Stuff! - Day 340

  I promised to show you what all I bought, so here we go. First of all, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who so generously helped me buy these items to make the hiking smoother.

I ended up getting a different brand of microspikes than I was considering. I bought Hillsound. They were the same price, and they have a size that is smaller.

But the real deciding factors for me were that someone closer to my weight said they grip better, and they have a strap that goes across the top of the boot. I haven't needed these yet, but I'm pretty sure I will. These are extra-small and they fit my boots perfectly.

I also got myself a little folding chair. I have a sort of chair that works with my backpacking equipment. It's a nylon shell that you stuff your sleeping pad into to make a chair. Not practical to use during the day. But I decided that I wanted some way to sit for breaks and lunch that wasn't on a wet log as we get into winter. A situpon helps, but sometimes you end up having to sit on the ground. David, the one who backpacked with me, has one of these. I got to try his and determined that it is comfortable for me.

It folds up and goes in a little stuff sack that fits in my daypack. I like it! Brand is Helinox.

I also want to really thank Bill and my last host Kevin. My trailer lights started to act up, and I really hate messing with electric stuff. I know, I know, I did all that re-wiring, but troubleshooting problems is a total pain. Bill, however, considers this fun. "Have at it," I told him. The problem was that the ground had gotten corroded, so they fixed it right up, and now I don't have to wonder about how much of each drive is going to be illegal with no lights.

Today I actually rested most of the time. It felt GOOD. However, in the evening there was another Heritage Chapter event with an annual fall dinner for the work crew. I was invited. What a feast!

Bethany cooks all of this each year! Amazing volunteer. She's featuring the gingerbread cake for dessert. I'm going to need to hike this off. Tomorrow.

I told you a while ago that I also bought mittens. These aren't anything super fancy, except I did get talked into battery heated ones. You don't keep the power turned on all the time, but if your hands get chilled doing something, you can just turn them on for a while to get the fingers warmed up. I have a little trouble with that Raynauds syndrome, so I need to do a better job at keeping my hands warm this season.

Oh, did you notice another pair of warmers there with the mittens? "Where did they come from?' you ask. Well, Sue is back for another round with me. Can't beat that!

Tomorrow I'll be back on the trail. Taking the weather one day at a time.

See Moving and More