Last weekend Ben and I went backpacking. We drove down to Red River Gorge and camped two nights, hiking about 15 miles over two days (Friday didn't really count, we didn't get in til after dark).
I have two product reviews from the trip:
Vibram 5 fingers Bikila - EXCELLENT for walking; until this weekend I had only ever run in them. Cold dew in the morning made my feet cold until they dried off, but it wasn't too bad. And I didn't get blisters, which I almost ALWAYS do when I'm hiking.
Osprey Aura 50 backpack - LOVED IT. Now granted, I've always just used Ben's little CamelBak daypack when we've gone out before - this is the first real frame pack I've ever had, so I don't have a lot to compare it to. BUT. The weight distribution was perfect for my small frame. And despite my being short but still long in the torso, I could adjust the pack to fit the way it should. I feel like it would hold about 3 times as much weight as I would ever want to carry, but if we ever get out to Glacier and I need to pack more warm layers, I'm sure it will be great.
Overall it was very peaceful, and the trails were nicely blazed (not so much that you felt like somebody was holding your hand the whole time, but also easy enough to follow). We only saw a lot of people when we were near Grey's Arch and the trailheads. The rest of the time it was just us....lots of me rambling. :-) Ben's nice to me though, he always makes me feel like I'm not just talking into the air. The whole time I felt a little like a runner masquerading as a backpacker - between my running clothes (which work fine for hiking but are definitely running clothes) and my frustration at not running up hills, I felt out of my element! But it was VERY fun, I absolutely want to go again. Once we got home I was doing a little bit of that "Let's do this EVERY DAY" thing that kids do when they find something new and cool.
We also went to Muir Valley to climb (well for Ben to climb and me to tag along - I did climb, but he's the climber!). It was fun but we both were REALLY tired from the hiking....next time we'll have to do the climbs on the FRONT end of the trip instead of when we're weak and shaky from sore muscles.
Pictures to come, once I get two minutes together.
Unrelated miscellaneous stuff:
Some less-than-physical stuff, too - we cooked Korean food last night. Bulgogi, Sam Gyup Sal, Mandu,....the kimchi we bought. I'm not that cool. :-) Turned out pretty good!
And I have a whole half a chapter of the dissertation done. Wahoo!
And, last of all, (going back to the physical stuff, I guess) - I'm thinking about doing the Tecumseh Trail marathon again this year. I must be nuts, but it was SUCH a great run....it's not everywhere in the Midwest that you find a 3500' elevation gain, and multiple 300' hills....in the snow....with 700 people...and yummy homemade bread and soup at the end...and I'm still sort of trained up from the Nashville half....we'll see.
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3 comments:
Hello Emily!
Saw the pictures at Ben's blog - your trip looked positively idyllic! I've been thinking about getting a pair of Five Fingers - good to have the input. You ran in those as well and liked them? That's really cool. What did you notice about your change in how you run? Were they hard to break in?
I may get a pair yet, but I think I'll wait for spring. I don't see them being practical for winter time except inside the house.
It was, we had a great time!
On the Vibrams, the thing I noticed most about my stride changing was that I take smaller steps, land a lot lighter, and am better able to change where I'm bearing weight (so if I step on a rock, I shift to where it's not, for example). I've not taken them on any REALLY rough trails, but I use them for any run under 5 miles on the road or a moderate trail.
Yeah, in the winter they'd be cold. Since your toes are split from each other, they can't warm each other up and it gets chilly quick!
Sigh. I wish I were backpacking instead of incubating right now. Not that I'd trade, of course, but you know what I mean. Sounds like an awesome outing.
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