Over the weekend of May 22rd through 25th, 2020, Porcupine and I and I hiked a 30 mile section of the Finger Lakes Trail from Alder Lake to Downsville. The Finger Lakes Trail is a 580 mile long distance trail stretching from Slide Mountain in the Catskills to Allegheny State Park on the NY/PA Border. I’ve been wanting to start section hiking this trail since about 2013 and my dream is finally taking shape.
In 2013 I purchased my first of several Enlightened Equipment quilts. Although I’ve been camping all of my life, this quilt gave me my first truly comfortable night of sleep. Since then, I’ve purchased several more quilts from Enlightened Equipment and helped many family members and friends make the conversion. Now, almost everyone I backpack with has one or more of these trusty hiking companions. I read recently that about 75% of 2017 Appalachian Trail Thruhikers slept in quilts by EE. Continue reading
This last weekend, I hosted an Intro to Backpacking workshop with Hudson Valley Hikers. The idea of the event was to allow future backpackers to see and feel real gear in the real world. Each of our hosts brought one or more of their favorite tents. Students were able to watch them set up and then crawl inside to get a feel. They especially liked hanging in the hammock! Continue reading