finished pack cover

     Well I finally finished the pack cover.

Here it is in it's little stuff sack. They are regular sized scissors...just there for perspective.

Here it is on the pack.

Backside view. Narrowed it down some from the prototype, so it didn't interfere with the hipbelt.

And a selfie. Looks like I'm getting a bit of belly. I better get to walking!!!

Also finished putting my bear bag (for my food ...not to put a bear in...LOL) together. But seems how I live in juniper country, there are no trees, with limbs big enough to throw it over.  So I was going to stick a limb through my wind tower, but with it being rainy and muddy, decided climbing the tower might not be in me best interest. So that will be another post when I can get a few pics. Guess that's it for now. Later

pack & cover

     I've been working on making a pack cover for my pack, so things stay dry. Of course the inside will be lined with a trash compactor bag. I used to just use a garbage bag but I guess the compactor bags are a bit more durable, so I'll give it a try. (See I can adapt with the times). Anything in outer pockets that I don't want getting wet will be in ziploc baggies.

 

Here's the pack, yup I'm still old fashioned. External frames are starting to make a comeback though. Not the sleeping bag that I'll be taking, just used it to get the pack cover size.

The back side of the pack. It didn't have a chest strap on it, so I had to sew one on.

Here's the prototype cover. I made it out of an old sheet to get the size right. I've already made some stuff sacks to small, which is ok. I can always find a use for them or cut them down, but didn't want that to happen with the pack cover and waste the nylon. Now I'll pull the seams out and use the pieces for a pattern.

The back side. 

Just using a draw cord to pull it tight, thought about using elacstic but if that stretches or breaks on the trail...hmm. Gonna slowly start working on the final one over the weekend. The ironing parts take me a bit since I have to do it the olden way...u know...heat the iron on the wood stove. Don't have enough solar for an iron or toaster or microwave or, looking at my floor, a vacuum!!

Guess I should explain about the solar remark up above. I live back where there are no power lines, so my power comes from the sun and wind. You all know how that basically works right??...from solar panels and wind generator -> to charge controller -> to battery bank -> to inverter -> to breaker box -> to outlets etc.

Pretty simple...huh!! That's all for now and as always comments or feedback are always welcome. Later.

update

My son on the PCT up in Oregon

     I finally made up my mind and this will accompany me on the trail. I've had this tent for almost 40 yrs and it has sheltered me in a lot of different places across this great old USA. Bought it at Eureka in Binghamton, NY as a factory second. It was a second because it had a small oil stain on the rain fly which never affected anything. Having a little trouble with zippers now, just can't understand why after only 40 yrs.

Eureka Timberline tent

     Did pick up this the other day. Sawyer mini water filter. Think this will work great on the trail for me. Since all my water is collected rain water, I'm used to having to treat water one way or another so don't see this as any big deal. Now if I quit using it at home or I'll be replacing it!!
     Supposed to go next week with my support team (my daughter and her hubby...who got put on the support team whether he wanted to be or not...haha) and shop for some clothing type stuff. Main thing I still need is rain gear and of course socks. Don't need much cause won't be carrying much. I'll get to more on clothes in another post after I figure out what I'm doing!
     That's all for now, keep checking back in. Later.

stove test

    Well I finally got around to testing the stoves to see which one I preferred.
     I put 2 tablespoons of fuel in each one and timed how long it took to bring one cup of water to a rolling boil and how long they burnt overall. All times are in minutes:seconds.

This one burnt for 3:45 but never came to a full boil

This one boiled at 4:23 and ran till 4:55

This one boiled in 4:13 and ran till 8:23. Even though this ran the longest it takes a bit for it to get burning properly and I do think more fuel seeped in when I primed it.

This one boiled at 4:12 and ran till 6:20.  This is my choice, it is easy to light and simple to remake on the trail if need be.

     I live at app. 6500 ft and I used the windscreen for the tests, which I believe helped hold the heat in better.

This is it in use.

     These stove designs can all be found on the web and I would like to thank the designers. I looked at so many different sites I can't remember what design came from where... so thank you.

     Any comments are always welcome and appreciated.

silly video

    This is a video I submitted to try to get selected for an AT sponsorship. Didn't get selected but still thought u might enjoy.

shelter

    Still haven't decided if I want to take                                          

This

Or this

    I have never used a hammock to backpack with. Figure I'll have to sleep in it a few times to see how it feels. It's a bit lighter than my tent, but not to sure how warm or dry I'll stay in it.
    Hopefully most of the time I'll be able to find room in a lean-to, however I still want some type of shelter just in case. I'm leaning toward the hammock for the weight and space savings which is quite a bit compared to my tent. My scale is doing funny things now so not exactly sure how much weight I'd save, but I'm guessing around 2 or 3 lbs. Which is quite a bit.
    Picked up the hammock for free from a good friend of mine, so the price was right. If any of you have experience with hammocks like these send me a comment and tell me what u think.

P.S.
    Of course the tent does have a lot of sentimental value. It's the same tent I've had since I was 14 or so. That was 40 yrs ago. Says something for Eureka tents. It's seen a lot of miles over the years.

The big question?

   Welcome to 2015, hope it will be a healthy and happy year for all of us!
   Well the question is: Why thru hike the AT? That's a question I've been asking myself for about 40 yrs. when I first got the desire to hike it. Still not sure what the answer is.
   I was recently going through some possessions that have been acquired through the years (how do you accumulate so much crap?) and came across some guide books and such on the AT. It's all dated 1976 sooo...I guess that's when I first wanted to attempt it. But as so often happens, life got in the way. Or more properly stated, I allowed the dream to slip away,
       Then came marriage
       Then came Ted pushing a baby
                   carriage (ok two).

   Now I find myself at a point in life again  with no responsibilities. Kids are all grown up, Cindyloo (the littlest who in  Who's Ville) makes the flowers bloom every spring, and so I found myself at an impasse in life...or so I became to believe. Then I went to Oregon a few times to visit my son and realized we weren't that far from the PCT (pacific crest trail) which led my thoughts back to the dream of the AT. (We did hike some of the PCT in Sept. when I visited again).
  One of the books I happened to come across is titled:  The Appalachian Trail wilderness on the doorstep by Ann and Myron Sutton copyright 1967, and it had some paragraphs highlighted in it. One of the marked passages reads:  Two college students, James F. Fox Jr., and Paul A. Gerhard, hiked the trail in 1963. "For many years," they wrote in Appalachian Trailway News, "both of us had had a more or less latent desire to hike the length of the Appalachian Trail. We won't go into the reasons for this; anyone who hikes will understand ...."
   I believe that is about the best answer to why that I can give; anyone who hikes will understand....