Jenna and Wood-Stoves

Posted by Tom

Jenna is, unfortunately, back on the East Coast. The vacation has ended, and now the trip preparations must be bi-coastal. It was wonderful to have her here, and while I will miss having her around.

I am currently cat sitting and am planning on using the money to purchase a BushBuddy, a wood-gas stove. Wood-gas stoves work by heating up biomass (in this case, obviously wood) until it releases flammable gases, such as methane and hydrogen. Zen Stoves has a nice write-up about them here. Once I have it, I will do some test fires and write a full review,

Sorry for the short post, but I have cats wairing for me.

Do you want to hike with us?

Post by Jenna
Tom and I will be on the trail for 5 months, and we have had a few people ask if we would like their company for a few days or a few miles, and the answer is: absolutely yes! If you will be in the Washington, Oregon, or California area, and would like a reason to get in shape and something to do during those summer and fall months, you can join us for a bit of the trail! Keep in mind that we will have to be averaging 15-20 miles a day- but we would love to have some company and variation along this trip.

Corn Pasta and the Metric System

First of all, thank you to everyone who has joined our Facebook group. And kudos to you if you have continued to read this.

This post will bit a bit short and a bit schizophrenic. The first topic of the day is corn pasta (and its magical allure amoung ultrlight backpackers) and the second is my quick appreciation of the metric system and its subtle beauty.

Okay. So if you know about ultralight backpacking, you most likely have heard of Ray Jardine. Ray is important because he was one of the first proponents of ultralight backpacking. In the 80's and 90's, when people still carried 70 pound packs, he was prophetic in saying that "less is more." His books helped people imagine a new kind of backpacking: simple, light, and fun. For this, people like me are eternally grateful. His was/is a true pioneer and Jenna and my PCT trip is somewhat in his shadow.

However, he also happens to be quite a screwball and has popularized some strange ideas (hiking barefoot, shunning brand name gear because it is inferior, carrying an ice axe with you at all times, hiking with umbrellas, etc.) After reading his book, we were a bit reluctant to believe in his preachings, so you can imagine how we were skeptical about one of his most prevalent myths: that corn pasta is the single best trail food (and better than any other sort of pasta). While Jenna and I were eating dinner the other night (rice pasta, to be specific), I decided to look into the credibility of this myth- a one man "Myth Busters." As it turns out, Ray was right; corn pasta does contain more carbohydrates than either rice or wheat pasta, but the difference is minuscule. Wheat pasta contains 42 grams of carbs per 2 oz. dry serving, rice pasta 43 has grams, and corn pasta has 46 grams. Corn pasta did contain the most but by the way that Ray raved about the miraculous properties of corn pasta, I don't think 3-4 grams difference could account for it. (This doesn't mean we still don't love corn pasta and plan on eating it often on our hike...)

Now for the metric system. Have you ever noticed how perfect it is? How intuitive it is? I had such a moment the other day when I learned that one liter of water is equal to one kilogram. My god! Perfect! Take a second to think about how miraculous it is. How water freezes at 0C and boils at 100C. How 100 grams make a kilogram. I love it and am now a convert.

A big gear shopping trip

Yesterday Tom and I went to the Outdoor Emporium in the SoDo neighborhood in Seattle. We had heard it described as "the Costco of outdoor stores", and we were not let down. They had a ton of clothing and gear, and the prices were nice and low. We ended up getting a lot of the little things we still needed, like: wool socks, a compass, stuff sacks, dry sacks, and waterproof socks. A friend from college hiked a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail last summer and said his feet were soggy and uncomfortable for a lot of it- because of the snow (and he had photos of wrinkly feet as proof). So we had been keeping out eyes open for waterproof socks, and we found these at a great price, so it was a case for celebration.
























This has been an interesting experience so far, because never before have I had such a shopping "purpose". Both Tom and I already had a lot of gear, but there has been a lot that we have had to replace, or just extra stuff we need for specifically this trip. I think we have almost reached the end of our shopping list, although it is starting to feel like there is always "one more thing" that we need. The big items I am still looking for are an ice axe, a bear canister, and (perhaps) a new pack.

Right now Tom is beside me at the desk, working on a template for a new alcohol stove. We have been collecting cat food cans so we can (in theory) have an endless supply of stoves for the trail, incase we encounter a problem...

