Haven't been out much lately and had a day off, so I headed out for the bluffs for a while to try to get to some places I hadn't been before and run a few ridges. Threw on a day pack to try out the new Snow Peak pot I got myself for Christmas (Trek 900 ti).
The sun is really low this time of year which can make the lighting really interesting. Started off up the largest valley in the WMA and followed it up.
Followed the valley up to where it splits into several others, picked the one that kept going straight and climbed up to the top of the ridge to walk around for a while and enjoy the views.
Dropped back down into the valley to get out of the wind and make some tea. Turns out, putting a nearly empty isobutane canister directly on frozen ground isn't the best of ideas (who'da thunk?). Still boiled water OK but next time I'll make sure to put it on a log or put a bandanna under the canister.
After sipping my tea I headed back up to the ridges to watch the sun paint the place in crazy colors.
Closing thoughts on the new gear, the handles on the pot are kinda disappointing. Then again I've not really found many folding handles of that sort that I liked. Did a little re-bending on them and they work a bit better for me now, though since I usually carry a pot gripper in the pack I may just use that with it and avoid the handles altogether. The stove and canister nest inside the pot/lid, with a bandanna in there to keep stuff from rubbing and rattling around. That is really a handy feature. The pot is much, much lighter than the MSR pot I usually use, which on a normal day doesn't mean much but when I'm doing big miles with a full pack on the lighter gear has been really adding up for me fast in its benefits.
Saw a bunch of deer out there, a few squirrels (they're usually really hard to get near in this particular WMA), but didn't get close to any turkeys this time around.
The sun is really low this time of year which can make the lighting really interesting. Started off up the largest valley in the WMA and followed it up.
Followed the valley up to where it splits into several others, picked the one that kept going straight and climbed up to the top of the ridge to walk around for a while and enjoy the views.
Dropped back down into the valley to get out of the wind and make some tea. Turns out, putting a nearly empty isobutane canister directly on frozen ground isn't the best of ideas (who'da thunk?). Still boiled water OK but next time I'll make sure to put it on a log or put a bandanna under the canister.
After sipping my tea I headed back up to the ridges to watch the sun paint the place in crazy colors.
Closing thoughts on the new gear, the handles on the pot are kinda disappointing. Then again I've not really found many folding handles of that sort that I liked. Did a little re-bending on them and they work a bit better for me now, though since I usually carry a pot gripper in the pack I may just use that with it and avoid the handles altogether. The stove and canister nest inside the pot/lid, with a bandanna in there to keep stuff from rubbing and rattling around. That is really a handy feature. The pot is much, much lighter than the MSR pot I usually use, which on a normal day doesn't mean much but when I'm doing big miles with a full pack on the lighter gear has been really adding up for me fast in its benefits.
Saw a bunch of deer out there, a few squirrels (they're usually really hard to get near in this particular WMA), but didn't get close to any turkeys this time around.
