[pct-l] Kickoff at Lake Morena Report

[Hiker97@xxxxxxx (Hiker97@xxxxxxx)]

--
[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]
Had another great time at the Kickoff this year.  I even stayed for the group
picture, which is a first for me.  My observations:

1.  Thanks to the organizers for all their work and dedication and putting on
a great event.  They even had name tags this year for registered folks.
2.  Tried to support the event by renting a campspot for myself and for
anyone who need a place to stay.
3.  Did a little hiking north out of Lake Morena and around Boulder Oak
Campground.  Really enjoyed the hikes.  Will do things like this again next
year.
4.  Early Saturday morning had breakfast at the Lake Morena dinner/store and
then drove to Mt. Laguna and had their blueberry pancake special at their
very fine restaurant!!!  Mt. Laguna is a beautiful place.  The clerk at the
store/motel said the snow or rain expected Monday.  Neat talking to him about
hikers.
5.  Thought Flyin' Brian looked very thin.  I have several pounds I can give
him if he needs to add some weight.
6.  Learned about alcohol stoves.  Something to think about.  Really nice
people at the Kickoff to help you be a smarter and better hiker.
7.  Some thru-hikers made fun of my new 3-pound solo tent.  Ha, ha, I will
just take it back to REI and get a new 2-pound system.  So, there.
8.  The silicone-nylon fabric for tents/tarps is making bivys obsolete.  The
TarpTent was by far the most popular tent.  Very light and roomy.  Good bye
bivys for 3-season backpacking.
9.  The weather this year was great and not like last year.
10.  Lots of neat inventions, ideas, and products displayed.
11.  PCTA was doing a land-office business selling stuff.
12.  Looked like there were a little more people than last year.  Maybe
around 300, but I could be way off.  I did a rough count at the auction and
not everyone was there.
13.  When I arrived Friday morning, I was surprised at all the tents and
people already there.  The tent population seem to increase by half again by
Saturday afternoon.  Again, I could be wrong on this.   I wish I had counted
the tents.
14.  I learned something very important.  My all netting tent philosophy is
not too smart for keeping out of the sun in camp.  Being a diabetic, my skin
is sensitive to the sun.  So I am going to explore the new GoLite Lair
system.  Still get the views but with good single wall light weight
protection.
15.  Saturday morning made me think about dew and nylon.  Really a wet wake
up for everyone, at least on their nylon surfaces.

I still plan to go into Kennedy Mdws in June with a Pringle load for the
thru-hikers.

Well, I better start redoing my lightweight backpacking system for the 2003
season after all the thinking and things I saw at this year's Kickoff.
Again, thanks to the organizers and best of luck to the class of 2003.  Happy
trails, Switchback