It starts with new shorts and a smile, even at 7 a.m.

Hydration is always key to a day of fun, especially when it comes in a pink cup.

It helps to live in a state with beautiful places,

and to have friends who love adventure.

It can be a tough climb to the top,

but when you get there, it’s so worth it.

Drinks with friends are lighthearted, coffee with friends is intimate, shopping with friends is awesome. But there is something pretty special about sweating off 800+ calories before lunch and catching up on all the latest gossip at the same time. I can’t wait for our next adventure! Thanks for a great day, Jessica!

Okay, so I promised you the other day I’d tell you about dropping my pants. So I’ll start this blog post by telling you about that part.

Scott, Jeff and I were hiking in the Great Basalm Mountains. During one break we were all standing on the trail and we heard a weird noise. Coming from me. Well, my backpack, specifically. It sounded like a squeaking/pressure releasing/buzzing sound. We concluded it was from my water bladder (which is this, for those who don’t know). We kept hiking.

About 45 minutes later we reached the summit of Tennent Mountain. An elevation of 6,040, it was one of the most beautiful views around. The mountain is bald, meaning without trees that hinder the view. So you can see for miles around. Anyone coming up or down the trail is visible. Here’s what it looked like at the top:

Scott naps at the summit of Tennent Mountain

There’s a small bed of rocks, which you see in the picture, and otherwise you see rolling hills and trails leading down the mountain and toward the other peaks. We decided to take a rest break at the summit. I put my pack down and poked around inside for some snacks, and I heard my water bladder acting up again. Oddly, with the way the mountain carries sound, it almost sounded like someone playing music at the bottom of the mountain – I heard a buzzing, speaker-ish sound. I asked Scott if he could hear it and he could – silly bladder. I figured it was just the pressure of the water coming out and my stuff being pressed against the bladder itself inside my pack.

Then, Scott moved over to sit on a different rock, which happened to be beside my pack, and I was sitting on the other side of him. Jeff was in front of us, reclining on another rock. Then, I heard it again.

Except this time, I was far enough away from my pack to know that it wasn’t my bladder. This was way too loud. And it was a distinct buzzing sound. “Is there a bug in my shoe?” I asked and started looking around, wondering if I’d somehow trapped a fly between the grooves of the hiking boot. I didn’t see anything. I ran my hands over my thighs and felt something sticking out of my pants, almost like a splinter or something, but I didn’t think much of it. We’d hiked through plenty of brush over the past two days; in fact, most of the hikers we’d encountered had scratched-up legs and arms. I did feel an odd bump in my pants though, and was it my imagination or did that bump move?

Suddenly it hit me. “Oh my god there’s a bug in my pants!” I yelped and jumped up. I somehow managed to do a quick mental check of the underwear I’d put on that morning (Under Armour boy shorts; plenty of coverage – glad I wasn’t wearing a thong! But even a thong wouldn’t have stopped me …), and I unbuckled my pants and flung them down to my knees.

And I saw a great big … nothing. No bug. No reason for buzzing. No bump.

How embarassing. I looked down and noticed the corner of the pocket of my hiking pants on the inside, where it comes together in a square with a little extra thread. That was the bump I’d felt. My stupid fear of bugs and I’d dropped my pants on the top of a mountain.

Of course, Scott was gentleman enough not to look, but who knows who else was in eyesight of my little display?

Oh well, I thought, it actually was pretty damn funny if I think about it. I just dropped my pants for no reason.

So I pulled them back on, buckled them, and sat down with as much grace as I could muster. To be honest, I was laughing my ass off. I’ve always had an irrational fear of bugs, bees especially, so the supposed ”buzzing” had caused panicky behavior. Scott and Jeff had a great laugh too.

But then – I heard it again. Louder and angrier sounding than ever. And I most definitely felt my pants move. “Oh my God there is a bug in my pants!”

Jumped up again. Flung pants down to knees again. And there it was, on the inside of my pants: A bee. My hands quivering, I reached down and shook my pants. And it flew off – fast, off to the edge of the mountain and over the top of it. It was just as happy to get away from me as I was from it.

And there you have it, folks – why I dropped my pants – twice – for the whole world to see. And I am just thanking my lucky stars I did not get stung. I’ve only been stung once, in college, and Kate and Amy can attest it was not a pretty sight – I spent the entire day in bed after going down to the campus infirmary for Benedryl. I would hope my tolerance for pain is a little better now (I mean, c’mon, if I can handle this …) but I certainly didn’t want to test it on top of a mountain.

Jeff commented to Scott later that the bee probably did sting me, and it probably was just turned around and stung my pants instead of me. The next day I remembered the “splinter” I’d felt and figured Jeff was probably right. Shiver.

—

So, let me tell you about the rest of the trip. Our trip was almost foiled the first night when we discovered the Blue Ridge Parkway closed (which we’d known due to Jeff’s research but we were hoping maybe it wasn’t true.) We ended up car camping the first night off of 276 and it was my first night sleeping in the hammock outside. It was absolutely amazing. Being able to see the moon all night long by just opening my eyes was so beautiful. There were some small bushes next to the hammock and I discovered that by holding one of the branches I could sway myself back and forth. The stars were beautiful and there was a creek not too far from us that we could hear all night long. And the scaredy-cat part of me was relieved that there were people camping with dogs at a campsite close by.

I look terrible in this photo, but had to show off my hammock ...

The next day we packed up from the campsite and headed down toward Brevard to pour over the map and look up Plan B if the roads hadn’t reopened. On the way down we stopped and visited a waterfall:

Around that time I started feeling like we weren’t really giving Scott a “true” representation of backpacking. I mean, sleeping by the car, driving to a waterfall, and now we’re about to head into town? With bathrooms and electricity and everything? He was never going to believe that we knew how to “rough it.” This was his first backpacking trip so I really wanted to make sure he got the true experience. We hadn’t even hiked yet – one of my favorite parts! If we weren’t burning calories it wasn’t worth it!

We got to Brevard and stopped in at a coffeeshop to get macchiatos and a bathroom break and to regroup. Jeff called and found out they’d reopened 215, which was an alternate route to where we wanted to go. Success! Finally, Great Basalms, here we come!

