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[pct-l] night time activities
Good evening, David,
You are entirely correct: The nights are long and laying on the ground for
10 hours is a pain, both literally and figuratively. I use the time to do
chores. Some are done in the dark of evening and others are done in the
dark of morning. Here's my list:
#2 - Foot Care
Except for urgent daytime events, evening is when feet are inspected and
maintained. This includes cleaning, as best I can under the circumstances;
inspection and repair of any blisters; sandpapering of any dry, rough, or
cracked areas; trimming and smoothing of nails; and, application of a
favorite conditioner, such as lotion, salve, alcohol, powder, etc. This is
also the time shoes are inspected. Out come the insoles, and inserts (arch
supports) so the dirt can be removed and an inspection can be made for nasty
little sharp burrs and stickers that like to work their way through the
fabric, padding, and linings.
#3 -Consumables
I carry three food sacks. There really aren't any rules about what food is
in what sack, it's just that three sacks are more easily packed than a
single large one. During the day I don't like to frisk all three sacks to
find what I need so I use evening tent-time to select and segregate food and
solid fuel for the following day. This includes breakfast, snacks, lunch,
and everything for an evening meal. Next, I unwind a day's supply of TP
from the roll, and put it in a small handy sack. All this next-day stuff
goes into ready-access side pockets.
#4 -Gear Inspection
Evening is when I inspect the seams, straps and buckles of the pack, and I
inspect my Spandex ankle gators. Depending upon the shape of the shoe sole,
and the surface of the trail, the hold-down cords that go under the shoe may
require replacement every few days or every few weeks.
#5 - Gear Organization
I do not subscribe to what has been termed, "a foolish consistency"; in fact
I am rather disorganized most of the time, however one discipline I try to
enforce is the placement of my gear at night. Lite-hikers typically have
little or no redundancy of gear, so most of those few items that do remain
are important and should not be lost or misplaced. Since the topic is
"nighttime" the first item of concern should be the light. The lights we
use are small and easy to overlook under daytime conditions, but trying to
find a misplaced light at night is a real hoot, particularly for those of us
who sleep under the stars or use a shelter without a tub floor. The also
applies to my eyeglasses. If I have to get up at night I need my glasses to
bring that blackness into sharp focus. I find that I simply must always
place these kinds of items in consistent, predictable locations. Pick their
places, and don't ever put them anywhere else. The same applies to the
other necessities of a hikers life, items such as the large-bore handgun, a
can of bear spray, the horse's halter, a leash for the dog, and that
left-over half a bottle of Burgundy.
#6 - Map Study
Evening, snug in the sack, is a good time to examine the map for tomorrow's
hike, taking particular note of probable points of interest, trail junctions
that can be missed, water points, and the like. I like maps, and can study
them for hours. For some of you take-things-as-they-come right-brainers,
looking at a map is a real pain, something to avoid, however it will put you
to sleep when strong drugs are ineffective.
#7 - GPS Waypoint Edits
I sometimes carry a little GPS receiver, and I like to set a waypoint at
every campsite. Evening in the sack is a good time to do so. After all,
the NavSats don't care if it's dark. I also edit the description of any
other waypoints I may have entered during the day before I forget what they
are. My memory is very good, it's just short. The GPS will also tell me,
to the minute, when the sun rises that exact location.
#8 - Journal Edits
I also edit my day's trail notes. I won't dignify my hasty, barely-legible
scrawl as a journal, but in the evening I re-read it and compose it into a
careful and deliberate barely-legible scrawl.
#9 - Fix Breakfast
The long night also slops over into morning. I always awake early, too
early to hit the trail, and I have to have an early breakfast. While it is
still dark I find the breakfast makings that I set apart the evening before,
and I shove the little stove out ahead of the tarp's front hiking pole.
Breakfast in bed . life is good. Experience taught me to locate my cereal
mix the day before. One dark morning I found a ration of dry, white,
powered stuff thought to be cereal only to find, too late, that it was
instant potato flakes. Before the crack of dawn I was gagging down a big
bowl of unflavored mashed potatoes. Yum.
#10 - Semi-Pack
After breakfast still while it is dark I dress and pack everything I can,
which is everything, unless it is raining. That's when I really rely upon
everything being in its predictable place. All I have to do then is count
the tent pegs and wait for sufficient light to walk.
Steel-Eye
----- Original Message -----
From: "David" <djd@dalbey.org>
To: <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 2004 10:21 PM
Subject: [pct-l] night time activities
> I was out on a day hike with my wife this last Saturday lamenting the fact
> that we didn't go out for a weekend backpack trip instead of a day hike
> since the weather was so pleasant. Our day hike consisted of 3-1/2 or 4
> miles south from Cascade locks & back on the PCT.
>
>
>
> One of the "problems" we came up with is we're used to backpacking in the
> summer when the sun sets late & we can hike till late, eat dinner & crash.
> With the short days we're dealing with now it's dark by 5:15 PM.
>
>
>
> So what does everyone do to kill the rest of the evening until bedtime
> without TV ?? ;-)
>
>
>
> Top 10 things to do on the trail between dinner & bedtime in November.
>
>
>
> David
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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