I went backpacking this weekend. Yeah, and just in case anyone forgot it rained a bunchity bunch this weekend. No really, a buh-freakin' bunch. This is what I learned:
1. Cotton pretty much just sucks in the rain. Sucks. By the time we got up to where we decided to camp my cotton pants felt like a big wet diaper that was sagging down to my knees. Oh...cold wet diaper.
2. Rain coats might just have a saturation point and then you get drenched anyway. Though I had a hole in my sleeve.
3. Wrapping a plastic bag around my pack only sort of works. Maybe 4 more bags and a shit-ton of duct tape would have done the job. Needless to say my pack was wet. My spare "dry" socks were wet. My waterproof matches were crumbling with wet. Wet. Wet. Wet. Oh yeah and did I mention that I had brought my cell phone just in case of an emergency? ....It is in pieces drying on my chest of drawers.
4. Even if your tent is absolutely bomber, if you set it up in the rain and then sit your sorry little wet bum down in it there is going to be water in your tent. And the spare "dry" socky that you are using to mop up the tent floor is really only spreading wet all around.
5. Running shoes were never meant for the rain. You know that meshy stuff that is supposed to ventilate your running feet? It isn't waterproof... Just in case you were wondering.
6. Sometimes trails are really dry creek beds, that become creeks when water is falling from the sky. Hiking up a creek. Heh heh. Oh right, with meshy running shoes on. Slosh slosh slosh. Can I just say that putting my feet into my shoes this morning brought high-pitched singing sounds from my mouth.
7. My sleeping bag is officially pathetic. I am pretty sure that it was bought in the 80's. And is not meant for any kind of camping that is below 70 degrees. You know, you have your 15 degrees bags, and negative 10 degrees bags...and 70 degrees bags. That would be mine.
Don't get me wrong though, there were many fun(ny) things about our trip. Hanging out clothes all over the trail to dry. Realizing that hot sauce makes anything taste good. Being in the gorgeous mountains. Going to sleep to the sounds of a rushing river. Kissing my man.
But next time don't be surprised if I look like a marshmallow wrapped from head to toe in plastic bags.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Geeze La Wheeze
It has seriously been a whole month since I have last posted. Where have I been? Huh. I have two things to write about today. First I just got back from a weekend in Jackson Hole Wyoming with my man. Two important thingies in that sentence. One, I spent a weekend in Jackson Hole with glorious Teton mountains, green pines everywhere, and wildlife to spare. Two, I was with my man. (sigh)
The first day we were there I decided to go for a run on the Elk National Reserve. Didn't actually see any Elk, but got to run for miles and miles with almost nothing around me except mountains. The cool part is that I ended up running farther than I have ever gone before. I don't know why. I just kept going. Kept drinking water. Kept running. Got back and realized that I had gone farther than 3 miles, farther than 4...maybe even 5! Now here is the coolest part. We ended up tracking the miles in my car, and I didn't go 5. I actually went.....(drum roll)....7.6! Now, granted I walked some of that, but HOLY COW that is almost 8 miles! Which is like a million really. If I can run a million then certainly I can run a half marathon in October. :D
The second thingy that I wanted to write about was my experience today at the laundry mat. I was there folding sheets, listening to Dr. Phil when this commercial came on for some depression medication. (commercials for medications is a weird concept anyway....) But this one in particular struck me as odd. After it talked about how depression hurts, and that whatever-its-strange-name-was could help it went on for seriously 5 minutes about all of the negative side effects. Everything from dry mouth to bleeding, to increased suicidal thoughts, to liver damage...to good lord! And the very next sentence? "Ask your doctor about whatever-the-hell-they-called-it today!" What? Seriously? There has got to be a better way.
The first day we were there I decided to go for a run on the Elk National Reserve. Didn't actually see any Elk, but got to run for miles and miles with almost nothing around me except mountains. The cool part is that I ended up running farther than I have ever gone before. I don't know why. I just kept going. Kept drinking water. Kept running. Got back and realized that I had gone farther than 3 miles, farther than 4...maybe even 5! Now here is the coolest part. We ended up tracking the miles in my car, and I didn't go 5. I actually went.....(drum roll)....7.6! Now, granted I walked some of that, but HOLY COW that is almost 8 miles! Which is like a million really. If I can run a million then certainly I can run a half marathon in October. :D
The second thingy that I wanted to write about was my experience today at the laundry mat. I was there folding sheets, listening to Dr. Phil when this commercial came on for some depression medication. (commercials for medications is a weird concept anyway....) But this one in particular struck me as odd. After it talked about how depression hurts, and that whatever-its-strange-name-was could help it went on for seriously 5 minutes about all of the negative side effects. Everything from dry mouth to bleeding, to increased suicidal thoughts, to liver damage...to good lord! And the very next sentence? "Ask your doctor about whatever-the-hell-they-called-it today!" What? Seriously? There has got to be a better way.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)