Category: Leisure

May 29, 2025 – Doing My Duty

May 29, 2025 /

We have probably had more than the average number of exchange students. Since I have been married, we have hosted four. When I was a kid, we had two. I guess that I cannot technically count those two but I can add those to the numbers that I have been exposed to. With the exception of one, the rest have been very positive experiences.

My very first exchange student was Japanese and he was a year or two older than me. This was a short term exchange which I think that it lasted three weeks. One of the things having a short term exchange does is kind of move you to bring out your best. That means travelling to see the local sights, festivals and all the things that you wouldn’t normally try to do in a condensed time frame.

I distinctly remember going to visit my grandfather. He was going to be in the local parade with his 1957 convertible Ford Thunderbird. We didn’t visit that often and we rarely went to the local lamb festival. I think that we went twice in my lifetime, both of them as a child. But, we happened to have our exchange student with us when we went.

As I said above, we didn’t visit often maybe once or twice a year was pretty typical. His house happened to be adjacent to the main North/South rail line. Consequently, my most favorite thing to do when we visited was to put pennies on the rail for when the train came by. Most of them flew off somewhere never to be found again but usually we would get a couple smashed flat.

My grandfather knew how to show a good time. Our exchange student got to drive his Thunderbird in the pasture for ten minutes. Then he broke out his 22 revolver. We all got to shoot a couple of shots but none of us got to shoot much. That was my first time shooting a handgun. My father did not own any, nobody did as far as I remember. Come to find out that those were all violations of the hosting rules.

I knew better, so that when we went to the informational meeting for our year long student (2019), I asked. No risky behavior is permitted and shooting is considered risky behavior. That was the year that I got involved in trap shooting, so that was going to be off the table.

In my experience, that general rule of no risky behavior is pretty par for the course with most exchange programs. Ironically, it is not the case with Rotary. They allow culturally acceptable alcohol use and shooting as examples. Many of the students end up going back to their country and going back to school with this year not counted whatsoever in their education pathway. My experience with Rotary is that they don’t even really get involved when the student is failing classes.

We have had a very busy spring. Myself, I didn’t even get to the range for the first time this year until late April. It is not like I didn’t want to go but I was hyper-focused on my hiking earlier so I deprioritized potential range time. But, we are staring down the barrel of my exchange student’s departure within less than thirty days. So, I wanted to take him while there was still time.

One thing that is quintessential American is recreational shooting. Many countries have some sort of mechanism to own firearms. In most cases, owners need to fulfill very stringent requirements such a by permit only. Firearms need to be stored at a range or hunting club that you belong to and to be used at said facility. To top that off, many have a quota for the numbers that can be in your possession.

At least there is a way but lets say that you were a target shooter, it is not likely then that could both target shoot and hunt. The freedom to have 22LR for target shooting and a 22LR for small game hunting and a 22LR handgun for shooting cans in three different settings is almost impossible. Hence, I have not been exposed to an exchange student that comes themselves from a ‘gun culture’. Even if I did, I would still probably take them to the range just so that they see the differences.

We had a fun couple of hours. I had made some repairs to a revolver from my last trip. I wanted to see how I did and I am happy to report that the repairs were solid. I also took a rifle to get just plink away at ground spinning targets just for fun. There were a lot of smiles and a lot of videos that got made that day. One thing that I didn’t want to do was punish with a lot of recoil.

End Your Programming Routine: I guess that I am getting older. I enjoy going out and shooting but it is almost more fun to introduce someone to something new. Since I can shoot almost any time, I just sat back on a chair and watched as he and my son shot and reloaded and shot and reloaded. Don’t get me wrong, doing stuff repetitively can get a little boring. This is why I have introduced the chronographs and testing that I do. But when I get a chance to watch someone have some fun, maybe for the only time in their lives, that is priceless.

May 1, 2025 – Putting the Pieces Together

May 1, 2025 /

It is time for my first multi-day trip. I cajoled my son to go with my with my plan. I was going to pick out a camp site. Then I would drive the car to the starting point. From there, we would hike back to the campground and spend the night. The next day I would pack up camp and hike back to the car. The plan was 10 miles there and 10 miles back.

