The Joy of Stuff–Hiking Stuff!

More journal entries for January 2015

January 23, 2015

My new iPod Touch 5g arrived–the one I’m going to hike with, blog with and take pictures with. It’s very thin, very lightweight and takes wonderful pictures–even panoramic views. That feature will be great when we are high on a ridge (if the trees aren’t in the way!).

The only thing I’ve been worrying about is being able to write the blog without having to tappity tap type on that infinitesimally small screen. I haven’t learned to thumb type efficiently like the kids do and I haven’t done much dictation (but I’m going to practice both). I currently use a stick, a typing stick. It’s slow, and I make a lot of mistakes. Given that I will already be tired and probably a few brain cells short of normal by the end of any given hiking day, I was trying to think of what would make things easier to write a blog.  I started looking at lightweight, folding, Bluetooth keyboards. I found one that I thought would work and ordered it. It’s only 5 oz, but that’s still a lot of weight when you’re trying to go as lightweight as possible. I told Mel I was willing to forgo an extra pair of undies, several sheets of toilet paper and a few Snickers bars so that I could blog with some degree of proficiency. Staying in touch will be more important to me than calories, wiping and underwear. Just sayin’.

Bluetooth keyboard with teeny tiny iPod Touch

Bluetooth keyboard with teeny tiny iPod Touch

The keyboard looks really big next to the iPod!

January 30, 2015

Yesterday, my Griffin Survivor protective case and my JOTO waterproof bag arrived for my iPod Touch. With my iPod Touch in this waterproof case, I can even take pictures under water! I hope that I don’t find myself in that position, but its waterproof-ness means that if I do fall in the water, which is entirely possible during a stream crossing, the iPod (otherwise known as my ‘thingy’) will stay dry. It even floats, so if we become separated during an unexpected fall in a stream, my thingy won’t sink.

iPod Touch protected with Griffin Survivor case inside JOTO waterproof bag

iPod Touch protected with Griffin Survivor case inside JOTO waterproof bag

As per the manufacturer’s instructions, I tested the bag’s waterproof-ness by putting a napkin inside the case and sealing it, then submerging it in water for three minutes. Dry as toast! Perfect. I got this bag instead of a waterproof case because the waterproof cases that I evaluated were actually water resistant, not waterproof; and they wouldn’t float if they fell in the water. I hope that I’ll be happy with my choice.

With the Survivor case, my ‘thingy’ will be protected primarily from damages due to dropping it on a hard surface. The rubber case also makes it easier to hold– and less likely that I will let it slip out of my hands. It would be lighter and slimmer without the protective case, but it’s also more likely that I would drop it and more likely that it would be damaged. Some things are just worth the weight. ‘Necessities’ vary with each hiker, I think.

book

 

 

The other necessity that arrived today was our bible–our hiking bible.

 

My pretty Darn Tough  hiking socks that will help me feel less like an ugly pig while I hike

My pretty Darn Tough hiking socks that will help me feel less like an ugly pig while I hike

It seems like every day something new arrives in the mail. It’s better than Christmas! Today, one pair of new socks arrived from Darn Tough Vermont. We used to swear by Smart Wool socks, but we have both been disappointed by their lack of durability. All of mine have grown thin in the heel and in the toe area–and this is without heavy duty usage. So we are trying this new brand. I know that while I am hiking, I am going to feel dirty and smelly and disgusting, and I will be looking at my feet a lot, so the socks that I ordered are a pretty purple (like my pack) and have flowers all over them. They will be my ‘happy socks’. They will help me feel less like a pig.

Our teeny, tiny cook stove

Our teeny, tiny cook stove

 

 

 

 

Our new teeny, tiny, lightweight cook stove arrived too! Almost every day, something new arrives. Mel does all the research and the ordering and I do all the enjoying!