We ended up parking at Sam Knob parking lot and then started hiking on an “easy” trail. This was Jeff’s attempt to break Scott in slowly to the hiking experience. He did just fine, though – he’s a runner, and I’ve always found a correlation in the endurance department. We took off toward Shining Rock, and the first part of the trail was super easy. We found an area where the Art Loeb trail connected with some other trails, and we decided that might be a good place to camp. Just in case we changed our minds, though, we didn’t trade our packs for summit packs.

At that point the trail became tougher. I was relieved – now Scott was getting to experience what we were used to experiencing. The trail was steeper and skinnier and it was a great workout. We found a clearing near the top where we took a load off to relax for a moment and Jeff called Chadd and Whitney to make sure they were on their way (he found a smidgin of signal).

In the foreground is a lean-to someone built/left.

You can kind of see some of the trash that others left behind in this photo. There was a lot more of it, in this clearing and others. Not cool, other campers.

Knowing Chadd and Whitney were on the way, we kept going up to the peak at Shining Rock. It was absolutely beautiful! Quartz rock everywhere that we climbed to get to the top.

It was amazing, if you can’t tell that from the pictures.

Retraced some of our steps, found our original camping spot, and set up for the night. It was nice having plenty of daylight left to get everything set up – unlike winter camping, where the days end very quickly when that sun dips down below the mountain.

That night got a lot colder than the previous night, and I had a harder time sleeping. Scott and Jeff did, too. I’m still loving my hammock, though! Blaming the lack of sleep on the feeling of being much further away from the car/other campers, etc.

The next morning was still chilly so we stayed in our sleeping bags for coffee and breakfast.

After a leisurely morning of coffee and oatmeal (my kind of morning!), we packed up camp and hit the trails. If I’d thought Saturday was somewhat easy, not to worry – Sunday was a great challenge. We hiked down the rest of Shining Rock, then hiked to the summit of Grassy Cove Top. Grassy Cove Top was not so grassy, but was blackened as a result of fire.

From there we climbed to another peak (I’m really not sure what the name of it was), and we met some new friends along the way (a Marine, his wife, and their two golden retrievers.)

Then we climbed Tennent Mountain (I told you all about that one), and we finished up the day by climbing Black Basalm Knob.

See how dirty their arms and pants are? That's from Grassy Cove Top ashes.

From there, we headed down the mountain and to the parking lot, where we’d left the Jeep. I only wish Chadd and Whitney had been able to find us (we found out later they’d slept on Tennent Mountain, having climbed the peaks the opposite direction that we did.)

The best part: Scott loves camping and can’t wait to do it again! When’s the next trip?

Surround yourself with people who love you and respect you.

Surround yourself with nature. It’s amazing the clarity that can be found on a running path or a mountain top.

Always choose coffee with a friend over an evening with the DVR.

Over the past few weeks I’ve dealt with tragedy, with my grandmother’s illness, with prioritizing everything – meaning the stuff that really didn’t matter made it to the bottom of the list. And it’s amazing how little matters when you are facing something big.

And it’s amazing how you learn who your true friends are during these times.

Getting back to nature made me almost forget my burdens. Almost. But then it’s back to reality and reality is that my grandmother is going to visit an oncologist this week. And she’s in for another outpatient surgery. And in my worry for her, it’s hard to think of much else.

Today I will lace up my running shoes (okay, I have Yankz, I’m not actually lacing anything), and I’ll run to Colleen’s house, 7.5 miles away. Then she and I will go for a walk on the greenway and have coffee after.

I know that’s exactly what I need to do. Today and all days, surround myself with those that are there when everything crumbles and you’re left with pieces and you don’t know how to put them back together.

And that’s what I will do.

Sunrise at Grassy Ridge

 And when you get to the top you’re surrounded by rolling hills like this: 

Summit at Grassy Ridge

 — 

We hit the Appalachian Trail this past weekend for some exercise and some R&R. A few in the group are doing a South Beyond 6000 challenge, which involves climbing 40 peaks that are above 6,000 feet in elevation in the southern Appalachians. This past weekend was 3 peaks (counting as two in the challenge, since they are relatively short hikes on their own, and they are so close together): Grassy Ridge, Roan High Knob and Roan High Bluff.

I was just along for the ride, invited by Kevin and eager to get some exercise. Before we left, I was concerned about my ability to keep up with the group – they had dusted me on our last hike at Mount Mitchell, as I had been scared of the ice. But after a slightly icy start at Grassy Ridge, it turned into a mix of soft snow and no snow. The next two peaks – Roan High Knob and Roan High Bluff were completely covered with powdery snow. Several feet of it. Meaning it was a great resistance workout (every few steps the snow would collapse several feet underneath us, making walking through the snow akin to running in the sand or something like that.)

See how Kevin is knee-deep in snow? A moment before, he was walking on it. Then it collapsed. This happened every few steps.

And my marathon training did not fail me – I was able to keep up with little effort. The icyness at Mount Mitchell had me going slow for fear of falling, breaking a leg, falling off a mountain, etc. The powdery snow here didn’t scare me at all – bring it!

We met a few interesting folks along the AT, including two guys who asked as soon as they saw us: “Do you have any drugs?” Pretty ballsy to ask a stranger, but I guess the trail is a whole other world …

We stayed at a shelter on the AT. It’s basically two rooms on two floors. It’s first-come, first served, and there’s not a lot to it, other than it’s an adorable little cabin and it kept the wind out!

I am eagerly preparing my first (and only) cup of coffee for the day

I got to sleep in my hammock for the first time, which was amazing … in fact, I want to go camping again ASAP just so I can use it again! Andrew, Karen and Kevin are experienced hammock campers, and they were able to give me some great tips regarding how to use it, which sounds silly but they really were helpful! If you are considering a hammock, let me know and I’ll pass along the advice.

Hammock camping inside the shelter

 We even had time to have some fun with the camera. I took this photo of Andrew “reaching the summit” at Roan High Knob. Really, there was no climbing necessary, but a fun camera angle can make the summit look more hard-core than it is!

Andrew reaching the summit at Roan High Knob - but not really

 A warm fire, and an amazing night of sleep followed … if you’ve read my other camping blogs, you know sleeping on the trail is tough for me. I hear noises and I freak out. I toss and turn all night, and sleeping bags and the hard ground are not meant for that. I have some claustrophobia. But in the hammock, and in the shelter, and with Althea the dog nearby … I was great. No claustrophobia. I didn’t toss and turn – which was tough for me, but I was able to sleep anyway. And anytime I heard a weird noise, I would wait to see if Althea would react. When she was calm, I was able to be calm. Dogs are great.