This is a relatively new trail called Corvallis to Sea. Part of it we ran in a relay race called Barrel to Keg back in my half marathon days (2016). It is close to me, so it a perfect place to test things out. There are actually two routes, one is for bicycles and the other is for hikers.

This trip tested my limits. And if I am to be honest, I am not ready physically for the PCT. The first day we clocked 10.5 miles with the last 2.5 on the road (bike route). We got a late start and we were running out of daylight. I was worried that we would run out of daylight on the trail. I wanted to be in camp so I could setup my tent for the first time.

It didn’t help that the first five miles were uphill. I was out of gas by the time we reached the summit. By the time we got to camp, I could barely walk. Since my son changed his plans and was going to leave the next morning, I changed my plans. There was no way I could do this again. After we ate, we went back up to the car and brought it to the campsite for a new plan tomorrow.

I slept terribly because I was so tired and sore. When I woke up the next day it was difficult to move but I resolved to do something. I decided to go back up the road and finish what we didn’t do the night before. That was about a 5.5 mile loop. And by the time I got back to the car, I had enough. Saturday was a day of moving for survival and Sunday, I have a lot of soreness.

My tent was great and so was my pad and my sleeping bag. The tent wasn’t too difficult to setup and there was plenty of space for one person. I don’t know about two, it would be pretty tight. My pack worked great and I never ran out of water. The fundamentals are solid. We had a some freeze dried meals out of my stash for dinner and breakfast. That was fun and my stove worked perfectly.

There wasn’t anything that I thought, I wish that I had brought… There were things that I brought that I didn’t use. Granted, this was only an overnight so I didn’t use a change of clothing, I didn’t use my stainless steel cup, I didn’t use that celebratory flask filled with Pendleton whisky or that roll of TP. I also didn’t use my spare water bladder or my pouring attachment because we had water at the camp site.

Part of why I was gasping for air on the uphill was because I was carrying extra weight. Trust me, I can still feel it. But, there are storage sacks and things that are adding a pound here and there that need to go. This is why I tested these things. More so than the weight, I am very worried about volume.

I carried water and both of our food for overnight on this trip (on purpose). But, that bulk equated to a completely full pack. Even with only one complete change of clothes, I don’t think that I have the space to carry what I need. Because I was so bushed, I didn’t eat replacement calories in food. I declined the extras out of exhaustion. Not to say I am going to starve as my weight has remained the same over this process but at some point if my weight, metabolism and hunger ever intersect, I am going to have problems with the volume I can carry. More testing is necessary.

I really wanted to drive home Saturday morning. But, I knew that I needed to push myself. Truthfully, it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting even though my body was at it’s end by the time 5.5 miles were logged. It told me that despite being sore, exhausted and low motivation, I could push into the ‘have to’ zone (to some degree). I think that future me needs to do this kind of trip multiple times and probably a two night trip included to feel confident that a week is survivable.

End Your Programming Routine: This is what we call fun. Despite the suck, I am proud of what I did. I enjoyed the one on one time with my son, something we rarely have done. I loved seeing elk on the trail and it gets me excited that this is excellent training for the hunting season. My gear worked great, my body not as much. With so little time before my planned trip, I don’t feel shame in saying that I am not ready. What I am now thinking is that this will be another year of training. Remember, what I believe is that achieving the goal is not the joy, it is the journey that is the true prize.

April 24, 2025 – The Tide Has Definitely Turned

April 24, 2025 /

I recently took my inaugural hike with my new pack full of all that shiny gear that has never been used. I am happy to report that I did not have any straps slip and everything was great. I probably need to add some more weight because I didn’t have anything representing food or clothing in my pack for realistic weight. A large part of this trip was also gear shake out so I wasn’t pushing distance or speed.

The day was a sunny, low seventies day. It was the first that I have seen here this year. I think that there was one in February that I was sick and in bed all day. There was also one last weekend when we were in North Carolina. But the forecast had low seventies all week long. The tide has definitely turned on the weather. It also appears that there is no frost danger in the forecast.

