No, it is not about walking the trail alone, as pictured here. It is about being prepared when you walk that trail!Let me explain. George and I wanted to go for a winter hike - it was cold out, about 35 degrees. He wanted spooky deep forest; I wanted sunlight and warmth with a little crusty snow underfoot.
Where to find the snowfall, the deep forest and the sunlight? The Pack Forest near Mt Rainier.
George wanted to stop at McDonald's for a quick breakfast first; but I suggested a more wholesome meal at home, and hastily prepared both breakfast and lunch at the same time.
I made a corn bisque for lunch, poured it into two thermoses, and made farmer's cheese on naan to go with it. This bisque is hearty, with white kidney beans, home-made pasta, and meat as flavoring.That done, I made breakfast: Stir-fried cabbage, onion and kale; freshly made Malloreddus pasta with spaghetti sauce; whole-grain bread and farmer's cheese; plain yogurt with plum syrup and wild huckleberries. It was a perfect nutritious breakfast for cold weather and hiking, and all of it home-made.
Now, where to hike... George did the research, and I packed accordingly - he packs light, hoping for no mishap, and I pack quite a few items imagining the worst case scenario! (See how different we are?) This hike I packed a large metal cup that could be used to boil water if we got stranded or lost, a thermal reflective survival bag, and extra water for tea if we got cold.
In the past, when we have had some issues, it is always my emergency provisions that have come to the rescue. George has needed more water, more clothing; he forgets trailmix, sunscreen...he's even forgotten his backpack and hiking boots.
I started out with snowpants over my jeans, and six upper layers - a short-sleeve tee shirt, a long-sleeve tee shirt, a sweater with a turtle neck, a wool sweater over that, a lightweight men's wind-breaker and then a fleece men's jacket.
Three reasons to go extra-large on jackets: Better air circulation provides better warmth; if George needs a coat, he'll fit into one that I'm wearing; they are roomy enough to fit over backpacks and fanny packs, keeping you warm and your gear dry.
I've learned that one big backpack is too hard on my shoulders, so I carry all my essentials in a fanny pack and food in a backpack. That way, the weight of the shoulder pack sits on the top of my fanny pack, putting the weight on my hips rather than on my shoulders.I've also learned that essentials, like knife, fire-starting materials, phone, etc. should always be strapped to the body, never taken off. If they are stashed in a jacket and that item is accidently left behind at camp, then one compromises their safety.
It was only a matter of about 20 minutes, hiking uphill, that I began peeling off layers, first the coat, then the wind-breaker, then the wool sweater. George just laughed. As I'd get cool, suddenly we'd be in the deep shadows again, going downhill. I'd have to put all that back on. Then, everything came off again in the sunlight.
Problem was, I had to carry it, first in front under my coat, then under my arm, then finally on a stick like a hobo. Everything I brought I wore, however, at one time or another.
And, the lunch? Ahhhhh, it was filling...... more photos here, in our Flickr account.