—

The next morning, we hit the trail for home. And as usual, I wish I was still on the trail!

Heading back down the mountain

—

Giving credit where it’s due: I forgot my camera; these pictures are from Kevin and Andrew’s cameras.

The stats: According to Kevin’s Garmin, we hiked 12.62 miles in 8:19:42. We climbed about 3,200 feet. I burned about 4,100 calories according to the online calorie calculators I found. I am feeling much less discouraged than last week  - thank you all soooo much for your encouragement in the comments. I needed to hear it, and I’m ready to get back to it!

And lucky for me, I have an awesome brother and friends who invited me to go hiking/camping with them this weekend in Roan Mountain, Tenn. We will be leaving tomorrow evening and hiking 3 peaks (a total of 12 miles.) I really hope it’s warm enough to use my hammock this time, although I probably won’t be tying it over water like this girl did. Not quite that confident in my ability to properly hang a hammock!

—

Mia update

It’s been a rough few weeks. My grandmother’s been in the hospital, my former colleague died, I had a lingering cold that would just not go away. I got to a point where I just felt like I could not take one more thing. But I guess I don’t have a choice in that, which became evident two days ago when Mia went back to the hospital. She has an infection from the surgery she had a couple of weeks ago. She also has fluid in her lungs. Her new urologist says that the old urologist never should have done what he did with the first two surgeries so he wants to undo it all. Deep breath.

The good news is she’s at CMC, which is a hospital system we trust. I’m possibly staying with her in the hospital again tonight. Maybe I should do a blog post reviewing the area hospitals’ visitors’ perks – if I stay tonight, that will be facility number 3 in as many weeks (Piedmont Medical Center, Mecklenburg Healthcare, and now she’s at Carolinas Medical Center.)

The silver lining: I have been given a reminder over the past few weeks about how wonderful it is when you have people cheering for you and your family. I have so many friends that have gone above and beyond when it comes to support. Sometimes, friends become like family and it’s a really strengthening feeling to know there are people to rely on, to lean on, that would take my phone calls at any time and be at the hospital as soon as their cars would get them there, if I need them to be. Thank you to everyone who has offered to bring me dinner or movies or books or magazines; who has offered to meet me at the hospital for a run or a coffee; who has offered to help me with any work I may be behind on; who has offered up their homes for a shower or a nap; or who has asked if we need any help taking care of our four-legged children. Many of my friends know Mia but some of them have never even met her and they are as concerned as they would if it was their own grandmother. Thank you for the love and support, for the texts and Facebook messages and comments and everything else.

And of course, family is not just like family – and mine is a close one. Those of us who live in the area have been taking turns staying with her – my aunt Josie stayed the first week, I stayed the second week, and my dad has been there the past two nights. Mia is extremely independent so when she says she needs someone to stay, she really means it. We take turns bringing dinner or blankets or doing laundry for the person staying. We all tend to go a little stir crazy (Mia included), and so just having other people there helps. Of course the best part is when Kevin and Jenn bring their girls to visit. I freakin’ love those kids, and Mia does too – her face just lights up when they are there. Jenny brought Cai up too, and unfortunately I missed that visit but I know Mia was happy to see them.

—

I’ll share a comment Mia said at the rehab center that I already posted to Twitter and Facebook, but in case you missed it:

Me: “If it gets too crazy (at rehab) I’ll break you out of here.”

Mia: “If we do that, maybe we could go to a movie and get our toes done.”

—

Famous friends

Speaking of friends, I have another friend who is totally famous now. Amy is going to be on the Suze Orman show, and the local press has been talking about it. How awesome is that? Read about it here, and set your DVR!

—

It’s not just me

And speaking of my cold, it’s finally over. I talked to my aunt last night, who works in a doctor’s office, and she said there are viruses going around this season that resemble colds in symptoms, and they seem to be lingering a lot longer than people expect. So I guess it’s not just me. In a way that makes me feel better – I was wondering what the heck was wrong with me!

—

Designing a healthy living magazine makes me want to hike …

And now, I’m going to wrap up some magazine layout (Earth Day edition of Natural Awakenings; be sure to check it out!) and then I’m going to pack for a weekend in the woods! (after a night at the hospital. Will make the woods feel like a resort …)

Head to toe

Here’s what I wore on my trip:

Balaclava – I fought against one of these. I did not want to look like a ninja. But they really are warm. And I have a nose ring, and I think I mentioned before I recently learned that body piercing jewelry can lead to frostbite faster than areas without jewelry. Pros: This kept my face really warm. And I like that you can choose how much/little you want to have covered. I can have my head, my neck, my mouth, or my nose covered, or all of the above. Cons: I can’t wear contacts on the mountain for 3 days, so I wear my glasses. And the balaclava fogs up my glasses. And the fog on the glasses then freezes and becomes solid, leading to absolutely no visibility on the glasses. Which means I was spending the weekend choosing between sight and a warm nose. Bottom line: A necessity. Glasses defogger also a necessity.

 Beanie (for the record, this link does not show my actual beanie. My actual beanie was purchased a couple of years ago and is no longer for sale on REI’s site) – I brought it along for extra warmth in addition to the balaclava. And I spent the entire weekend asking people if my hat was on my head – because I couldn’t tell a difference. Pros: It looked cuter than a balaclava. Cons: I expected to lose it the entire time. Bottom line: Wouldn’t bring again. The balaclava was fine on its own.

 Scarf (again, my actual scarf no longer for sale. Just a fleece scarf from Old Navy.) - I used this way more than I thought I would – it helped with my glasses fogging issue with the balaclava. The scarf was a nice middle ground between completely covered nose and mouth (fog) and completely uncovered nose and mouth (freezing.) I also slept with it over my eyes and nose at night – perfect for that. Pros: Mentioned above. Cons: With all my layers on sometimes I couldn’t find it, making me wonder if I would lose it, but I didn’t. Bottom line: Would definitely bring again.

 Thermals – Base layer for pants and top. Got these at Target. If you get them there, make sure to get the “active” wear ones – the “everyday” and other types were made up of too much cotton for cold-weather camping. Mine are made of polyester and spandex. Cotton doesn’t dry well and loses insulating capabilities when wet – very bad for cold weather. Yes, mine are smurf blue. That’s all they had in my size. Pros: This was a lot warmer than the moisture-wicking running shirts I own. I was pleasantly surprised when I tried them on. Cons: The medium size seemed a little too big, the small a little too small. I went with medium. Bottom line: A necessity.

