Dear Readers,

Recently I have been very busy for various things, and that’s why I haven’t updated my blog for a while. Please bear with me. I’ll resume blogging as soon as possible. The pictures here reveal some of my recent outdoor endeavor.

- Little Po

a) an ice climbing course from EMS climbing school:

b) an AMC winter backpacking trip in Adirondacks, NY:

I am planning a 10-day major excursion with Andrea Deaton for our club, the Appalachian Mountain Club. Besides the air travel days, we include 3 day hikes followed by a 5-day backpack in Yosemite National Park. Since we will only camp, whether we can find a close-by shower facility poses as a constraint on selecting the route for our backpack. Most of the shower houses in Yosemite National Park are located in the Yosemite Valley, which is to say if we can’t find other shower places, we probably should not backpack, for example, at the southeast region of the park, since it will take too much time to drive to the valley and then go to the airport.

Originally I had an idea that we can rent a motel room on our way to the airport; however, it will take too much time for 10 people to finish showering. Another option might be to purchase a day pass from a fitness gym in a town we pass by, but the option seems costly. Therefore we decided to look into state parks along the way. After some research on the Internet, I found two state recreation areas which are not too much deviated from our path to the airport and one semi-nearby hostel which sells showers to non-residents.

The preliminary results look satisfying, although I still need to call the places to confirm the fees and hours. I’ve never thought that showering could play such a significant part in trip planning, and I wonder, my dear friends, where do you shower after your backpack?

It was hot; it was over 90 degrees both on Saturday and Sunday. It was dry; on both days we had to hike about 10 miles without encountering a water source. I couldn’t forget that the sunlight was poisonous and the mosquitoes at camp were mischievous because of the tanning and bug bites on my arms.

Not like the sections 3 and 4 of this trail, the sections 6 and 7 we hiked this time were not well marked—both the starting point and end point were hard to locate. If not because we had a participant with sharp eyes, we could have wasted so much time even before we headed into the woods. Most of the trail was either rocky plus wobbly or covered by overgrown ferns and sometimes poison ivy. But the worst experience happened when we almost got lost because a lumber company used the same color paint as the trail blazes to mark their logging area.

So you might ask, “why were you guys there?” It was fun regardless of all the hassle and sweat, and we were so excited when we finally reached a big creek, dipping in the chilling water and drinking from an abundant water supply. At night, camping at a clearing, sleeping so deeply under the starlight generated thousands of years ago. Water, food, and rest. It’s so easy to feel satisfied in the outdoors, because other than those basics, what else do we really need?

It was the third weekend of May. Before the trip, two things worried me: 1. the black fly season was about to start. 2. The weather forecast called for thunderstorms for both Saturday and Sunday.

Thunderstorms showed up earlier on my way driving up to the Catskills. When I reached the parking lot for the north-end trailhead of the Giant Ledge-Panther-Fox Hollow Trail, it was dark as ink. Without the help from either moonlight or starlight, I could still recognize that there was only one other car parked in the lot. My nerve was irritated and I started to worry about one more thing: 3. there should have been two other cars. Who was or who were the missing one(s)?

Since my very first few backpacks, I hadn’t had one trip that beat me that hard until this extremely fun bushwhacking endeavor. Yes, the fun tasted a bit bitter but the trip was fun with no sarcasm added.

This trip was a private trip for friends, and I was the unofficial leader. Therefore I was not as prepared as I always am for every AMC trip and that was the first mistake. The second mistake was that I was too optimistic about the group pace. We were all strong hikers; however, the bushes in the Catskills were stronger than us. They were so thick which made me wish I had a chainsaw; they were so dense which made it easy to get disoriented and hard to stay on the planned route.

And what is the third mistake? Two mistakes were more than enough to make our trip much more difficult than it should have been. The second day, we hiked more than 12 hours and a few of them were in the dark. I bore scars collected mostly from hemlocks and balsam firs for more than two weeks, and my ripped raincoat became my reason not to attempt it again just to prove that my plan would have worked out as sketched if we fixed the above two mistakes.

Alright, the following is my original plan:

Fri-Sun, 6/16/2006 – 6/18/2006. Tuscarora Trail backpack. 3C24. Will hike on Sec6 & Sec7 of the Tuscarora Trail, southbound, from PA-641 via Cowans Gap State Park to PA-16. Remote area, lots of decent vistas. This trip is perfect for people who would like to look for solitude. Backpacking experience required. Group size limited.

This article is based on what I presented in the Beginner Backpack Workshop held by Appalachian Mountain Club, Delaware Valley Chapter, April 22, 2006.

Cause of Blisters

The cause of blisters is friction. With enough rubbing, the tough epidermis which has been resisting abrasion separates and fluid fills in the space. A blister therefore forms.

A general guideline to prevent blisters from happening is to keep our feet cool and dry, because both heat and moisture increase friction. Heat makes the feet swollen and moisture softens the skin.

This article is based on what I presented in the Beginner Backpack Workshop held by Appalachian Mountain Club, Delaware Valley Chapter, April 22, 2006.

What are socks for?

For your feet – socks provide cushion and warmth, and help wick moisture out.
For your boots – socks block sweat and dead cells from getting into the boots which destruct the internal structure of the boots.

The following documents are provided and composed by Kathy Kelly-Borowski including handouts for the topic of “Nutrition, Cooking, and Water Supply,” and an illustration of “Bear Bag Hanging.” All the content was presented in the Beginner Backpack Workshop held by Appalachian Mountain Club, Delaware Valley Chapter, April 22, 2006.

Nutrition and Hydration – describes the required intake of water and nutrition per person per day based on different activities.

Cooking and Nutrition – specifies food categories and helps you to maintain a balanced diet.

Be a Dried Gourmet – teaches you how to prepare dry meals at home, which reduces your pack weight and cooking time on the trail. Recipes included!!

Books on Backpacking Cooking – gives you reference if you would like to learn more about backpacking cooking.

Bear Bag Hanging – illustrates how to hang a bear bag in the woods.

This article is based on what I presented in the Beginner Backpack Workshop held by Appalachian Mountain Club, Delaware Valley Chapter, April 22, 2006.

Boots are important. A good pair of boots helps you carry on through various terrains and conditions. Incompatible boots tire your feet and legs more easily, and they are more likely to cause blisters which turn your trip miserable.

I like to say that finding a good pair of boots is like finding your life partner. It might sound overly dramatic, but if you’ve ever traveled with someone you hate, you would know that I am not exaggerating.

Boots are something you shouldn’t buy on-line or through mail order. You need to try them on and fit them perfectly. It’s too risky to buy them without a test drive. A size chart is for reference ONLY. Vendor A’s size 8 might not be the same as Vendor B’s size 8. Especially nowadays, manufactures outsource their production, so even Vendor A’s size 8 sometimes might not match Vendor A’s size 8 made in another country.