Along this trail system, there are several places marked as viewpoints. I set a goal to hike to the closest viewpoint testing my satellite communicator. I forgot my map so I wasn’t totally sure where it was. But, after a couple of miles I got a good view of Mt. Jefferson and the Three Sisters. I figured that this is good enough.

Mt. Jefferson is the second tallest peak in Oregon. I have grown up within view my whole life. Yes, Mt. Hood gets all the press as it is the tallest and closer to Portland than Mt Jefferson. But still it is an impressive sight. Typically, Mt Jefferson can’t be seen in the Summer or Fall due to air pollution, largely agricultural dust. We all know how many sunny days there are in the Winter and Spring in the Pacific Northwest. It is a special day when it can be seen.

Recently, I was sitting around thinking, I wonder how the mountain got one of the most coveted names of American history? Then it came to me, Jefferson sponsored Lewis and Clark. Of course, but wait they didn’t come through here they would have passed Mt Hood on the Columbia river. Jefferson wasn’t the first name of course, turns out that the natives called it Seekseekqua.

Lewis and Clark did see Mt Jefferson on their journey. The story goes that due to its distance and proximity to Mt Hood, they felt it held a reserved status compared to the other things that they have seen. Those in the know recognize that there is a Mt. Washington and a Mt. Adams as well in the Cascade mountain range. There are places in this state where you can catch many of these mountains from the same viewpoint.

The weather was great, my pack was staying put, how about the satellite communicator? The instructions say that it should be used in a clear and open area. How realistic is that in western Oregon? I wanted to see how would function under typical conditions. After all, how often is an emergency in ideal conditions? The things I was interested in are battery life and effectiveness.

My plan allows for both text messages and pictures as well as periodic bread crumb tracking. The preprogrammed messages are (paraphrased) 1. I am starting, 2. Checking in, all OK, 3. I am done. Those all tested fine. I also successfully sent several free form messages. I made sure that my phone was in airplane mode so that it was not mistakenly communicating in cellular mode.

The picture did not send. More troubleshooting will be necessary. Probably since messages went but pictures no I am thinking that the message size is a problem. I assume that the device will do what it is supposed to do, something that was more potentially concerning was the battery life.

I am not planning on taking a battery or charging capability. In my two hour hike, I used 3% of battery capacity of the inReach. This was leaving breadcrumbs once every 30 minutes. It also requires the phone app to compose and read messages and my phone was about 10% down after the hike. My next test will be just having the communicator on. I think that in order to make it a week, I am going to have to use them somewhat sparingly.

The last thing that I wanted to do was to check the breadcrumbs. Everything worked like it was supposed to. A position once every 30 minutes is not terribly helpful on a 2 hour back and forth hike. I might turn up the frequency just to see it work on the next hike. But, I can say that it works.

End Your Programming Routine: I am definitely checking things off. With Easter last weekend and family obligations next weekend, I have to find some time for some overnights. This weekend seems to be an opportunity that might be too good to pass up for an out and back. Then I can try out my new tent and actually cook as well as do my first consecutive days.

April 17, 2025 – It’s Been a Good Run

April 17, 2025 /

I read an article recently that said that the iPhone Xr (10th generation) was not going to support iOS 19. The current operating system version is 18.4 which means that it is still a viable product but I wondered what that meant to me. I remember vividly December 7, 2018. That was the day that my iPhone 6 just stopped working.

I remember it because I was on call for my job. I had received a call about midnight and worked several hours to resolve the issue. I tried to call back stating my position on the issue and my phone didn’t work. Several hours later, my phone was still not working. Several hours later again, a trip to the Apple store confirmed that my phone was bricked. The answer was some phones just do that when they get old. What a crappy answer.

The next day which was a Sunday, I picked up a Red, iPhone Xr that I have used every since. I was still on-call until the next Thursday but at least I had a working device. As a result of running around I decided to skip the company Christmas party due to lack of sleep and a lot of frustration. It didn’t take a lot for me to not want to go to the party but my wife was very disappointed. This was her Christmas bonus for putting up with me travelling on a dime and being on-call every three weeks.

