Month: March 2015

The Undertaker and I did a 26-mile loop near Mt. Hood this past weekend, starting at the Eagle Creek Trailhead. (beautiful images via google here) We camped at Wahtum Lake and hiked out over the Benson Plateau and down the Ruckel Creek Trail (a steep descent, I might add.) Several video tests with my iPhone, done near Tunnel Falls.

It was a great chance to try out most of my gear. I carried 5L of water and 3 days worth of food, just to get used to the weight and the way the pack carries. My homemade cuben-fiber kilt worked great until I lunged over a stream and heard the fabric tear behind me.
User error…I should have had the zipper higher. We tested out a Sawyer Original and the flowrate was fine. I pitched my Duplex tent the best I have yet, with enough space inside above my head and feet that I didn’t feel claustrophobic. It got close to freezing at night, and my sleep system was not perfect. It seemed like every time I shifted to fix a draft I somehow created a new one. I’ve got some ideas that may solve this problem, but it is a concern at the moment.

In the morning, we had to pack up during a rainstorm. It’s crummy to have to do that with so little experience packing this gear, but a great experience to have nonetheless. It’s easy when you know you’ll be back in civilization later in the day. It would be obviously much more stressful if you don’t have a dry haven later in the day to look forward to.

Overall, the trip was a great success with lots of Type 1 and Type 2 fun. 🙂
Stay strong,
The Husk

Well, over the past 3 days, I constructed my quilt. It is 25 ounces of pure magic. Hehe…not really, I’m just glad that this project made it to completion. Again, I’d recommend Joe Brewer’s excellent DIY quilt video if anyone else wants to attempt this.    

This is what 1 lb of down looks like! It took an hour to transfer it all into the fabric, pretty crazy. I made my karo step sides slightly longer than Joe’s (7 vs 6 inches), as he remarked that his were just a little too small, so the down migrated too easily into other areas. Working on a project like this, it’s amazing how much faith you have to have that you’re headed in the right direction and that the final project will be close to the mark. Prior to filling the nylon with down, it is easy to feel a sense of hopelessness, hehe.