 

ID bracelet-- in case I fall off a cliff and nobody finds me until next year

ID bracelet– in case I fall off a cliff and nobody finds me until next year

And my ID bracelet came recently. It’s really lightweight and comfortable. It has emergency numbers for Mel, Marty and Matt and will be handy even when I’m walking alone here at home.

Mel just ordered a super lightweight raincoat for me (7 oz) and a very lightweight t-shirt made from Merino wool (wool doesn’t stink like synthetics and it dries faster than cotton). Every time something new comes in, I stuff it in my back pack, which has been in the spare bedroom since it arrived.

The other thing I could have ordered but didn’t is this….

The pee cup

The pee cup

It looks like something you might use to help put your shoes on, but it’s not. It’s for women who don’t want to squat to pee out in the woods. They can just slip this little ‘p-style’ under their ‘hoo-hoo’ and let it flow. Personally, I think it’s too much bother. You’d still have to get your pants down at least a little bit, or you’d have to stuff this in your pants through the zipper opening and then get past your underwear to your ‘hoo-hoo’. Way too much bother–plus it’s extra weight. But, I did think it was clever, nonetheless. This company also makes a “Diva Cup” which you’d use during your period in lieu of napkins or tampons and it’s washable. If I still had to worry about that sort of thing, it might be worth considering because it would eliminate weight (pads and tampons) rather than add weight. It would also eliminate waste.

If you’re interested, here’s the website:

https://www.thepstyle.com/

Don’t worry, pee happy!

 

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Comments 11

  • Nancy Camden : Feb 25th

    I’m lovin’ this blog — even before the big hike and actual peeing in a funnel and posting with the thingy.

    Reply
    • Jeanne Church : Feb 25th

      Posting now is giving me practice for the real thing–although I haven’t actually done it yet with my thingy and the keyboard!

      Reply
  • Jill : Feb 25th

    I am very intrigued by the cook stove! Use your new phone to take pictures testing it please.

    Reply
    • Jeanne Church : Feb 26th

      We’ll set it up tonight and take a picture.

      Reply
    • Jeanne Church : Feb 28th

      The stove is surrounded by a Caldera Cone to protect the flame from being blown out, then a pot is put on top of the cone. The cone is a sheet of aluminum that comes apart and coils up small.

      Reply
  • TicTac : Mar 2nd

    The primary problem with a Caldera Cone depends on the fit of the pot. If the pot is too close to the same diameter of the top of the cone, it concentrates so much heat inside the cone that you leave a scorched circle on the wood surface (table, cook platform, etc) that you are cooking on. I have even seen people start a table on fire using a cone. Determine if that is going to be a problem, and perhaps carry an aluminum disc to put under the cone to obviate that damage.
    The Bluetooth keyboard is interesting. I imagine you have to keep it charged, how often and how (using USB?) I am eager to hear how it works for you.
    TicTac

    Reply
    • Jeanne Church : Mar 2nd

      We always protect the surface where we set the stove to prevent those kinds of problems.
      As for the keyboard, I hope it’s worth the extra weight. I’ve tried it at home and it works well. Feels quite similar to a regular keyboard. The info on it says it will hold a charge for 30 days on standby and has 44 hours run time. It has a USB cable for recharging the battery.

      Reply
  • letshike2 : Mar 5th

    I have to agree with Nancy Camden, I am loving your blog too. You are quite humorous and very well informed. It is nice having another really good female hiker/blogger to follow. Happy Trails!

    Reply
    • Jeanne Church : Mar 5th

      Gee, thanks! Are you hiking this year too?? Are you blogging?

      Reply
      • letshike2 : Mar 5th

        I am going to section hike in Virginia in early summer, 303.9 miles! I have a fashion blog that I created with Blogger to practice the “art of blogging” but my hiking is not on a blog but a Facebook group. I run it kind of like a blog. It is called LETSHIKE2 and it is an open group.

        Reply
        • Jeanne Church : Mar 5th

          I’ll check it out! Good luck with your hike.

          Reply

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