In retrospect, I was being a little cheap and didn’t want to pay the extra money for the smaller Xs model. I regretted that since the day that I made the decision. One of the primary drivers I wanted in a new phone was a smaller format. I am tired of the the bulk of large phones. I have other devices to watch video and or type. But, it turns out that Apple discontinued the smaller format phones with the 13 model.

Of all of the latest iPhone 16 models, at least the 16 and 16e are the same size as my old Xr. It turns out the more expensive models are larger than what I got which is the 16e. So, I couldn’t get a smaller phone but at least it is not any bigger.

Let me tell you that I think I am fairly tech savvy. I run my own website, I am a software programmer by trade. Swapping data from the old phone to the new phone was not easy. Neither my iPhone nor my wife’s Galaxy were able to activate and required going to the factory store. Fortunately, I took a back-up before I started doing all of the work so I was able to start from ground zero.

Since my iPhone Xr was running iOS 18, most everything seems familiar. There is one feature that I wish I knew a few weeks ago however. It turns out that since the iPhone 14, they have the capability to make satellite phone calls in case of emergency. This relegates my brand new, not even activated yet Garmin inReach significantly less valuable.

Don’t get me wrong, the inReach is not obsolete. I have decided on the plan that I want and the strategy that I want to use. It will allow breadcrumb style tracking as well as periodic messages and pictures included in the plan. But, one of the primary justifications for buying it was ‘In Case of Emergency’.

I am probably not a typical user. I barely touch social media and my phone remains almost charged most days. I can typically last two days without charging due to minimal use when travelling. As a result, my phone has lasted six and a half years and was running fine by all accounts. My kids and wife in contrast have all had at least two phones each since I got this phone in 2018.

The one thing I have noticed lately is the battery draining much quicker. I blamed it on the other devices connected. It seemed to me the battery life started to drain much quicker when I added the Garmin Instinct 2 watch. Then when I paired the inReach it was if the phone would lose about 5% per hour. My quick research on the subject seems to debunk that theory so maybe the battery is just losing steam.

For a lot of people, getting a new phone is a status symbol and not an obstacle. My little observations today may seem ignorant, putting me as a technological rube. Notice I didn’t get the most high powered device that I see so prevalent when I am out and about. That is OK because to me it is a tool that I applied my requirements before purchasing and size was more important than the best camera and the most storage. I learned my lesson from the last time and would have gladly paid more for a smaller format if available.

End Your Programming Routine: I am not a iPhone snob but I have used both Apple and android. I much prefer the iOS experience to android. Since my wife has a Samsung phone, I frequently have occasion to use that operating system. As a result, I have made my preference. I wouldn’t be surprised if my next phone is an iPhone as well. Look for an update in six plus years if things hold true this round.

April 10, 2025 – A New Year New Gear, Part 8

April 10, 2025 /

Whoa. It has been a busy period. I have been waiting for a long time to pull the trigger on my next purchases because of cost. Recently, I bought my tent, a satellite tracker and a new head lamp. Not only is this a big purchase but it represents a significant change to my strategy in training. I am shifting from my training pack to my new trail pack. I will also be moving from day hikes only to include overnights.

After these purchases, I have a few other things that I want to buy but they are truly optional. There are a few things that are possible as well. For instance, I may or may not buy new shoes. Right now it seems like they are holding up just fine but my actual hike is still a ways away. The last expensive and necessary purchase is going to be my food,

This tent is incredible. I have yet to set it up but I will of course test it out. I researched features and made some optional choices like doors that open to the side so each doesn’t have to climb over to get out. I decided on a two person tent rather than a one person tent. This is because it only added three ounces. I figured the versatility of possibly allowing another person and certainly more space was worth the weight.

The tent itself is only two pounds and eight ounces. It feels like nothing. I have seen bread loaves that are bigger than everything when it is packed up. There is one optional accessory which is called a footprint that I would like to buy. It’s purpose is to add a second layer to the bottom and prevent moisture coming through. But it also adds more resiliency to prevent tears in the fabric. I sure don’t want a $400 tent with a rip in the bottom.