Fleece – I chose to bring my zip-up fleece, knowing I would need to be able to zip/unzip easily as I regulated my body temperature during the hike. Pros: Comfortable, warm. Cons: None. Bottom line: A necessity.

Coat (again, my coat was purchased too long ago to still be available. But resembles this one.) - A warm addition to the fleece. Pros: Warm. Cons: None. Bottom line: A necessity.  

Jacket – This was a brand-new purchase and my first time wearing it. I absolutely love that it has this: “Recco reflector embedded in the right sleeve can help searchers find you in snow.” Perfect! It’s great to wear as an outer layer to protect against snow or rain. Pros: Comfortable, great pockets, lightweight. Cons: None. Bottom line: Worth the high price tag.

Hiking pants (again, don’t see my actual hiking pants for sale) – These are lightweight and comfortable, and they have a button on the leg that allows them to become cropped pants (not that I used this feature this time!) Pros: They are more comfortable than other pants I’ve owned. Cons: Not fire retardant, and I have 2 new holes from embers to prove it.  Bottom line: A couple of patches later, and they’ll be great pants again.

Hiking socks – Had 3 pairs of socks, one the SmartWool brand in the link, the other two pairs purchased years ago from Jesse Browns. Pros: They worked just fine. Cons: No matter what, my feet were absolutely freezing the whole time. Bottom line: I need to figure out how to have warmer feet. One of the other guys had battery-operated socks. This may be on my to-get list if I go in temperatures this cold again. 

Toe Warmers and hand warmers - I used to think they were a luxury. In this weather, they were a necessity. Pros: Warm feet. Cons: Some of them didn’t work. I think it was the ones that were purchased a year or two ago. Wondering if they have an expiration date. Bottom line: Next time, I will have enough for 2-3 pairs per day.

Hiking boots (my boots, bought years ago)  - All I know about boots is this: Get them professionally fitted at your outdoor store of choice. Make sure they’re waterproof. Pros: They got me up and down the mountain. Cons: They were always freezing cold when I put my feet in them! I meant to try a tip I heard about putting the soles inside my sleeping bag at night to keep them warm but I kept forgetting with everything else I slept with inside that bag (clothes, water bottles, bladder). Also, on the decent my toes kept slamming into the front of them. Bottom line: I think I need a new pair.

Yaktrax - attaches to your hiking boots to make them easy to walk in snow/ice. Pros: I could not – repeat, could not – have done this hike without them. I purchased them last year and didn’t wear them until this year. They’re $20. Get them. Cons: One of mine broke the night before we left, leaving me to get down the mountain with only one. Bottom line: Loving REI’s return policy. Will return them for a pair that’s not broken.

Trekking poles - I couldn’t get up the mountain without the Yaktrax. I couldn’t get down without the trekking poles. Pros: Provide leverage when footing is uncertain. Cons: They didn’t want to lock into place in cold weather, and I had to get Jeff to warm them in his sleeping bag and lock them in for me. Bottom line: Wouldn’t hike a mountain without them.

Gloves and mittons – Yes, both. Needed everything I could get to keep my hands warm! Gloves served as a liner for underneath the mittons, and they also gave me some mobility when worn alone. It’s impossible to do anything with mittons on! But they can help keep hands extra warm.

What’s that extra 30 pounds made of anyway?

Here’s what I carried in my pack:

The pack – I love this pack. I love this pack. I love this pack. Of course, the only thing I have to compare it to is the wrong-size pack I carried the first year, due to a mixup at the REI rental counter. So don’t take my word for it. But this does everything I need. It’s small, but I really don’t want more room to carry stuff – I need to focus on packing as lightly as possible so this keeps me on track. Pros: Lightweight, comfortable, lots of good storage. Bladder storage (they all have that these days, but some of the older packs don’t.) Cons: None. Bottom line: If I didn’t already own this pack, I’d buy it.

Bladder – Say what? I know, strange name. But it’s a water reservoir that you keep in your pack that allows you to drink out of a really long straw and not have to fuss with bottles. It’s really awesome. When there aren’t issues with it. And the one I own (one that came with a day pack that I use for cycling and running), was leaking when I packed my pack at the house. So I borrowed one of Jeff’s that had an insulated tube (try to keep the water from freezing.) And on the hike to the summit I realized that one was leaking too. The guys said it was missing an O ring. Pros: It’s really convenient. Cons: I had leakage problems. Also, it was a constant battle to keep the water from freezing. I slept with it in my sleeping bag. Bottom line: I love and hate this concept all at the same time. And I’m in the market now for a bladder that has a valve that you can turn off (I think that will help with the leaking). 

Bottles – I brought two bottles with me. I used this one to keep stuff in – matches in a waterproof container, extra matches, 550 cord, my headlamp, a glow stick, tampons (sorry guys. And for girls – thank God I didn’t need to use them. Brought them just in case.), and a hotdog/marshmallow roaster. Pros: It provides a non-squishable, waterproof container for my stuff, and it doubles as a water bottle if necessary. Cons: It’s bulky, so the stuff could probably be more easily packed without the bottle. Bottom line: Worth it for the extra bottle. My other bottle was this one. May she rest in peace. After years with her, she somehow ended up too close to the fire while empty, which led to the slow death of the Nalgene bottle. I brought this one for extra water storage. Pros: Not breakable, wide-mouth (always get wide mouth), held my coffee filter really well. Cons: Meltable. Bottom line: Will be replaced. 

Coffee filter – This fits inside of any wide mouth bottle, add hot water, and viola! Coffee on the mountain. Pros: I used it like crazy last year and it works well. Starbucks Via totally took over this year though. Cons: It can be a messy cleanup, especially when the stream is frozen over and the last thing you want to be doing is shaking out coffee grounds from a filter. Bottom line: I love it, but I love Starbucks Via more. Will continue to bring it, though – it is also good for filtering out dirt from the creek before sanitizing and drinking water.

Starbucks Via – Speaking of. This stuff is amazing. I prefer it to some of the coffee I’ve had on the ground. In restaurants. I don’t even care if it costs an arm and a leg. Pros: Not messy. Conveniently packaged. Tastes good. Cons: Expensive. Bottom line: Who cares? Coffee is worth it. Not having to scrape messy ground out into a freezing cold stream is worth it.

