Thanks for joining me on yet another Adventure in Stoving, HJ Disclosures: The stove in this review was provided at no cost to me by Kovea with the understanding that I would review the stove as I saw fit, in other words, with no restrictions or preconditions. I have reviewed the stove accordingly. Kovea has taken no action to try and sway my opinion in any fashion although I must admit the offer of a lifetime supply of kimchi was mighty tempting. Mmm. Good thing they didn’t offer me Korean BBQ or I’d never write another objective review again, ever. Man! Is that stuff ever good.
The post Kovea EZ Eco Refillable Gas Canister Stove Review by Hikin’ Jim appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/kovea-ez-eco-refillable-canisterless-stove-review/ Esbit cubes are solid fuel cubes used for cooking backpacking meals. Weighing just 0.5 ounces (14 g) each, they’re ultralight, you don’t need a container to carry them like an isobutane gas canister or alcohol bottle, and you can even ship them via ground transportation (in the USA), making them ideal for post office resupply mail drops. Esbit will burn at any temperature or altitude, and you can even snuff out a cube when it’s half-used for use at a later time. But, one of the major complaints about using Esbit cubes for backpacking is the time it takes to boil water. If you watch boil time tests on YouTube (get a life, seriously), people report 2 cup water boiling times of 8 minutes or more using a 14 gram Esbit fuel tablet. But there’s a simple trick you can use to drop Esbit cube boil times under 5 minutes by increasing the surface area of a cube so that it burns faster. Simply break a cube in half along the center scored mark and stand the two halves upright underneath your cook pot. Voilà! This boils 2 cups of water much faster. I learned this technique from Jon Fong, the owner of Flat Cat Stoves, and I’ve been using all year with great success. I was sold on using Esbit before I learned this trick, but being able to boil water faster is icing on the cake. Here’s the video by Jon where I first learned this technique. In it, he provides a detailed description of the tradeoffs between speed and efficiency when it comes to cooking with Esbit. I’d also encourage you to check out Jon’s free Backpacker’s Cookbook if you want to try Esbit baking, which is fun to experiment with during the winter months when the days are short and the nights are long and you want a hobby for camp. See also:
The post How to Speed Up Esbit Cube Cooking appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/how-to-speed-up-esbit-cube-cooking/ A Pemigewasset Loop is a 31 mile loop hike in New Hampshire’s White Mountains that follows the ridgeline encircling the Pemigewasset Wilderness. The route climbs 8 four thousand footers with 9000 feet of elevation gain and has long stretches of above-treeline travel. You can increase the number of four thousand footers climbed by adding in a few side trips. I climbed one extra peak on this trip to West Bond Mountain, bringing my total to 9 or 10, if you count Mt Guyot which is not yet officially on the AMC 4000 footer list, but rumored to be be joining it soon.
The Pemi-Loop along with a Presidential Traverse are the two most famous hikes in the White Mountains, although there are many other challenging routes here that are just as scenic, but less travelled because they’re more remote. I know some people who’ve hiked a Pemi-Loop in under 24 hours, a hike they say they’d never want to do again because it’s so strenuous. I decided to backpack it as a 1-nighter, and even that was a bit extreme. But no matter how long it takes you, hiking a Pemi-Loop is one of those routes you’ll never forget. A Pemigewasset Loop Route Plan
For this trip, I decided to hike the loop in a counter-clockwise direction, starting and ending at the Lincoln Woods Trailhead. I was on the trail by 8:00 am and strolled along the East Branch Pemigewasset River towards the Bondcliff Trail. It’s a 4 mile ‘walk in’ to get to the bottom of the Bondcliff Trail and start climbing. Although I’ve hiked all of the trails on the Pemi Loop in the past, it’d been a few years since I’d been round this way. I’ve found that it takes me about 6 years to forget what a trail looks like, ensuring a constant source of rediscovery even when re-hiking trails I’ve hiked before. The White Mountains trail system is also surprisingly dynamic and changing, touched by the forces of nature and trail crews, which transform trails by chance or method over the years. In other words, there’s always something new to see and experience. However, what I found as I started up the Bondcliff Trail was a bit alarming. While there has always been some illegal camping in the Whites, in other words campsites that are adjacent to the trail and not 200 feet away from it, I was amazed at the number of new campsites that had sprung up on the trail. The problem is not localized to the Bondcliff Trail, but along all trails leading to the AMC 4000 footers, along the length of the Appalachian Trail, and within 1 mile of every White Mountain trailhead. I’m not exactly what can be done to reduce the aesthetic impact that these campsites have or if it will get a lot worse before it gets better. I tried to focus on my hike. One of my biggest problems as a hiker is regulating my pace. “Slow