A tent is potentially optional. I could have chosen a bivy bag or hammock or even toughed it out under the stars. I wanted a tent for two reasons. If the bugs get crazy, I want to get away from them, especially as I sleep. Also, if the heavens open up I want to be able to get away from rain if I have to. A tent is peace of mind for me and it is something I can use for years to come.

The satellite communicator is definitely a luxury. What it is supposed to do is send periodic GPS coordinates to somebody as well as contact emergency services when summoned. I don’t think that it is strictly necessary and wouldn’t have one if I hadn’t fought with my wife for the last twenty years about going into the woods alone.

I am looking at this device as an opportunity to be able to do some more back country hunting and fishing. Year over year, I have held back because I didn’t have a partner to go with me. Even this trip, I am supposed to be lining up some fellow travelers (which I do not really want). This of course requires a subscription service that can be turned on and off. I am planning on turning it while I train and probably leave it on until hunting season is over.

I would have gone on the trip without the satellite communicator but it happened to be 25% off this month. When the stars align with income and sales, it is time to act. More on how this works as I do more testing with it.

Finally, I really did not need a new headlamp. However, there were some new features that this has that I wanted. First of all, the other headlamp I have is in my hunting pack. I used it on my fishing trip last year and it worked fine. I didn’t really like how it accidentally would go to the red light when the button sequence was not pushed correctly. Plus, it is good to have some redundancy.

But more so than that, this new headlamp has a rechargeable battery pack that can also take alkaline batteries. Hopefully using rechargeable, batteries will never explode in the device and when it becomes discharged, I can replace with alkaline batteries until I get the point to charge again. It also has a nice carrying bag that will turn the lamp into a lantern by the light reflecting inside the bag. Pretty cool.

End Your Programming Routine: What started as a desperate search for topic ideas has now gone eight versions. As I said, I am not likely done buying things but this topic has run it’s course. It definitely wont be the end of my hiking topics. I plan on doing a whole pack-out before I leave. I am going to talk about lessons learned from my training as I get through them but the strictly buying gear posts are done. You probably didn’t enjoy them as much as I enjoyed planning and buying the stuff but more hiking coming on Thursdays.

April 9, 2025 – I’m a Lumberjack and I’m OK

April 9, 2025 /

You may have seen the Stihl Timbersports competition on ESPN. This is the logging related competition where competitors cut through a log the fastest called ‘hot saw’ with souped up chainsaws. They also chop through telephone pole thickness poles with an ax in less than 20 seconds. Like other competitions, rodeo as an example, timber sports have their origins in practical skills.

When I was a kid growing up, our town hosted the biggest timber sports competition in the world and the competitors reflected that. It was called the Albany Timber Carnival. As with the fall of timber in the mid 1990s, so too went the Timber Carnival. But the lasting tradition of the competition and quietly preserved skills can still be found, if you know where to look.

I shouldn’t be surprised but I ran across the Oregon State University’s competition area when I was doing some of my practice hikes. One of OSU’s foundations is a strong forestry school. The hiking I have been doing is in the forest owned and managed by the college for teaching purposes. Why wouldn’t they have a competition program and the facilities to perform?

Ultimately, these competitors have to come from somewhere. My cousin competed on a team in high school in the late 1990s. I remember asking what the secret was to chopping with an axe. He said that there is definitely technique but a lot of it is how you sharpen your tools. That part I don’t quite know but I spent a couple of days sharpening my ax one time. I put a whole new bevel on the blade that was much sleeker. That thing definitely cuts like a house of fire.

I am no expert in this by any means. I have never competed or trained let alone barely watched one of these competitions on TV. I just think it is pretty cool to see this of throwback activity (to me and my past) is still alive. I takes me back to when I was a kid and timber was king. It was a time when my town crowned the world champion in each of these events.

End Your Programming Routine: I would love to be able to climb up a pole and know how to sharpen an ax so that I could whack a giant log in less than ten swings. Even more than my sentimental pride, the point of my writing today is you never know what you are going to find in the world. You have to get out there and explore that world to find it. TV and internet can expose and publicize things but when you just run across it incidentally, it is pretty neat.