Sleeping bag – At 3 pounds 7 oz, my sleeping bag is the heaviest thing I carry in my bag. It’s a 0 degree bag, recommended to me by REI, and it’s comfortable. It comes with its own stuff sack and storage bag. Pros: Comfortable and cushy. Cons: I actually don’t like the hand and foot warmer fabric it has – it’s scratchy. Bottom line: A great bag for a great price.

Bivy sack – It’s like a tent that’s the size/shape of a sleeping bag. A small personal tent without the hassle of poles. I used it the first night, and then the next two nights shared Chris’ tent. At 4 degrees, the body heat really helped. Pros: Easy to set up. Lightweight. Waterproof. Cons: Can be a bit scary sleeping in the open air. Although a tent really isn’t any “safer” so it’s only a mental thing. Also, you can’t share a bivy with someone else. You can share a tent, which means body heat and warmth. Bottom line: I love it, but maybe for *slightly* warmer weather when I don’t need the body heat. Tip: In packing my pack, I put the sleeping bag inside the bivy, then rolled them up together in the stuff sack. Allowed me to pack them together, which saved space and was one step closer to being set up when it was time to make camp.

Sleeping pad – It’s self-inflating. It’s soft. It works. Pros: It really works. I learned this the hard way last year when Chris helped me inflate it and then forgot to shut the valve, which I didn’t know until the next day. My sleeping experience was *much* better this year with the valve closed. A couple of the guys had the short sleeping pads (comes down to just below the knees) and they complained about it being too cold. I like my longer one (made for women, who sleep colder than men.) Cons: It doesn’t like to self-inflate in the cold, meaning you have to blow it up manually. I could not get enough air in. Chris was kind enough to do it for me, and he made it nice and comfy. Bottom line: Some tips say to bring two sleeping pads in super cold weather. I thought this one worked just fine.

Extra clothes – brought extra thermals, underwear, sports bras. I wore the same outer layers every day.

Sea to Summit stuff sacks - Keeps items organized, dry and compact. I used mine to put the extra clothes in. Pros: Once you get them in the bag and get the bag sealed, you can really condense the size (have you seen the vaccum-sealed commercials for bags? Sorta like that.) Cons: They are kind of pricey. But worth it. Bottom line: Next year I will bring an empty one for dirty clothes. This year I had the in-between stage where I had both clean and dirty clothes. I ended up putting my clean clothes in the sleeping bag with me until I needed them. But I would have liked to have had them more organized.

Day pack – This pack is amazing. In my regular pack, turn it inside out and it becomes a stuff sack (see above.) It’s how I stored my food while hiking. Once at camp, turn it right side out and it’s a summit pack. It has a slot for a bladder, lots of cool pockets to keep everything organized, and it’s lightweight and versitile. Pros: This pack is amazing. And inexpensive! Cons: I got the fun yellow/gray color, which I like but I kinda wish there was something a little more girly. Bottom line: Cool gear for low price. What’s bad about that?

Matches in a waterproof container plus extra matches - Didn’t use them but obviously good to have.

550 cord – Again, didn’t use it but good to have. If I’d used my hammock I would have needed it to put a tarp around me.

Tarp and posts for tarp – I did not use these. I’m glad I had them though – would have been good to block wind if I were in the hammock or to use to cover my pack if it had rained (it was too cold to rain, of course, so I kept it packed!)

Hammock and slap straps – This was my favorite item in my pack. And this was the one big thing I didn’t use. As Jeff and the REI employee warned me, it was just too cold to break it out. But I cannot wait to use it during a warmer trip! Pros, cons, and bottom line: To be reported after a more spring-like hike!

Headlamp - This thing didn’t work well at all. I’m not happy about that – this is the first time it’s happened. It may have been the batteries but it didn’t seem to be – it wasn’t dim, it was just flickering off every few seconds. It could have been the cold, I suppose. Pros: A headlamp is a necessity. I found out the hard way when I didn’t have one. Even with firelight – you can’t see to cook, or to eat, or to do anything. Cons: It didn’t work this time (worked the past 2 years). Bottom line: I need to check batteries, potentially get one that works better in cold weather if that’s the case.

LED lantern - An employee at REI told me that if I get clausterphobia inside a tent, it would help to have a light just outside of it – to help me get my bearings. So I got this lantern for that purpose. Unfortunately, I never got it to work. I don’t know if it was the cold or the batteries or somehow some karma was repaying me and not letting any of my lamps work. Pros: I used a glow stick this time, and the REI employee was right. Cons: Uhm, it didn’t turn on. Bottom line: Will either fix or return.

caribeaners – These are great. You never know what you’ll need to hook where. They secure things to the outside of your pack. I believe I brought 3 of them, all varying sizes. You can never have too many.

Glow stick – Kept this in my “survival” kit and used it since my lantern and headlamp didn’t work. Provided a great “night light” for me – good idea, Chris! - and it actually lasted 2 nights! Will definitely bring again.

hotdog/marshmallow roaster - Didn’t use it this time, but it works great, doesn’t take up a lot of space.

Wet ones – Individually wrapped, these pack up nicely and are good for taking a “whore bath” or wiping off hands after dinner. Tend to get a little hard/dry in the cold, but then again, everything else did too (someone else had moist towelettes from a restaurant)

Titanium mug - Nothing like having to wait for someone else to finish their coffee so you can borrow their mug. Better to just get your own. Also, make sure it’s titanium. Chris had stainless steel/enamel mug. His coffee cold. Mine hot.

Soloist cookset – Ditto for not having to wait for someone else to finish their dinner. This cookset was one of my Christmas presents and I loved it. It folds up neatly – holding a fuel canister, a bowl, a spork, a pot and a bag. The pot with the long handle proved nice for scooping up water from the creek.

Fuel canister – That link doesn’t show you what I have – REI can’t ship them, you have to buy them in-store. But it fit in the bottom of my soloist cookset and you can attach a stove to it to heat water. We didn’t actually use mine, shared the open ones that others brought, but it’s a good idea for everyone to bring fuel so that there is enough. Will use it next time!

First aid kit – Just like a fuel canister, it’s a good idea for everyone to have a first aid kit. And Jeff wrote an article recently about some good things to consider for it.  Check it out as you’re preparing your first aid kit.

