Camping and Preparing

I went camping last weekend with my family at a regional park near Phoenix called White Tank Mountain Regional Park.  It is by no means "roughing it", but it is more appropriate to say it is a way to get outdoors and have fun with the family.  We accomplished our goal.

The weather was great, 60s and 70s with a light breeze.  Very enjoyable.  Not too hot in the day and not too cold in the night.  We have a 6 person tent and it served its purpose of keeping us away from the elements.

We cooked over a fire, which is one of the reasons we like White Tank park as it is not always common to be allowed to have a fire in the desert due to wild fire concerns.  I wanted to continue to teach my children how to start a fire with a ferro rod and a spark.  We used cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly as the tinder.  It worked well and the kids were super excited.

I also bought pocket knives for my kids and one of our goals was to learn knife safety.  There were no injuries!

On the gear side, I tested out my Condor Bushlore knife.  Let me just say that I like the knife.  It probably will not make it to the AT because it is slightly too heavy.   But, it is a very serviceable camp knife and generally good cutting tool.  One item to note is that I did get the blade slightly reprofiled when I purchased it several months ago it is different than straight out of the box.  I did not do a lot of heavy batoning of wood, but I did feather some small sticks for the fire and cut open a lot of packages along with preparing the dinner and breakfast.  It worked really well and performed all duties easily.  As has been reported on many knife sites, the sheath is well crafted and heavy duty.  It was a pleasure to carry on my hip.  After the moderate wood work and the general camp duties, the blade was doing well.  Although I did hit it with a diamond sharpener to keep it extremely sharp.

Overall...great trip as I spent time with my kids and generated more interest in hiking, camping and finally the AT.  My sons brought up the trip on the AT with excitement.  Even though 2 years must sound like an eternity to them.  There are so many joys of just getting out there.

Cooking on the AT...

Looking for ideas regarding cooking on the AT.  I am considering a Sterno Stove.  However, I have seen many people like denatured alcohol stoves and the various other types of portable fuel.  What works best?

Knee is healing...

My last post was quite a while ago.  22 days...I have been on the shelf for this time since my German Shepard Dog ran into my right knee and strained it...it is just now getting back to serviceable condition.  It is 85% now after several weeks of RICE. (Rest Ice Compression Elevation).  Something I learned from all my years of basketball and its resulting injuries.  It was painful and I did not want to force a hike on my bad wheel.

However, I did go fishing in Oak Creek Canyon and developed a skill I may just need in the AT.  I have read many stories about fishing being a great diversion and a source of food.  We shall see about that one.  In any case, it was a great time.

I did buy some gear that I plan on carrying on many hikes and on the AT.  It is is signal mirror.  I have for years wondered about the effectiveness of a signal mirror.  I wonder no more.  I see the effectiveness in creating a signal using only the sun's rays and this signal mirror,  Very powerful and creates a intense beam or flash.  In may opinion, a must have for the hiker, camper and AT enthusiast.

Gearing up...literally

Gearing up...ordered a spork.  Or actually 2 sporks...one normal utensil length, one shortened.  I do intend on packing light for this trip.  Ordered them from Snow Cap.  I will review here when I receive and use them.

My oldest son is really excited about the AT hike in '14.  This is a great opportunity to teach him some U.S. history, geography, camping skills, life skills and above all have a great time we will never forget.

A  bit of unfortunate news.  I have an 8 month old German Shepard Dog and he ran (not full speed thank goodness) into my left leg.  It feels bruised and maybe a slight sprain.  (hoping here)  In any case, if it is not completely better in several days, to the doctor I go.  I am hopeful that it will not interrupt my hiking too much.

A nice medium length hike...been a while

Hiked 3.6 miles yesterday on the H3 trail at Thunderbird Park near my home.  It is ranked easy to moderate in difficulty by several hiking guides I read, and I agree.  There are large stretches of horizontal stretches and not too many uphill climbs or switchbacks.  I did not intend on hiking that far when I started...but...I began, felt pretty good and kept going.  I was also curious to see how the trail and surrounding area looked at the top since I had never hiked that far on that trail and that kept me going.  Once I reached the top, the trail was much less occupied than some of the other neighboring trails and has some great vistas.  I also saw a couple of very large lizards and 4 or 5 covey of quail.

It was a good solid hike at this time in my preparation for the AT and for this time in my life.  Before I set off on the AT I would want to complete this hike 2 or 2 1/2 times in the same day with a backpack loaded similarly to what I will use for the AT.  But that time is well in the future.  Right now is the time to get cardio back in shape, drop some weight and rekindle my love for hiking and the outdoors.And hopefully in the process, start a spark in my kids.

I wanted to see how I felt the day after the hike.  And somewhat to my surprise, no major aches or pains!  That is a good thing.  So one of hopefully many treks in my future is in the bag.  By my count, I have hiked over 7 miles since getting back at it.  I am already having fun at this.

Back at it...

I have been out of the loop for the past week.  Today I hiked about 1.75 miles in the mid-morning Arizona heat with two of my sons.  Good hike.  My cardio is building up and I feel I am getting fitter.  Could it be that I am losing some fat?  It is a meandering trail with only a slight grade that is near my house.  My sons are aged 5 and 8 (9 in December).  I am contemplating taking my 8 year old on the AT hike in 2014.  Still up in the air on that decision.  He would be 11 (almost 12) and it would be a great bonding time for father and son.  However, I am looking to travel 75 to 100 miles or so and would not want to begin it and have him frustrated, discouraged, or unable to continue halfway through the trip.  So we do not need to commit now, we will just enjoy our time together.

I have not decided which section of the AT to hike.   For quite some time I have wanted to see Maine.  One of the few remaining states I have not been to on my travels.  However, I have read many comments on the Internet that make a case not to begin in Maine.  Also, the difficulty of the section of the AT in Maine is prohibitive if I do decide to take some of my kids.  However, the beauty of Maine is alluring for the trip.  Another possibility, and perhaps more likely is the section of the AT in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park.  the AT bends about 71 miles through the park.  The views look amazing and will be something to consider.

First time hitting a trail in a while...memories

I hiked my first small trail today in the pursuit of getting back in the groove.  Believe me, it was short.  I would estimate one and a half miles.  All went well.

Hiking, even a short distance, has always had a relaxing effect on me.  It also tends to allow me to reflect on many things.  Today I was reflecting on the many hikes to various mountains around the Phoenix area and around the picturesque state of Arizona that I went on in my youth.  My father and several of my brothers would take hiking trips in the Grand Canyon beginning when I was in the 4th grade.  My first Canyon trail was the Havasupai.  It was a big deal for a 9 year old!  My dad, being an engineer, is a measure twice and cut once kid of guy.  Planning, being careful.  We even went so far as to record our hiking times so that we could compare and analyze our improvement.  Pretty advanced stuff for 1977.  So we would wake up early on a Saturday, grab our water bottles and head out to a local mountain before it got too hot.  Sometimes it was Camelback mountain, more often it was Squaw Peak.  We would hike like this many times to strengthen our legs and improve our cardio for the big trip in the future.

I was reflecting this morning how important to have a goal in mind and also the fun of expecting something in the future.  Delayed gratification. It was hard to do then, but great in its own way.  Definitely something I hope to teach my children as they grow.  It is actually less fulfilling to get what you want right now.  There is pleasure in delaying something only to see it achieved after a period of time, struggle or sacrifice.  A nice metaphor for a great hike.