I was planning a long hike in Umstead park after work on Monday. I planned to stuff my new Patagonia Torrentshell hard shell top and rain pants in my backpack, since there was a chance of premature April showers. On Sunday, we woke to rain. Not a terribly hard rain, not even a rudely hard rain, just one of those steady, wet, all-day-long Sunday rains. Debbie suggested I go take a walk in the rain; I guess a shower in the neighborhood is worth two in the woods. So I put my rain gear on over my humerus and other bones and walked the hills in the neighborhood to Bzzzt, nope.
The Torrentshell jacket kept each humerus dry (at least in a light rain), but for some reason the Torrentshell pants really let down my tibiae and fibulae. The pants cinch tight at the bottom via Velcro, and I didn't kick up too many puddles (really!), but by the end of the four mile walk, my legs were pretty damp below my knees. Damp is OK on a 43 degree day on a one hour hike in NC; damp is definitely not OK one hour into a six hour trek in Nepal at 16,000 feet. November is supposed to be the dry season in Nepal, but one must be prepared, mustn't one? Yes, even if one is not a Boy Scout, one must be prepared. So the pants went back to Altrec (they were gracious enough to pay return shipping) and I'm considering the REI Rainwall or Marmot PreCip rain pants at REI as a replacement pair.
Here is a rundown of some of my other gear that will (I hope!) keep me warm and/or dry in Nepal: Columbia Titanium and Tek Gear (Kohl's!) convertible quick dry pants; Marmot Ridgecrest insulated pants, REI fleece jacket; Mountain Hardware vest; Northface jacket; Smartwool base layer; thin and thick tights (repurposed from my running/cycling gear); synthetic quick dry boxer briefs, windbreaker with zip-off sleeves; numerous quick-dry shirts (short and long sleeve); Marmot puffy down coat with hood; Burton Gore-Tek mittens with liners; lightweight fleece gloves; REI heavy smart wool hiking socks; smart wool thin boot liners; Asolo Drifter GV boots and Outdoor Research Verglas gaiters. For trekking, I also have an Osprey Talon 33 daypack (Meteorite) and 3 liter hydration bladder; and Black Diamond Distance trekking poles which are super light and foldable. And for the nights, I have a Marmot Sawtooth 14 degree down sleeping bag and a Petzl Zipka 2 Headlamp (Quite a bit of this gear I bought from Tomas' extra gear; more of it came on clearance from REI.com, Altrec.com or Backcountry.com or www.SteepAndCheap.com.)Probably my most important gear also happens to be the two most thoughtful gifts I've ever received: is my Road Id (thanks, fam!) and my St. Joseph prayer card (thanks Dad!)
Oh, and I did get in that Monday evening hike. It was dry like I hope Nepal will be, and I got in 9 miles of ups and downs (much more so than at the beach) along the Company Mill Trail, Sycamore Trail, and Crabtree Creek Trails in Umstead, in just over three hours.
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| Some real elevation changes on my Monday hike |