Knives – The first year I went hiking to Mount Mitchell with Kevin, Jeff loaned me a knife. When I got home and started unpacking my pack, he saw the knife inside one of the pockets of the backpack. I then got a lecture about how I needed to have a knife on me. Because you never know. Since then, I’ve gotten two knives for Christmas (can you guess who from?) and I carry one in my pocket of my hiking pants and one (a multitool, actually) in a pocket on my pack that’s easy to get to (on my waist.) Haven’t needed to use either of them yet but good to know they are close by!

bandana - these have multiple uses, I don’t know what they all are, but I kept one in my pocket just in case I needed it. Got it at a military surplus store.

Just-add-water meals. I used Mountain House mac and cheese and Backpacker’s Pantry tofu pesto and dark chocolate cheesecake for dinners, and Mountain House eggs and bacon and Backpacker’s Pantry granola with bananas and milk for breakfasts. They were all very good, in my opinion. They’re more expensive then, say, a box of mac and cheese, but here’s the thing – the meal comes in a bag that you can pour the boiling water into and then eat from. Meaning you don’t dirty up a bowl. Meaning the only dishes you have to do at the end is whatever eating utensil you prefer. Totally worth it. Make sure you read the instructions in the store – Chris had a meal that was more complicated than just add water, and he was frustrated with it on the mountain in the cold. Pros: Hot food. Easy cleanup. Easy preparation. Cons: Expensive. Takes up a lot of space in the pack. Bottom line: Worth it. And it makes the pack a lot lighter after you eat them!

Lunchables – brought them for lunch. The meat was frozen when we ate them (I shared one with Chris the second night – we missed lunch on the trail in an attempt to get there before dark. I shared the second with Kevin on the trip down from the summit.)

Sharkies and GU chomps – Brought along in case I needed an energy boost on the trail. Never ate any (have in other years) but they felt hard and frozen through the package!

Trail mix, chex mix and chocolate cookies – Also good to have between meals and are easy to get to on the trail.

Mini bottles, White Russian, and Long Island iced tea – hey, they kept us warm! At least, made us think we were …

Water purifier – I shared with others, who had more advanced methods of purifying water, but I had a few tablets in my survival kit.

Camera – of course. Just brought a small point and shoot. Kept it close (in a jacket pocket) so the battery didn’t freeze.

poncho – Just in case. I already had the nice rain jacket but this was cheap and lightweight.

What I wish I had carried/need to get for next time:

- More toe warmers
- Something else to keep my toes warm – anything! (Chad on our trip had battery-powered heated socks. Yes, I like that idea.)
- A stove (I shared with others)
- Snow pants or an outer shell for my hiking pants
- More hand warmers

—-

Ok, I *think* that’s everything! If you actually made it all the way through this list, feel free to ask questions/tell me what I missed! And feel free to read our hiking adventures on this blog or over at Mitchell Winter.

Oh, and a tip: Hit up REI’s members-only yard sales (after buying a membership, of course) for a good way to get inexpensive gear. I got a lot of stuff there … (including my $1200 bike for $300, but that’s another story).

Addition: Crystal asked how much all this costs to rent. The short answer is I don’t know. But what I can tell you is this: REI will not rent all this stuff, but they will rent the basics (tent, sleeping bag, pad, pack. Maybe other stuff too.) And if you are a member, the prices are very reasonable. When I rented gear from them, it was a tent, a pad and a pack. I want to say I paid less than $50 for all that gear for the whole weekend. The rental prices are per day and they give you a free day on either end – so you don’t pay the day you pick up or the day you drop off. If you’re trying to start a collection, I think the rental counter is a great place to start.

I think this is the last week – although I got an email saying it ends this Thursday – so either my math is off or theirs is!

Week 6

Tuesday: Running – 4.11 miles – 42 minutes – 480 calories

Friday/Saturday/Sunday: Hiking - 10.5 miles – 10 hours 30 minutes – 3,397 calories
                 

Total for week: 14.11 miles – 12 hours 12 minutes – 3877 calories

Total for challenge: 14,283calories (out of 10,000 for challenge)

Me: We saw some tracks that looked like a cat. Would that be a bear? A mountain lion?
Andrew: No, that’d be a cat.

Chris: I’m gonna get one of those at some point (spoken every time someone showed him a piece of gear. Any gear.)

Chadd: I hate rabbits (spoken every time the smoke got in his face from the fire. Then everyone started saying it because oddly, it worked.)

Kevin: Who drank all my Jim Beam? (It was you, Kev. It was you.)

John: That White Russian is good …

———–

Day 2: Attempting to climb a mountain that is covered with snow

Morning came at base camp and I realized a camping first for me: I’d actually slept. And oddly – I credit the snow for providing a smooth surface for me to sleep. I didn’t have to deal with rocks and sticks underneath me all night. Getting out of the sleeping bag and into the cold is always a huge task, and with snow on the ground it’s an even more difficult thing to mentally prepare for. I was smart enough to sleep with all my clothes for the next day in my sleeping bag, so they were nice and warm and I put them on while still inside the bag (as much as I could.)

Since we were at base camp, breakfast had the luxuries of car camping. John brought some food his wife Ashley had prepared and frozen for everyone – sausage and vegetables. We cooked it on his nice big stove (which we then put in the car – way too big to carry up a mountain.) And we had Krispy Kremes – this has become a tradition while camping. The great part about backpacking is you burn them off before you even realize what a horrible thing you’ve done.

Smiling despite the snow and the totally fashionable balaclava

Boys are ready for adventure

So, speaking of backpacking, it was time to either get to it or call the whole thing off. We packed up our packs and went to inspect the trail. Would it be clear enough to hike? One problem: We couldn’t find the trail. This is my third time hiking it, but I have relied on Kevin to get me there more than try to find it myself. And the whole damned campsite was covered with snow, making it look quite different. Chris went to consult the map and then led us prompty to the wrong trail (in his defense, it was somehow labeled with the same color as the correct trail – not sure what that means).

Bottom line: We ended up taking a 1.5 mile hike around the campsite (an hour and a half) before we actually got to the trail. Which would have been just fine with me – exercise is exercise, right? – except, being that it’s winter, and being that we’re in the mountains, daylight is limited. Once that sun drops behind the mountain – it’s basically dark. And we still needed to get to camp, get set up, and gather lots and lots and lots of firewood.

