I have been thinking a lot about what books to take on the journey out of my 'to read' stack. These are my current contenders. Cohen interviews for short and relatively light material with one of the best songwriters of the 20th century. KCD alum David Grubbs' more intense work on the relationship between physical records and the experimental music scene of the 1960s.
Korch and I suited up for a gear test Friday after school. We immediately changed, stocked up on water and supplies, and headed to Red River Gorge where we met my friends Mike and Elyse for some camping and hiking. I needed to be back Saturday night to see my friends, Tyranny Is Tyranny, who were in town from Madison, WI for a show. We had a fun time and discovered some important gear still missing. I definitely grew increasingly excited as we approached since I've so rarely had proper outdoors experiences since being a kid hiking with my dad and friends. I got to test the ENO hammock which was so easy to get set up and will undoubtedly be a good option on warmer evenings. I've been in a constant state of awe at how far technology has come since my childhood experiences hiking on the AT. Greg's tent was a snap and while he had some reservations about the size, I think we'll be happy it's bigger rather than smaller over a month of using it. Beyond that, Korch showed expert fire-making and cooking skills, we had a lot of fun messing with the tactical tomahawk, and enjoyed hanging a bit with Mike and Elyse (and Mike's dog Beau) who must've stayed up much later than our old teacher bodies can handle. We were up, packed, and fed by 8:30 and decided not to wait for Mike and Elyse. It was probably good to venture out to the Daniel Boone National Forest alone to simulate the trip. We didn't press it, and we got a feel for the weight of the packs, water usage, cooking, and pacing. We both agreed we're not interested in necessarily pushing our pace and mileage too high. We'd both rather enjoy the scenery, stop regularly for pictures, recording, and silliness, and just to really savor the experience. Anyway, it was good fun and we made a lot of important discoveries that were good to make before departure. Pics and audio below. CB and I finally got to the point where we were confident with our equipment to take it on a test run. We decided to spend the night at Red River Gorge and go on a short hike to see how the packs handled. Overall I would count the trip as a success. We learned a lot about what we need to bring and more importantly what we don't need to pack. My favorite part of the experience would have to be the cooking. The tiny burner I purchased handled extremely well. I was also worried that my 30 L pack would be too small for an overnight hike, but it's not. I think a two night trip would be possible with some inventive packing. The solar charger I purchased also held up well. I was able to charge my phone twice and CB's once before the reserve battery was empty. This will help a lot with charging our cameras and recording equipment. Lastly, the ax and knife preformed their jobs admirably. We used both to create kindling to start our campfire. I want to close out this post with my favorite experience of the trip. Right before we went to bed the sky cleared up and the thousands of stars that appeared was quite inspiring. I can't wait to see a star field when we are out in Montana and Wyoming. One thing that Lewis and Clark didn't have to contend with was the issue of whether or not to support small business. The modern global economy was significantly less intertwined in 1803.
We had hoped to get some support from local store Quest. The prices there are higher than the huge companies like Dick's or Cabela's but I'd like to believe the supporting small business is the ethical thing to do. Growing up, I worked for Frank Otte Nursery and I always believed what we lacked in prices we made up for in service, knowledge, and communication. Unfortunately, after speaking to management at Quest and being told they'd help us out if we get them a list of our needs, our future efforts at communication (when we drafted a list) has received no response. We have to move forward without their support because we're going to try to go camping this weekend to test gear and discover what we still are missing. If I end up going to Cabela's today I will certainly feel a bit icky, but I guess I don't feel as bad since I've already supported Quest with some of my purchases for the trip. Balancing costs with supporting local business is tricky but important for every member of society to consider carefully. The trip is finally starting to solidify. We spent all Sunday morning purchasing and acquiring our equipment. I was able to purchase the following materials.
The shipment should be in this Wednesday. Just in time for our test camping trip at Red River Gorge. As time passes I can feel myself getting more and more excited for our departure. We still have a few more things to buy, but we are hoping we can purchase everything from Quest Outdoors. |