down.” I said to myself, as I climbed. I always try to hike too fast on uphills, which leaves me panting. When I lead groups, I always try to sweep so I don’t have to set the pace. The Bondcliff Trail starts at about 1800′ of elevation and climbs Bondcliff Mountain, Mt Bond, and passes near West Bond Mountain. All three are typically hiked together, although technically West Bond is considered an optional side trip on a strict Pemi Loop. I consider West Bond a must-hike whenever I’m in the neighborhood, simply because it has the best profile view of Bondcliff Mountain in the Whites. The highest of the three peaks is Mt Bond at 4690′, which also has tremendous views of many peaks, including Mt Washington. I’d started my hike with two liters of water and expected to be able to resupply at one of the two streams, shortly before popping above treeline on Bondcliff Mountain. But both streams were bone dry. That was a nasty surprise. I was almost out of water and the nearest certain source was the spring at Guyot Shelter, some two miles distant. I thought about turning around because I knew I’d get really thirsty on the ascent of Mt Bond, but decided to wing it. I figured I could beg for extra water on Bondcliff Mountain because I was sure to run into someone. It’s a very popular mountain, even though it’s 10 miles from the nearest road. There were only two people on the entire mountain top, which is a huge expanse of open cliff, when I summitted. “Excuse me,” I asked. “Can you spare a liter of water?” Daisy’s owners were more than happy to siphon a liter out of their hydration packs and into one of my water bottles. They’d spent the night at Guyot Shelter and had full tanks. We had a nice chat as we enjoyed the top of beautiful Bondcliff, one of the most majestic mountains in the Whites. This was Daisy’s 44th 4000 footer (out of 48) and she was the perfect host, expressing an interest in me but basically leaving me alone. The best kind of trail dog. From Bondcliff, I climbed Mt Bond and took a break, chatting with another hiker who’d spent the night at Zealand Hut. I also chatted with some trail runners who’d passed me near the beginning of my walk. Here we were at the same destination, rabbit and hare. From Mt Bond, I hiked the short spur trail to West Bond, before hiking down to the spring at Guyot Shelter to get fresh water. I drank a fresh liter on the spot to rehydrate and then filled up four more liters, enough to get me through to the next morning if I had to dry camp. It was too early in the day to stop and stay at Guyot and I wanted to get at least to South Twin Mountain, close to the halfway point of my loop, before sunset. I’ve dry camped on South Twin before and there are plenty of low impact places to stealth camp off-trail if you hike down the Southwest sub-peak. I mean really stealth, far from the trail, and not visible to anyone. I left Guyot Shelter and climbed back up the ridgeline with my 8 pounds of water. No fun. It was a short hike to Mount Guyot (4560′), a 4000 footer, which is not on the four thousand footer list. It’s a treeless bald dome, named after Arnold Guyot, the first person to create a map of the White Mountains. There I ran into an old friend, Mr Bunny. I haven’t seen him in a few years, but we weren’t that surprised to run into one another on a Monday on Mt Guyot! The White Mountain hiking community can be like that. We parted ways and I headed up the Twinway to South Twin (4902′), which is also a sizable peak. I was hiking a bit faster than I expected and summitted at 5:30 pm. Rather than dry camp, I decided to descend another 3/4 miles to a spot near Galehead hut where I could camp. The wind had been blowing pretty hard all day and I figured I’d be a lot warmer in dense forest than up near the summit of South Twin. The next morning, I popped into Galehead hut to refill my water bottles (anyone can do this for free) and spoke to a few thru-hikers on the porch. There are a lot of thru-hikers still coming through New Hampshire and I probably saw two-dozen more throughout the course of the day. All super nice, humble people who I enjoyed speaking with. The previous day had been a strenuous hike, taking 10 hours with 14.75 miles of hiking and 4700 feet of elevation gain. I knew that the second day would be tougher, but I didn’t really understand just how tough it would be. My goal was to hike from Galehead hut over Mts Garfield, Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty, and Flume before descending back down to the East Pemigewasset River and hiking out to my car in Lincoln Woods. I’d also need to carry an extra 2 liters of water from Garfield to Flume to avoid hiking down Franconia Ridge to resupply my water, since it’s dry. Worse comes to worse, I figured I could hike the last three miles of the route in the dark with a headlamp, if needed, because it would be the easiest segment of the day, below treeline, and headed downhill on an easy trail. I figured I’d be able to finish the loop if I made it to the summit of Lafayette by 2:00 pm, so I set out and hoped for the best. The first 3 miles took me 3 hours to hike. The section of trail from Galehead to the summit of Garfield is one of the toughest sections of the new Hampshire AT in my experience, and includes climbing a waterfall on Garfield, just below the spur trail to the