Packing for Training.

As you can see with my exercise logs, I've been being more intentional about working out.  With the advent of spring, it is time to take it to the next level.  By that I mean putting on more weight while walking around.

Over the weekend, I decided to pack my pack full of something to increase the weight for training purposes.  It had to be relatively heavy, but soft at the same time.  It had to be something I didn't care about getting wet for there will be times where I go wandering around in the rain.  And it couldn't be entirely consistent, for the weight varies much regarding what you put in your pack.

When packing a backpack, the heaviest item should be between your shoulders nearest to your back.  Lighter items should be a little farther from your back, with the lightest items on the top, bottom and back of the backpack.   The diagram on the right will give you an idea of how it should go.

So, for the heaviest item, I chose a ream of paper we had sitting around.  For the lighter blue, I found about 60 golf balls lying around the garage, and finally, I surrounded the whole thing with the rags from the t-shirt quilt.  Voila, a backpack that weighs just shy of 30 lbs.

Adding Weight (or How to use old Rags)

Sometime in the 70's, the t-shirt started to become the clothing of choice for a generation.  Not the stark white t-shirts of the 50's greasers, but with color, decorations, silk screening, and sayings.  I've collected hundreds of t-shirts over the course of my life, and some of my kids have already surpassed that total in college.  What used to be a sign of disobedience became common, even mainstream.  Now, you can get fancy t-shirts that cost more than a dress shirt!

These t-shirts are actually mementos of our lives and throwing them away is a bit disrespectful.  We use some as rags, but there are only so many rags that we can use.  So Gail came up with the idea of making a quilt out of old t-shirts as a reminder of the places we went and the things we did.  A couple of my daughters bought into the project and have made a number of quilts over the years.  Unfortunately, they take more time than Gail has, so we have about 4 boxes of t-shirts in the closet ready for quilting, but that's a story for another day. 

What does this have to do with backpacking?  Well, when one makes a t-shirt quilt, one cuts out the interesting part of the shirt and 75% of it is disposed of.  We had a couple of big bags of old t-shirt remnants waiting to find someplace where we could recycle rags in the area.  Alas, after a couple of years in the garage, I found a wonderful use for them.  Tune in tomorrow.

Gear: Map

I've got this thing about maps. Always have. My parents can attest that I would spend countless hours growing up studying maps.  Road maps, topographic maps, geologic maps, maps in encyclopedias, in books or just stand alone.  So, while I was trying on my boots the other day, Gail found the rack of topographic maps and guess what?  There was a map specifically of Mount Rainier and the Wonderland Trail. 

A waterproof map should be part of every back country trip.  Although a GPS will tell you exactly where you are and a map, the batteries can wear out, it can be dropped and break, it can get wet and malfunction, any host of things.  So, for safety's sake, I got the map and now I get to waste plenty of time studying it. 

Gear: Boots

I've been having this internal struggle regarding whether or not I need new boots for this trip. I've blogged about my last trip to REI and what I learned, including how to fit boots and what to look for.  My existing boots fit well and are broken in, but there are two things that could be better:  tread depth and longitudinal rigidity.

So, Gail and I went to REI, equipped with a 20% off coupon and a pair of hiking socks and tried on a couple of pair of boots.  The first pair I tried on fit too tightly across the top and ball of the foot.  I had to get to a size 11 (I usually wear either a 10 or 10.5) before they felt comfortable.  The second pair I tried didn't snug up my heel so I went to the next pair. 

This pair was highly regarded by two of the associates in the shoe department, and when I put them on, I could see why.  Although they seem a bit heavier than my current boots, they fit quite nicely across the front of the foot, and hold my heel very nicely.  So, with REI's generous return policy , I picked up this pair of boots. 

Next, I get to start the break in process, which will start with little strolls around work.  In a couple of weeks, with the weather getting better, they should be ready to hit the trails. 

Fitness Review - 3/26

This was a great week, two rounds of golf and Wii every day.  

Day	Exercise	Distance (Miles)	Time (Min)
Sun	Golf.	5.0	210 min
Mon	Wii	0.0	30 min
Tue	Wii, Walk	1.5	60 min
Wed	Wii, Walk	1.5	60 min
Thu	Wii, Golf	5.0	210 min
Fri	Wii, Walk	1.5	60 min
Sat	Walk	1.5	30 min

Ending Weight: 209.9 lbs, down .4 lbs.  Still maintaining the downward trend. 

Gear: Multitool (Leatherman)

Wandering around in the wilderness is fun, but if you could ask a caveman what makes life easier, he'd say a tool.  Balancing efficiency with flexibility, Tim Leatherman invented this thing in 1980 and has been selling bunches of them since then.

Knife companies call it a tool, tool companies call it a gadget, it's all of the above.  Containing a pliers, cutter, Phillips and flathead screwdrivers, leather punch, knife and can opener, it's an easy inclusion into the backpack.  Weighing in at about 9 oz. (8 without the case), it's worth the weight, particularly in the event of emergencies. 

Even if you don't ever use it, it's just plain cool.

To GPS or not to GPS, that is the question.

An ode to Shakespeare.  

Hamlet:  Alas poor Yorick, I knew him.  He would still be here had he carried a GPS. 
First Clown:  Aye, Prince Hamlet, he had but a map and a compass yet he still wandered off into the wilderness. 
Hamlet:  Yorick would have not suffered the slings and arrows of despair had he known only that he were but 100 yards from the ranger station. 
First Clown:  Yeah though he walked through the valley of the shadow of death, he found his compass to be of naught, for he did not know from whence he came. 

OK, enough with the silliness. 

Is a GPS a toy, or is it a necessary tool?  As a toy, it has cute maps and can tell you down to the thousandth of a second where you are on the earth.  But do you really need to know exactly where you are?  Particularly if you have a well marked trail and a map.  It is helpful if you need to backtrack or are wandering and need to find your way to a ranger station.  GPS technology is dependent on a line of sight to a number of satellites, which may be difficult in the forest with a large mountain in the way.  The GPS will also require batteries, which will require extra batteries and weight to bring.  Finally, the GPS is not a substitute for a map, for without batteries, you may just as well forget it.

But, is it a fun enough toy that I can spare the extra 8 oz. plus the couple more for batteries.  And given my GPS has a built-in camera, will that spare the weight of bringing a camera?  

ay, there's the rub.