Sunday, September 14, 2008

Return from Afton State Park

The trails were in good condition, but rarely were they single-track. You could at least drive an ATV down them, and most of them a truck could pass. I was hoping for more of an isolated experience, but the trails left the experience lacking.

The weather was excellent for hiking. It was cool and windy all weekend, but it was not cold enough to require a hat, gloves, or anything more than a t-shirt when moving. I brought minimal warmth layers - fleece gloves, fleece hat and a 200 wgt fleece vest. The vest was fine, and I wore the hat briefly on Saturday night and Sunday morning. I also brought my pants bottoms and base layer bottoms, but used neither. I also did not sue the gloves. I anticipated a low temp of mid 40s on Sunday morning, but I don't think it ever got there.

One problem presented itself though: it rained Friday overnight and it spritzed most of Saturday afternoon. Come Saturday evening, there was little dry wood, and we pulled from dry pine from the park's woodpile to start a fire.

I hiked in running shoes throughout the weekend. They got wet from the rain, but my feet were more-or-less comfortable. My feet were cool to the touch when I took off my damp socks on Saturday evening, but they did not cool the rest of my body.

Next up is a solo trip next weekend. I'll be going as UL as possible, so I'm aiming for high mileage. More on that later in the week.

No comments: