My New Obsession, Part One.

I know.  It's been a while.  I've written a few drafts for some new posts, but nothing worth publishing online and my writing mood has dwindled.  But not for lack of topics, which have been piling up.   This too may end up in the draft bin.  We'll see.

Anyway, back to my new obsession.  Like running, I never saw it coming.  And again, like running, my early attempts at it kind of fell flat.  Just didn't love it.  And I still don't love it all by ANY means ..... I just love parts of it.

Backpacking.  There.  I said it.  Documented for all the world to see.  Here's the story:

About five years ago, Husband was given a new assignment in our church to work with the teenage boys.  Kind of like a spiritual scouting leader of sorts.  This involved "high adventures" which typically translated into backpacking.  What else do you do with boys without spending a fortune?  But it DID cost a fortune for us, because Husband had to get equipped with a new tent, sleeping bag and pad, pack, and every form of Gore-Tex marketable.  And since he likes to include me in his life, he bought most things in duplicate.  Therefore, I had STUFF.  Expensive STUFF.  Unused expensive STUFF.

I didn't realize until after I put everything away, that this picture turned out fuzzy.  Sorry!  And btw, this is only part of it all. (Excluding the cat, named Jack, btw -- see previous post.)  None of the clothes are included here.

So a year or two later, Husband talked me into a little over-nighter in the wild.  Good Friend Mark, AKA Outdoorsman-Supreme, came along with all his backpacking expertise.  The scenery was beautiful and the weather was perfect.  But it was dull.  When backpacking, you have to pack as minimally as possible, so it doesn't allow for books, board games, or video equipment.  I was left with my acute lack of interest in the flora and fauna and failed attempts at conversation with two of the finest, yet quietest men.  And spiders .... oh yes! ... in our tent.  (Friend Mark was smart enough to have kept his tent zipped.)  And no toilets.  Needless to say, we didn't backpack again for another couple of years.

Enter the annual Manly Man hike.  Friend Steve has been organizing these for some ten years now.  They are, as the title says, Man Hikes.  Meaning, for men.  Husband had been invited over the years, but had never been able to go, until this year.  And I, who was a little too full of myself after all my running adventures, and much to Husband's delight, wanted to go too.

"Sure", said Kind Friend Steve.  "You can come."

Oh Dang.  My brain skipped into overdrive.  Can I do this?  Thirty-three miles, including one 13 mile day, over five days.  And carrying everything I will need for those five days .....  I ran a marathon.  I did a four-day bike trip.  I did the Trek.  I've hauled myself over boulders and endless scree to the top of Mt. St. Helens TWICE.  I've routinely slept outside, on the ground, under the stars, during relays.  I've ran alone on dark and unfamiliar roads at 3 a.m.  And all of this in my fifties!  I know Tough .... sort of.  But can I do THIS?

I figured, in a group of seven men, I would be at a disadvantage.  Even though I am in fairly good shape for my age, I am smaller and weaker, plus I am older than most of them.  So I had to be smart.  I had to do my homework because I was determined NOT to be anyone's burden.

At this pre-hike point, rather than during the hike, I discovered my obsession:  PREPPING FOR BACKPACKING.  I mean I FELL IN LOVE with the planning-for-it part.

I learned about minimizing what you pack.  I learned optimum pack weights for one's size and weight.  I watched YouTube videos.  I read articles.  I practically lived at REI, Sportsman's Warehouse, Dick's Sports, and Big Five, not to mention the camping aisles in Fred Meyer, BiMart, Walmart, and Target.  I talked to experienced backpackers, particularly to Awesome Brother Larry, who gave me encouragement and some GREAT ideas.  I shopped and shopped at resale shops (trying to budget) for the right clothing ..... which is pretty much anything quick-drying and non-cotton.   I stalked every weather site, adjusting for altitude differences so to know EXACTLY what I needed to stay warm .... or cool.  And it's a miracle that I did not drive poor Husband crazy with my constant one-topic conversation.

I also studied backpacking food.  I learned how to make what's called a cozy, which is an insulated container for your cooking pot, lessoning the need for extra fuel.

 I looked up different recipes and experimented at home.  The mac & cheese ended up gloppy, but the chicken pasta was okay.  I came up with a sweet & sour chicken and rice dish that was actually quite good.  I perused grocery aisles and discovered treasures like foil-packed tuna or chicken, pureed vegetables and fruit baby food in foil containers (it's quite good!), and instant just-add-boiling-water rice.  I also raided those trays of little packets of condiments that come with fast food.  I poured over our menus, terrified that we'd pack too little and starve .... or that we'd carry too much and haul half of it back home.

I joined online backpacking forums and asked the tough questions:

"Okay Ladies ..... how do you do IT out in the woods and you KNOW what I'm talking about."

No women answered (probably due to the lack of them) .... but the online men were glibly full of suggestions tinted with a distinct lack of sympathy.  In other words .... buck up.  

Husband (who was well-experienced because of his past outings with the boys and because he's a guy) and I did another one-nighter by ourselves to practice.

I survived, in spite of the ant hill which we discovered under our tent the next morning.  The weather was deceptively good, which did NOT prepare me for what lay ahead.

So with Husband on one side, and with Trepidation on the other side, I embarked on the actual Manly Man 2013.

Stay tuned for Part 2.