DLANOIE
05-14-2006, 12:12
This past weekend I volunteered with 5 other MATC members in the Bigelow preserve. Thursday and Friday was all rain so I thought this weekend was going to be wet(to put it lightly). Actually, it didnt rain at all:sun. I hiked up a bunch of poles for the caretakers shelter. We also had to carry roofing for the privy, a cordless drill, even more poles and some other items as well. The people I hiked up with were great! We hiked the AT northbound up to Horns Pond Lean To. Ive camped here twice before(both in February), and this campsite is very well maintained. Best views from a privy(with a window) that Ive ever seen.
The caretakers shelter had been crushed from a two foot snow storm last winter. So we came up with a plan on what to do, dismantled the 12x20 metal frame bolt by bolt. then we had to hacksaw the pieces that were crushed on one end, and reassemble what we could before needing more parts and better tools. It was a blast and Im glad that I could help.
So when that was done, everyone but me went back down. I was planning on spending the night. So we said our goodbyes and I went off to set up my hammock. The wind was blowing quite a bit. I got it setup no problem. I think Ive got the hammock setup good enough now. Putting the maccat deluxe up was a bit of a challenge due to the wind. But that wasnt all that bad. Im glad I have that instead of the standard tarp. I like the extra room to cook under or whatever. Then I put both JRB nest and NSQ under the hammock. Ive got that down pretty good too. And because at night it still gets down in the 30's, I also had a WM 32* bag and thermarest short CCF inside the hammock. I also wear to bed mid weight thermals. With this setup I was toasy warm all night. My legs tend to cramp up someimes through the night causing me to turn and adjust constantly, which is not much fun. But after several days of sleeping in it Im confident that I will find my comfort zone. I woke up at 6:22 to an almost clear blue sky and a brisk spring wind coming off the mountainside. I made my way out of the hammock(kinda tricky!) and streched my body. I filtered enough water yesterday to make coffee and oatmeal for breakfast. So I did that this morning before packin up and heading back to my jeep. The blow downs were not that bad at all. The maintainer for that area has done a superb job clearing the trail. Back in February when there was still snow sometimes I had a hard time following the trail because of the blowdowns -but this weekend I saw the work that had been done so far, and it was great!
So anyway, I cant wait!! I start June first at KSC. Good luck to all the thruhikers this year!!
The caretakers shelter had been crushed from a two foot snow storm last winter. So we came up with a plan on what to do, dismantled the 12x20 metal frame bolt by bolt. then we had to hacksaw the pieces that were crushed on one end, and reassemble what we could before needing more parts and better tools. It was a blast and Im glad that I could help.
So when that was done, everyone but me went back down. I was planning on spending the night. So we said our goodbyes and I went off to set up my hammock. The wind was blowing quite a bit. I got it setup no problem. I think Ive got the hammock setup good enough now. Putting the maccat deluxe up was a bit of a challenge due to the wind. But that wasnt all that bad. Im glad I have that instead of the standard tarp. I like the extra room to cook under or whatever. Then I put both JRB nest and NSQ under the hammock. Ive got that down pretty good too. And because at night it still gets down in the 30's, I also had a WM 32* bag and thermarest short CCF inside the hammock. I also wear to bed mid weight thermals. With this setup I was toasy warm all night. My legs tend to cramp up someimes through the night causing me to turn and adjust constantly, which is not much fun. But after several days of sleeping in it Im confident that I will find my comfort zone. I woke up at 6:22 to an almost clear blue sky and a brisk spring wind coming off the mountainside. I made my way out of the hammock(kinda tricky!) and streched my body. I filtered enough water yesterday to make coffee and oatmeal for breakfast. So I did that this morning before packin up and heading back to my jeep. The blow downs were not that bad at all. The maintainer for that area has done a superb job clearing the trail. Back in February when there was still snow sometimes I had a hard time following the trail because of the blowdowns -but this weekend I saw the work that had been done so far, and it was great!
So anyway, I cant wait!! I start June first at KSC. Good luck to all the thruhikers this year!!