Yep, this is what we walked on. Photo by Chadd Landress

So, we started up the trail way later than we planned. And the trail was covered in snow and ice.  And the hike itself was way slower than it’s ever been. My saving grace: A $20 investment in Yaktrax, which are things you put on your hiking boot to allow more traction in the snow/ice. I seriously would not have made it without them. In fact, I joke about Chris falling a million times over the weekend – I kept telling him if he’d only spent the $20, he’d not have fallen … That, and my handy trekking poles, made the hike up the mountain, while phyically challenging, not scary.

John set the pace going up the mountain, and I’m proud to say I held my own. As I mentioned yesterday, the trails were marked most difficult/most strenuous, and I was able to keep up with a 30-pound pack on my back without too much trouble at all. Chris also kept up without too much effort (despite busting his ass every few minutes, of course), and Jeff was taking a slow-and-steady method he’d read about.

Slow and steady really is key when it comes to winter hiking. You really can’t  sweat at all, and regulating body temperature is actually a really difficult thing to do. I had on four layers up top – thermal base layer, a fleece, a ski jacket, and a rain jacket. As we were moving, of course, the sun and the body heat makes me need to remove a layer. But then as the sun starts to go down, or as we take breaks for water or snacks or whatever, the body starts to cool off quickly. It’s a back and forth.

We actually encountered quite a few people and dogs on our hike up. I briefly regretted not bringing Breanna – this was my first time without her – but I had been worried about her little paws spending too much time in the snow. And truthfully, it was a relief not to have the extra responsibility – this was quite a challenge, and in many ways she helps me, but I always have my eye out on her, too.

Bear tracks next to human tracks. Photo by Chadd Landress

Speaking of animals, lots of animal tracks in the snow. Gulp. I thought they’d all be hibernating. Shows what little I know. We saw bear tracks, mountain lion tracks (they did not tell me what these tracks were until after the hike!)

I started to get worried about it getting dark. I told John and Chris to go ahead – I was going slower than they were – and to get firewood once they got there. But then I was able to keep up for the most part.

And then, at one point the path split. We took the Higgins Bald Trail up toward our campsite. Apparently this was the path less traveled – as John’s footprints were the only ones I saw (he was just ahead of me.) The trail was covered with downed trees that we had to climb over or under  – not easy with a huge pack and icy footing!

Sunset comes easy on the mountain

John suggested at that point that we all needed to stick together, as the trail was not easy. He asked if we should wait on Jeff. I saw the sun starting to dip down. I didn’t know how far behind Jeff was. I knew he had great survival skills and that the one thing we all needed as a group was firewood. So I suggested we press on. I knew we were somewhat close to camp so if needed, someone or two people could go back and look for him if he didn’t show up. Mistake #1: We had a dead radio. Jeff had the radio with the working batteries. Jeff also had all the spare batteries. Doh.

We had to cross a creek before we got to the camp – which is one of the reasons this campsite is so great – provides water for us to filter and use for cooking, drinking, cleaning. The creek was frozen over – not a surprise. But we could see the running water underneath the ice – rushing past as we crossed. John crossed first and showed me where to put my feet to cross safely. I got across, slowly and surely. And Chris was right behind me – I was surprised at how quickly he crossed – that is, until he took a tumble, right there on the ice. Flat on his back. I freaked out. “Get up get up get up!” I yelled at him, so scared the ice would break and he’d be in the freezing water. The creek isn’t deep or anything, but that could easily lead to hypothermia in these temperatures. He got up, thank GOD, and was not wet.

 And finally, we were there. Except, it didn’t look like what I remembered. In the past, seeing the campsite for the first time elicited a huge feeling of relief – as if we were finally home. And the funny thing is – there ain’t much to it. It’s a clearing with a  fire pit. That’s it. This is roughing it, folks – it’s not like there are bathrooms or anything.

And this time – there was no fire pit. Not one that I could see, anyway. I wondered if we were at the right spot. It looked the same but different. The trees were the same but not. I found where I thought the fire pit was and dropped my pack nearby. And I told John and Chris, in uncertain voice, that we had arrived.

Would we live to tell about this?

This was the point where I wondered if we would survive. It was quickly becoming dusk. All of the trees and sticks were covered with snow, meaning firewood could be wet. And hell, we didn’t even have a fire pit. And it was freezing, freezing cold.

Of course, this concern was really unfounded, I just was a little panicky. With four of us, we could survive on body heat alone. And not all of our food needed to be cooked over a fire. So we would most definitely survive. But I had to actually go through this process in my head before believing it.

Chris got to work clearing snow off of where we thought the pit was. I started looking for firewood. John started setting up the tents (his and Chris’).

And then, Jeff arrived. Only he was injured. He had fallen on the trail and pulled something in his side. He dropped his pack near the creek, knowing the creek was near the campsite. John and Chris went to retrieve the pack and Jeff started a fire. A small fire, given the lack of firewood, but a fire nonetheless.

A small fire, but a fire.

We called it an early night – given the small fire and the cold. I ended up sharing Chris’ tent – was originally planning to sleep in the bivy again but I was just so cold I thought the body heat of two people would be better than me alone in the bivy.

Kevin and his crew were supposedly arriving later on in the night – they were to start hiking at 10 p.m. I was extremely concerned about them hiking Higgins Bald trail in the dark – without many footprints, and with the downed trees – and I didn’t yet mention that it was a very narrow portion of train – a fall might send you rolling down a fairly steep embankment. I was hoping we’d be able to communicate to them via radio that it was a bad idea to come up.

I fell asleep – and then woke up to them talking on the radio. Problem was, we could hear them but they couldn’t hear us. So we couldn’t stop them from coming. By the time they actually heard us, they were about halfway up. Jeff warned them that the trail was difficult. But he had more faith than I did – he knew they were experienced hikers, and really, the only thing they didn’t have that we had was daylight. I was so worried, but I decided to trust in their abilities to get up here safely.

And they did. They arrived at 2 a.m. and quickly set up camp in the dark. Jeff promised them a fire but somehow John had his lighter in his tent, so there was not actually a fire (and everyone else was too busy setting up camp to offer their lighters).

There were four of them that arrived – Kevin, Andrew, Tyler and Chad. Another friend, Chadd, was supposed to come and he had actually met up with them at base camp and started to hike with them. About 1/2 mile up, he told the group he needed to turn around due to a bad knee. He was confident in hiking back alone, having done this plenty of times before, and said to tell us he was sorry he missed us.

So, we all drifted off to sleep once camp was set up, waiting for morning.

And morning came – with a bang.

