Somebody Owes Me a Door!

I was all set to go to my alcohol stove class that I mentioned in a previous post, even though I honestly had no desire to be out on the trail with one (I'll put my faith in my Pocket Rocket). I was just feeling the urge to build something, maybe even figure out (another) better way to build an alcohol stove. So, imagine my chagrin when, the day before the class, my confirmation still had not arrived; also, there was no charge on my credit card. Thinking maybe I had not been registered I held my breath and called IGO, only to find that the class had been canceled due to there not being enough participants. That's a downer...So, the year creeps steadily onward and I've gotten nowhere closer to doing (more) stuff outdoors. On a lighter note, I'm headed to Pittsburgh this weekend to visit my parents and return the Garcia I bought. Maybe I'll cheer myself up with some nice, new, expensive boots!

One Door Closes, Another Door Opens

My job is kinda cool. I work outside, I don't really have to deal with supervisors and I get free full medical and dental benefits. The only issue is that, because it's law enforcement, I have to work swing shifts. My department works a five week cycle: two weeks of afternoons (both six days), a "relief week" (four days of day shift and two days of afternoons) and then two weeks of a day shift (a seven day week and a five day week); Friday the twelfth I will start the seven day week. Then just for fun, all road personnel do eight weeks of midnights every year. Week to week I don't have the same days off. My days off go Mon/Tue, Tue/Wed, Wed/Thurs, Fri/Sat/Sun, Sat/Sun/Mon and then back to Mon/Tue. I explain all of this to make you realize how, thirteen years after I started with the department, I still get my days off wrong. I mentioned in a previous post about an IGO trip to Oil Creek State Park. I originally thought I had the weekend of the trip off. Turns out I was wrong. I'm working. There is good news though: Through trying to find out about Oil Creek I stumbled across the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PA DCNR)website. Turns out PA has a "long trail"; the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail. According to the site it's a seventy mile trail that can be hiked in 5-9 days. I'm thinking about giving it a shot. Since not being able to make the Oil Creek trip will wreck my resolution of camping twice this year, I've started to look for other alternatives. The LHHT is two to three hours from Pittsburgh (where my folks live) so I could reasonably expect some support (read: a ride around the turnpike bridge) and a re-supply. Plus, and this is the real reason, I love patches and I could get one if I complete the hike. And in case you were wondering, yes, I've already bought the trail guide.

I'm Off of My Vitamins

As I've gotten older I've noticed that Vitamin I has become a post-hike ritual for me, which isn't good. I know there is nothing I can do about aging so I did the next best thing. I picked up a pair of trekking poles. I've used a single Leki pole for the last decade but I had never jumped on the double pole bandwagon, until now. A recent trip to Wal-Mart found me, again, in the camping section. Because I haven't had any complaints about the Outdoor Products (OP) dry sacks that I had purchased I decided to give the company's poles a try; I figured at $12 a pole, what did I have to lose. The poles are, according to the manufacturer, a "lightweight aluminum alloy." They are also impossible to find on the OP website so exactly what this alloy consists of, I don't know. They are a three section, non-shock absorbing design with dual cam-locks. The locks are further adjustable with a phillips head screw. Included with the poles are two rubber tip caps/covers and a screw on trekking(?) basket. The basket features a cut-out that, I assume, lets the poles be clipped together for carrying. The poles are adjustable from approximately 54"-24.5" and are marked in 5 cm increments. The grips are an ergonomic, hard rubber and include an integrated, adjustable wrist strap. The Wal-Mart I visited had two colors: A bright, metallic orange and a more subdued metallic green. I purchased the green. My Leki pole, on a calibrated scale, came in at a weight of 10.6 oz. One of the OP poles weighed 9.4 oz and the other weighed 9.7 oz. In all fairness the Leki pole does have a wood knob on top and features Leki's antishock system. I've had the OP poles out twice for hikes now and I'm pleasantly surprised. The hikes consisted of snow covered trails and some steep off-trail scrambles. With both baskets removed from the poles I was able to jam them into the softer dirt under the foot of snow and, as I walked, pivot the poles in an attempt to bend them against the crust on top of the snow. Both poles came through with flying colors. Also, during the off-trail scrambling, there were several times when I used the poles to support my full weight (~240 lbs) both up and down hills. Again the poles performed well with no slippage of the locks. For me the greatest thing to overcome was the ergonomic grip. My Leki pole was adjusted to waist height and I would hold the wooden knob in the palm of my hand, like a walking stick. This allowed me to drop the pole if I fell so it wouldn't smack me in the head (which happened anyway). The ergonomic grip and wrist strap of the OP poles are, to me, a disadvantage but will probably get easier to use as I learn to use them. So far I'm happy with the OP poles. The price was good and the initial quality is on par with the Leki pole.