April 2, 2025 – Cross Training

April 2, 2025 /

I won’t say that I grew up skiing, but I did go probably once or twice a year in the high school years. Once I got to college, I purchased my own skis and would go four or five times a year. But once we moved to South Carolina, I got rid of them and never did it again. That is, until a couple of weekends ago.

We have been to the snow a number of times over the years. Sometimes it was to take out of town family to take lessons. Sometimes it was to take our kids to take a lesson. Always, I would just stay in the lodge with my wife while they did their thing. The truth is, I was never a good skier and I was afraid that being older and out of shape was a recipe for injury.

Our exchange student loves the snow. He has been invited four or five times since he has been here. So, this was a family trip. Since my kids had very limited experience, we decided to take lessons. Good decision since it has been 25 years since I had even been on skis. My wife asked me, do I want beginner’s or advanced lessons. I think that I already know about the snow plow, so I chose advanced.

It turns out that there were eight levels of lessons. We ended up at level 4. Since my one and only lesson was a couple hours at 14, I actually learned a lot of things that I did not know. Plus, equipment rental was included in the price of the lesson. The result was that I am way more confident now than I was before we went on the trip.

There was a lot of struggle with this experience. At first, I couldn’t get my boots to buckle. After carrying everything downstairs to the rental, the tech just undid the buckle. Then, as I was testing the boot fit, one of the instructors told me that the boots were too big. It was not easy to get my feet in the boot, I was already sweating profusely just trying to test fit.

The new equipment does seem to be better than it used to be. The one and only time I fell was getting on the chairlift with my boys when they did not leave enough room for me to sit down on the chair. During our lessons, we practiced control, skiing back and forth across the mountain. This technique took a lot of physical effort. Rather than carving swiftly down the mountain, we were inching our way down. Runs were taking 30 minutes.

By the time the lesson was over, I was definitely ready for a break. My knee was hurting a little bit and my thighs were burning. There were periods of total sweating from the exertion of control. After we had lunch, I decided to sit it out while the kids went off.

After an extra half an hour, I went out alone. By this time the mountain was getting a lot busier with new people all over the easier slopes, I do mean all over. This meant that I had to practice my controlled descent even more intensely. By the time I got to the bottom, my physical reserve was gone. I didn’t want to risk tweaking my knee or eating it a bunch of times.

The reality is that I didn’t get my money’s worth from a lift ticket and rental standpoint. I was only skiing about two and a half hours. But I definitely got my workout’s worth. The next day, I could hardly walk up the stairs, my thighs were still burning and I was out of breath going up and down to my office. Having not skied in so long I had no idea what muscles were going to hurt. I feel good about what I got from the lessons and my confidence has improved tremendously.

End Your Programming Routine: I stand by my decision to quit early. I could feel my body fatigue on the last run was at the edge of empty. It was definitely more fun than sitting in the lodge all day but it doesn’t make me want to run out and buy skis again. I still think cross country skiing might be a better fit for me now. After a good long hike the day before, I was bushed for several days afterward. That sounds like good cross training for me.

March 27, 2025 – New Year, New Gear, Part 7

March 27, 2025 /

This week is all about water. I purchased an MSR, in-line filter. This is going to be my solution for water filtration and protection from water born pathogens. Not only is it more inexpensive than the pump filter but it is more compact as well. Don’t get me wrong, the filter itself was not cheap but at $50 it sure beats $300. It is supposed to be good for 1500 gallons, that should do for a while.

I decided to purchase the filter from a sporting goods, big box retailer. The price was a couple of dollars cheaper than Amazon or REI. More than price, I wanted to spend my money with an entity that holds the same values that I do. That would be primarily staunch second amendment support rather than wishy-washy at best. I will still patronize the others when they have what I need, but given the choice I want to spend my money where it matters.

I know, you probably do not care where I bought it or why I chose a particular retailer. The thing that kind of, sort of chaps my hide is that the filter came with a missing part. The female quick connect was not in the box. It appears if somebody opened the package, I can see that the paper is torn where there was a sticker holding the box together.