Our night in the tent

So, Tom and I had a successful first night in the tent. A few of the reviews for this particular tent had mentioned it was "a stretch to call it a two person tent", but we found it to be a nice size for us (two small to average sized people who are comfortable being close to each other). The vestibule will be nice for holding our shoes and packs, and the nice breathable tent material made for a comfortable night's sleep. It rained a bit, and we stayed perfectly dry thanks to the rain fly (which extends beyond the inner tent liner and doesnt touch, therefore even if we pressed against the side of the tent we wouldnt get wet). There is just enough space to sit up at the top of the tent without bumping our heads, and there is a great little place to hang a flashlight or lantern at the peak of the tent. There are also a number of little pockets, great for holding glasses and flashlights during the night. There is enough room inside for our sleeping pads to lay next to each other with a bit of extra space, and there is room at the end of the tent near our feet that will prove helpful for storing extra clothing or gear, especially on cold or rainy nights. The tent goes up and comes down with incredible ease, as well. It was the first time Tom and I had set it up as a team, and it didnt take us more than 5 minutes (we were also contending with some intense wind).

It was also our first time sleeping outside in our new sleeping bags. I recently purchased a Lafuma Warm 'n Light 30 degree down bag, and Tom has a Kelty Lightyear 20 degree synthetic bag. I found a great price on my bag at the REI Outlet, so I got it even though I was originally leaning towards at 20 degree bag. I think I am going to sew myself a liner to increase the warmth of my bag, and help keep it clean on the trail (I can easily wash my liner after I put my grubby body into it night after night). It got down to about 40 degrees the other night, and I was perfectly toasty. Tom says his feet were warm, but his chest got a bit chilly. We were dressed rather lightly, so we can always pile on more layers as the temperature drops.

But we woke up in time to see the sunrise over the Puget Sound (that is the photo). And I also got to see some seals, which was absolutely fantastic.

Testing Out the Tent: Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 2

Jenna and I are down at Lakebay, WA for the next few days and took the tent with us for a test run. The tent, as the title of this post says, is a Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight 2. With all the trimmings (stakes, bags, guylines, etc.) weighs in at 4.5 lbs (or to be more precise 2,052 grams). This is both heavy and light. Here's why:

A tarp shelter can weigh as little as 6 oz (non-freestanding, made from Cuben fiber with trekking poles as support beams). Therefore, one of these shelters is 4 pounds lighter (!); that is the major draw to tarp shelters

The tent is light because comparably priced tents (I've seen this tent priced from $150-$200) can weigh 2 pounds more. Tents have their advantages over tarp shelters too- they offer better protection from the elements, can be set up in more locations, have an integrated bug net, and are just a little more like "home," if you ask me.

There are a number of things I like about the tent. It is, as I have said, relatively light, the color is not too flashy (which might come in handy if we have to do some stealth camping), has a big vestibule, and the set up is easier than any other tent I have used before. Plus, it was a present so the price cannot be beat!

I'll post a more complete review tomorrow. Hopefully it will rain tonight so we can see the rain fly in action!

The Great Lentil Experiment

If you are a reader of this little hiker blog, you will know that Jenna is gluten-free (and a vegetarian) and I am a preachy vegan (is there any other kind?). This is forcing us to be rather creative when planning meals for the trip. For breakfasts, this means countless variations of instant oatmeal and dried fruit. Dinners are some sort of cooked then dried beans, spices and minute brown rice. Lunch, however, has at least me stymied. How can we have a gluten-free vegan lunch that is full of calories and we don't have to cook? My typical hiking lunch of smashed bagels and peanut butter won't cut it for Jenna and I refuse to eat only gorp for lunch for five straight months. With this in mind, let me introduce you to the "Great Lentil Experiment."

"What if," I thought, "I soaked lentils for a couple of hours. Could this be the lunch I am looking for?" Lentils cook quickly, are rich in protein and are super delicious. I really enjoy cold Indian food. With visions of dahl dancing in my head I set up two different soaking experiments. In one container I soaked half a cup of red lentils in room temperature tap water. In another container, I soaked half a cup of lentils in boiling water (with spices). I let them sit for 4 hours while Jenna and I went to the Woodland Park Zoo (which is, I know, not a very vegan activity) and went to the Ave. for some pho chay (Vietnamese veggie noodle soup).

When I came back I tried both lentils, and to my surprise, they both had sprouted! They were soft enough to eat, but both tasted earthy and nutty. Now, I don't mind that "sprout" taste, but only in salads and sandwiches, not when I am trying to make no cook lunchtime dahl.

So the "Great Lentil Experiment" has not yet succeeded in producing what I want: a no cook, delicious, nutritious, gluten-free, and vegan meal. Any lunchtime suggestions, now that I think of it?

Okay, so all is not without hope. Here are the future plans for the Great Lentil Experiment, Party Two: 1) Boil the lentil for a very short time and then soak them (in hopes of killing whatever enzymes that start the sprouting process). 2) Make a delicious dahl and then dehydrate and see how it re-hydrates in cold water.

More to come...