More tomorrow …

However, I packed my gear in my pack last night and hell if I’m going to pull it back out now!

So, I’ll show it to you when I get back.

It’s time again for the annual Mount Mitchell winter hike, which I wrote about here and here. We are going tonight, which happens to be the same night that preparing for snow. If there’s snow here, I wonder what it’s like there … brr … The current forecast is calling for snow and a low of 4 degrees while we’re there.

Before you worry about me, though, I’ll tell you there’s a large group of us going this year – 12 people! And many of the people have a lot of knowledge of hiking/backpacking/survival. In fact, in all of our group it’s quite possible I’m the least knowlegable. And I’m paying attention. I have my own little survival pack – including matches, knives, first aid supplies, and hand warmers (okay, I joke about the hand warmers for survival. but you never know!) I even got this great new jacket at REI that has this: “Recco reflector embedded in the right sleeve can help searchers find you in snow …”

I have a new cookset, a new knife, new gloves and mittons, a new bivy sack (okay, so I’ve had it for a while, but never had the courage to use it!), and a new hammock. It’s possible the winds will make it way too cold to use the hammock, but I hope not (I hate sleeping on the ground.) I have new thermals and a new balaclava (yes, I’ll look like a bank robber, but I was worried about getting frostbitten around my nose ring – did you know piercings can cause problems? The metal is colder, leading to frostbite).

I really hope there are other hikers besides us crazy ones this weekend, but if not, at least there’s a good, solid group of healthy people who know what they are doing. At least that’s what they tell me!

My pack is currently 31 pounds. I still need to add lunch food and snacks (stopping at the store later), and that’s not counting the things I’ll be carrying with me (layers of clothes, trekking poles, etc.) It seems a little heavier than last year (I didn’t weigh it last year) but I did get some more gear so I guess that’s what happens when you finally stop bumming from everyone else! The only thing I don’t have is a stove, but I have a can of fuel that will hook to other stoves of people in our group.

I’m ready to go burn some calories and see some sights!

Last year I wrote about some thoughts on 2008, and as I wrote them down I found myself wondering how in the world I could top 2008. I mean, I had run a 10K, hiked a mountain, and written a book …

So, without further adieu and without elaborating incessantly, I look back at 2009:

On exercise: Ran my first half marathon and my first marathon. Got a bike and rode in the last half of the year (though not enough; I was too busy training for marathon). Total workout distance for 2009: 1,368.35 miles (mostly running, followed by a little biking, a little walking, a little hiking). I think I would have saved somewhere in the neighborhood of $665 in gas money, had I been commuting by bike or foot to something. And sometimes, I was. Although I still hope against hopes that the Charlotte area will get better and better for cyclists and runners (We need sidewalks! We need bike lanes!). Did great the first half of the year for strength training but didn’t do nearly enough after the running bug took over.

On writing: I fell down on the poetryassignment front. Thankfully Heather is just as passionate about writing as I am, if not more so, and she was wonderful about keeping the art alive. I did write another book this year! I enjoyed it so much in 2008 that I couldn’t not participate in 2009. I did not take the same pre-planning time, so it was a completely different approach from the year before, but  it got done and it’s possible it’s a teeny bit better than last year’s. Yes, I am still editing both books, and no, you can’t read them until I think they are good enough to read!

On babies: The great part about not wanting my own children is I can absolutely spoil the nieces and nephews. Of course, I continued to hang out with my brother’s daughters, spending part of a week with them in October so he could take his wife to Mexico for a pre-anniversary trip (Thunder Road Marathon, which he ran as well, was on his anniversary weekend, so he better have done something good!) And my sister and her husband had their beautiful son, Cai, on July 31 – and I was there! And my brother-in-law, Gray and his wife Katie announced their good news – they are expecting! I suspect that June of 2010 will be very exciting …

On traveling: After not one, but two fabulous trips to NYC in 2008, I am sad to report I did not get to go at all in 2009 – a first not visiting my favorite city in a long time. I did get to go to Florida and Washington DC to visit both sets of in-laws, and another trip to Florida to see my brother-in-law, Casey, get married. Went to Dallas to move my parents back to Charlotte. Spent Thanksgiving with family in the Outer Banks and also had some fun weeks/weekends in Athens, Brevard, Greenville, Asheville, Greensboro. Not enough traveling for my liking but I’ll just call it “taking it easy” this year …

On graphic design: In 2009, I continued to create lots of fun memories for clients and loved ones, including magazines and book covers and advertisements and fliers. I love the work and often my biggest complaint is there’s not enough time in the world to create all the things my brain wants to create. Among other treasured projects, I got to design a wedding book for a bride who happens to be a very treasured childhood friend, Jenny. Being so front and center at her wedding was an amazing experience.

On home: My dogs are inside dogs now, which makes me so very happy. Decorating the house has taken a back seat to other financial priorities, such as running and camping gear, so that explains why my bedroom looks like this. I don’t mind, though, it’s all about priorities …

Thoughts on 2010:

On exercise: More, more, more! Have already elaborated on the running, biking, swimming front here. Also preparing for a Mount Mitchell trip next weekend. Recently purchased a ton of new gear which prompts me to think: More Hiking! Definitely.

On writing: Definitely putting a priority on two Very Important Things in 2010:  Priority 1. My grandmother’s memoirs. We have been working on them but it has not been as important as it should be. That changes right now. Priority 2: Editing my books. I’m dying for you guys to read them! But I refuse to let you until they are perfect. After that, I pledge to pay at least a little bit more attention to poetryassignment – creativity is a gift. You don’t use it, you lose it.

On traveling: As much as possible! Trips to Asheville, DC, Greenville,Wilmington, Charleston and Florida already in the works for the first 3 months of the year (gulp, as I read that last sentence). Would also like more time in Athens, New York City (of course!) and anywhere else that money and time can take me …

On babies: Absolutely cannot wait for June and the newest baby’s arrival. Will try to make even more time for the children this year – I love every moment with them.

On graphic design: Continue doing what I love. Finally get the portfolio done for my business web site. Create, create, create.

On home: I love my home just as it is, even without bedroom furniture. Of course, some would be nice, but only after all the hiking/running/traveling/fun is paid for!

On life: My grandmother has a quote hanging in her house: 

The purpose of life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave with a well-preserved body, but rather to slide in sideways, completely used up, yelling and screaming, what a ride! — Author Unknown

Hell yeah.