Thursday, May 21, 2009

Heading to Porcupine Wilderness this weekend

I'm heading to the Porcupine Wilderness in Michigan's upper peninsula this weekend for a four-day, three-night trip with HikingFeminist.

I have been quite removed from the trip. She planned the location, the menu, made and packed the food and otherwise managed the logistics. She's mixing meat for homemade jerky as I type this. I just packed my bag and will be showing up; I've been mostly out of it since finals began two weeks ago. This will be our longest trip together.

The wilderness has designated campsites; as such, this is likely to be my first trip with real off-trail components. Map and compass? Check. I've been warned about critters, so I will be bear bagging PCT-style.

My gear list is substantially similar to my comfort UL list posted at right. I'm basically geared up for wet and cold i.e. conditions similar to the Superior Hiking Trail. Minimal new gear is going out for me this weekend. My Z1 is getting its first trial run on a multi-day trip, the Dixon Double bivy and Oware CatTarp2 are getting serious workouts and I am taking my eVent hardshell. Also an unusual addition to pack: a filter.

Another new addition is a UL Cozy from Sarah at TrailCooking.com. I have done freezer-bag cooking-like recipes where I used my hat a cozy over a pot. I got the UL cozy because it is TC's lightest cozy, and has an additional reflective layer that keeps food hotter over time. I'm quite excited. Follow Sarah and TrailCooking on Twitter here.

One item, though, holds special significance. I recently received a pair of Lightrek 3 hiking poles from Gossamer Gear. They are incredibly light, much lighter than the BPL Stix (those are going to HikingFeminist) and weigh in at 2.7 oz/pole without baskets, 2.965 oz/pole with mudbaskets . Just incredible. They feel like nothing in my hands. I added a single round of duct tape about three-quarters of the way up the shaft to better facilitate tarp setup.

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