I can surely say that I don’t really know how to communicate this. I suppose that I could return it but the most important part is there, the filter. I can buy the missing component and move on. So that is what I am going to do. Time after time my experience with purchasing open packaging, this happens. Unfortunately, I bought it online and didn’t get to pick in the first place.

I have already mentioned this before but I do plan on purchasing a second filter as a back-up. In theory, I would get the component I am missing and I really only need one. But, I realized that there are cheaper in-line filters. The Sawyer brand is half the cost and is also a smaller form factor. I will most likely go in that direction rather than a direct replacement.

The plan is to splice the filter in between the reservoir outlet and the draw end, quick connection. This will be one compact, self contained package for the water that I need on the trail regardless of source. I think that this should work out nicely.

The other hydration bladder pictured is my backup that I will carry. This provides me with the confidence that should I have a problem with my primary one, I will have another. This is not just for backup however. The plan is that if I need to leave the trail for water, I can carry twice as much, eliminating the need to refill before the start of the day as well.

I specifically chose this hydration bladder for three reasons. It is 3 liters in size, it has a carry handle so that I can more easily carry it bare from the source and it fills from the bottom rather than a twist cap. My thoughts are that filling from the bottom allows for a more flexible way of collecting water if the source is shallow. I may have need to collect water in my secondary bladder so that I can transfer to my primary.

You know when the battle plan falls apart? On first contact with the enemy. My next purchase is going to be the tent. Once I have that, I am ready to switch from my training pack and start to do some overnights. I won’t have everything I want or am planning on buying but I will have everything I basically need for my trip. I need to get some familiarity with all of these things to make sure it is working as anticipated.

End Your Programming Routine: I have some backpacking experience so I am not going into this endeavor blind. That being said, a lot of my plan is theory or how I think it is going to work. I need to get to the testing phase as soon as possible so that I have time to maneuver if and when things don’t go as I am expecting. I will not be going far away from civilization and just for over night but it will be valuable insight that I need.

March 26, 2025 – Experimenting For Peace of Mind

March 26, 2025 /

I am in the opening phases of meal planning. I am planning on using freeze dried meals for at least some of my meals, preferably both morning and evening. One of the things that I have no handle on whatsoever is how much fuel will I need for this. As with all containerized gas, even a fuel style gauge wouldn’t be terribly helpful other than giving something to worry about.

So, I set about running a test. How long does it take to heat up water to boiling and how long will a full cannister burn. From that information, I will be able to devise a usage calculation to tell me how much fuel will I need.

Technically speaking, I could probably do this on the trail during my practice runs. But I think an actual controlled experiment not only will give the information faster but also probably will be more accurate. Trying to keep track of stuff in the field is difficult unless you are extremely disciplined. I try to do this at the rifle range, even keeping notes and I still forget stuff all the time.

I performed this experiment using the 100 gram fuel cannister. It is the smallest and I would think the fastest to complete. I will extrapolate the results to a 230 gram cannister which is what I think I want to take with me but I don’t want to run the test for double the amount of time.

The other potential variable of the test is that I am burning a Jet Boil brand cannister. The larger size (more locally available) is the Kovea brand. I am going to assume that the fuel weights are as advertised and that both brands are the same fuel mixture generating the same BTUs.

Here are some variables that I cannot test here. The first one is elevation. Because air pressure is lower at higher elevation, water will boil at a lower temperature. This effect becomes prominent at elevations greater than 3000′. Assuming complete combustion (full BTU conversion), in theory elevation should add runtime to the stove.

Another is temperature. The outside temperature will presumably be lower in the morning and warmer in the evening. I performed my test at ambient basement temperature which was 62 degrees F. Those effects will possibly cancel each other out taking more time in the morning and less in the afternoon.

A larger temperature component would be the starting point of the water. I started with tap water which is probably around 40 degrees F. If my water is straight out of a mountain stream, it could be 33 degF. It could also come from my pack which may be 90 degF (I really hope not). So, that may range from no effect to longer run time.

The final variable I could test is how much water do I need to heat up? I ran two measurements 1L time and 1/2L time. For freeze dried meals, I will likely only need 1/2L but for breakfast, I very will want some coffee or tea. I think it is always better to heat up more than you need for cleaning purposes as well. I guess what I am saying is it seems like 1L is probably the realistic measurement.

To my surprise, the 100g cannister ran for two hours. I found that 1L took 9:20 to boil and 1/2L took 5:40. If I round up, I should get 12, 1L boils or 20, 1/2L boils. This tells me that one 230 gram cannister should be more than adequate for my meals for a week. That would be a 4.6 hour (276mins) run time with 27, 1L or 55, 1/2L boils.

One critical thing my test did show me is a result of the fact that I didn’t run it straight through. I found that the igniter only worked the first couple of times. I do see it sparking but I cannot say if that is a gas issue or an igniter issue. As a result, I will need to have a secondary ignition source. I already have a lighter in my pack so that should be good to go. More testing on this is definitely warranted.

End Your Programming Routine: I now have peace of mind. The only other consideration I may make is redundancy. If I choose to only bring one cannister and a leak develops or some other issue, I may be stuck. I could choose two 100g or one spare 100g or none at all. I have not yet decided if I want to bring a back-up. That is to be determined.

March 13, 2025 – A New Year, New Gear Part 6

March 13, 2025 /

What you see below is my new stove. Did I need a new stove? Technically no. I have an old 1980s era stove and my son also has a Jet-Boil (this stove is very similar). I thought about just borrowing my son’s stove and I also thought about taking my old stove as well.

First and foremost, the stove I already have. It works. My younger son uses it on camping trips. I have no qualms about the function. The main disadvantage is that it is heavy. I would guess that it weighs around five pounds. I like the fact that it uses liquid fuel as I am not a fan of disposable cylinders. I have an aluminum bottle that I use but again, that is more weight and bulk.

Using my son’s Jet-Boil was the backup plan. At one point, he said that he wanted to go. I am hoping that he is actually working by the time that I am hiking. I figure worse case scenario, I can trade out this new stove with the old one that my younger son is using. While I am enjoying this process, I will only be doing it so many times and I can put the old stove into backup duty rather than primary duty.

Why FireMaple and not Jet-Boil? The best reason is that it is cheaper by about 50%. I heard about this on the Explore Oregon podcast a few months ago. It was a show about getting into backpacking and this is the brand the expert recommended. I have to say, looking at the two side by side, they seem comparable quality and function.

In addition to the stove, This ‘kit’ comes with a 1L cup, a fuel can stabilizer and a pan adapter. Each of these pieces can be purchased individually because you can buy a stripped down option that is just the stove and pot. There are a few other things that you can add like a pressure pot (for high elevation cooking) and a French Press screen for coffee or tea. I am definitely not looking to add more weight to my trip but I am not opposed to using this stove on more trips.

The fuel cannisters come in three sizes 100g, 230g or 450g. The nice thing about the design is that both the 100g and 230g cannisters nest in the pot. Unfortunately, the 230g cannister is large enough that the lid will not lock on but it still fits. I don’t have a 450g can but that is what I am planning on taking with me. I need to do some duration testing but I am planning on only taking one cannister with me. The less the weight and bulk the better.

The stove does have a built-in igniter. I think that I will pack a secondary ignition source as well. I haven’t decided if it will be matches or a lighter. I like matches better but they limit your attempts. The old, strike anywhere matches I could light off of a zipper or rock but the the new matches are just not the same. If you wear out, lose or get your OEM striker, you matches are toast. So, it will probably be a lighter.

No doubt that this is a highly desired luxury. A water system failure can have deadly consequences. Dehydration and parasites are no joke. A stove is technically not required. In fact a friend suggested that I could eat cold freeze dried meal if I was looking to keep weight and cost down. No, not really but if I run out of fuel, it is not the end of the trip. From the other perspective, I suppose I could technically boil water so it is just another option in the toolbox.

End Your Programming Routine: Believe it or not, I am starting to get all of the necessities collected and moving onto the luxuries. The next purchase is going to be a water filter, definitely a necessity. I have plans of getting my tent at the beginning of next month. I am looking forward to that because then I can start doing some overnights. I will also switch over to my new pack on my weekend hikes carrying all the gear I will have with me.