Garfield Lean-to. I took at break there at the spring and loaded up on the extra water I’d have to carry the rest of the day. While I was processing my water, I chatted with two thru-hikers, Chuckles and Laughs-a-Lot, who’d been roommates at U of NH, and had been thru-hiking together since April 7th. At one point Chuckles asked me, “Do you have any safety?.” “Safety?”, I replied. “What’s that? Weed?” He replied, “Yeah, we’ve been having safety meetings up and down the entire trail. I had to ask. You never know who’s smoking, these days.” Too funny. “No, I gave that up a long time ago. But a lot of my friends have prescriptions,” I agreed. We parted ways, and I hoofed it up to the summit of Garfield to admire the views of Franconia Ridge, my next destination. I was still on track to get to Lafayette by 2:00 pm, but first I had to hike down into the col between Garfield and North Lafayette, before climbing up to North Lafayette and the Lafayette beyond that. I cursed my altimeter watch as I dropped down into the col, knowing I’d have to climb back at the other side. I was already sweating fiercely by this point, so I implemented a few dietary hedges to keep my electrolytes balanced. This included eating the rest of my Vermont summer sausage (sodium), eating the rest of my crushed potato chips (sodium), and spiking my water bottles with eLete Electrolyte drops, a seawater-based additive that doesn’t muck up your water reservoir or bottles because it doesn’t have any added sugars or sweeteners. By the end of the day I’d drink 7 liters of water over a 12 hour period. North Lafayette eventually came into view. It’s a sub-peak of Lafayette, but a far nicer peak in my view because it’s not always overrun with tourists. Most people don’t even know that it’s a distinct 5000′ mountain. I’ve eaten many a quiet lunch there, overlooking Franconia Notch, in relative solitude, out of the wind and admiring the view below. From North Lafayette, it’s a short, cairn-lined walk to Lafayette proper and the famous scree-lined Franconia Ridge Trail, one of the most majestic ridgeline walks in New Hampshire. Words fall short of expressing the awe that I feel when hiking along this ridge. It’s hard to put my finger on it. The fatigue of the ascent melts away as one drinks in the views and feels the bright sunshine baking the rocks around you. Even when it’s windy, which is usually is, one feels a deep peace, calm, and oneness with the other people you meet along the path. Being a Tuesday, there weren’t that many people on the ridge, which I’d heard has been crazy busy all summer with up to 10,000 visitors per day. That day it was just me, a couple of dozen locals, and a few dozen thru-hikers still heading north to Katahdin. They were lucky to have such nice weather on the ridge. I wasn’t rushing, but I made it to the col between Little Haystack and Liberty by 3:30 pm. I ate the last of my food (I was running very short) and prepared for the final push. My goal was to climb Liberty by 4:00 pm and Flume by 5:00 pm. After that, I’d have about 6.o miles to finish the hike. I checked my topographic map and saw that the approach hikes to both summits were fairly gradual, which was good, because I was pretty tired, although the food I ate had perked me up. Sunset was at 7:00 but I can hike very fast on easy trail and I knew I’d be able to make up some time on the downhill. The climbs up Liberty and Flume had looked daunting when I was up in the ridge looking down on the peaks and the cols in front of them, but the topo didn’t lie and they were a lot easier than I’d feared. I summitted Liberty and glanced over to admire the view of Bondcliff, the first mountain I’d climbed the day before. Then onto the avalanche scarred summit of Mt Flume, which is an easy climb from Liberty. I was slightly ahead of schedule when I hiked over Flume, reaching the summit viewpoint by 4:45 pm. I’m not a night hiker by preference, but I was equipped to hike out by headlamp if I needed to, provided I’d gotten over the big peaks. Once past Flume, there is a precipitous section of the Osseo Trail which has many wooden ladders, but it’s downhill. Many people hike up this trail if they do a clockwise Pemi-Loop and I thanked my stars that I’d done my loop in the other direction. I hate climbing stairs, stone or wooden. Once past the ladders, I really ramped up my pace. After hiking at a mile an hour for much of the day, going three miles an hour again was liberating! I made it back down to the Lincoln Woods Trail which runs along the East Branch just as the sun was setting and made it back to my car by 7:05 pm. Day 2 of my Pemi Loop had been really tough. It had definitely in the top 3 hardest days of my backpacking life, both physically and mentally. But at the same time, it’d been a good way to benchmark my fitness for the rest of the trips I have planned for the remainder of the year. Next time I hike this route though, I’ll be doing a 2-night loop instead. Recommended Guidebooks and Maps:
The post Backpacking a Pemigewasset Loop appeared first on Section Hikers Backpacking Blog. from https://sectionhiker.com/backpacking-a-pemigewasset-loop/ |
ABOUT MEHello my pleaseure to introduce myself, I am Jose Johnson. I am 26 years old from Monroe, LA. I love to got for hikings with my friends on holidays. Archives
April 2019
Categories |