Who needs snow shoes?

What a day! While I didn't end up camping out in the snow like I was thinking I might, I did still get out to SNP with Matthew and our dogs for a long trail run/hike in the snow. It was raining when I rolled out of Greenbelt at 5:30am Saturday morning and snowing by the time I got to Markham where Matt's house was; a good sign for our run since a rainy started would have made for a much colder day on the trail. The dogs got along well from the get go and we made our way to Front Royal and the start of Skyline drive where we hooked up with the Dickey Ridge Trail around 7:30.

Once on the trail we settled into a steady jog over what was maybe a quarter inch of wet snow on the ground. The trail essentially parallels Skyline up to the AT, climbing almost the entire way from the starting point around 600 feet above sea level. We kept up a good pace heading up, running when we could and hiking when we couldn't. The snow was beautiful and I found myself surprisingly comfortable in the cold conditions.

The snow kept falling the entire way and was building fast on the ground as we broke fresh tracks along the deserted trail. Early on I saw some sort of animal which we decided was a coyote after coming up on some small paw looking tracks though we later decided it must have been one of the dogs' tracks and a deer, with the dark brown winter coat that I had glimpsed through the snow. The climb was otherwise uneventful though beautiful with the fresh snow blanketing everything in sight. At the only lookout point of the day the view was unfortunately blocked by the snow and fog surrounding the mountains but the continuous scenery we passed was good enough to make up for it.

Upon reaching the intersection with the AT, Matthew made the suggestion we not bite off more then we can chew and head back down the trail to the car. Realizing he was right and that going on any further would be somewhat foolish, we turned around and began heading back down the trail. We topped out at around 2500' and since somewhere around 1700' before a tough, steep and technical quarter mile climb to our meeting point with the AT things had gotten substantially colder.

We grabbed some food and then picked up the pace a bit to try and warm up again, which we succeeded in doing after dropping back down the long climb. The warmth lasted for a bit before a breeze came through and kept us cool for the remainder of the trip down.

At the point we turned around we'd probably been shuffling through about 6 inches of snow and the whole way down it was building, continuing to get deeper. It was a pretty cool thing to be out in this snow, and with how fast it was coming down we were making fresh tracks both up and down; our previous tracks having been buried almost entirely in fresh snow.

After dropping below about 1200 or so feet we hit some recently traveled snow, a large number of deer and dwindling snow accumulation. By the time we crossed over Skyline a final time before getting back to the trail head the trail was more of a slushy, muddy, well traveled mess. Apparently the locals know the Dickey Ridge Trail well but mostly just stuck to the first little section of it; the only other person we saw was a guy walking his dog up that short first section of the trail before heading back down along Skyline.

Back at the car we were both pretty chilled so we got a bit of a change of clothes and quickly headed back to Matthews' house with the ideas of hot showers in our heads. A power outage and well water quickly dispersed those hopes but theres nothing wrong with a little camp stove boiled water for tea and wearing more clothes inside then we did outside! After a couple of cups of tea, snacks and beer, and some pasta I eventually mustered the up the energy and motivation to head home. I knew our big down comforter, memory foam mattress topper and a warm shower at home would be well worth the long drive home in the dark. I think I was in bed by 8 that night.

A couple of additional things:

-Matthew tweaked his knee at some point during the climb. He toughed it out for the rest of the hike but towards the end I could tell it was really hurting. Once back to his place it stiffened up pretty badly on him to the point he wasn't even bending it. Hopefully its doing better now but kudos to him of toughing that out with barely even a mention of it.

-I wore a thin pair of technical somewhat fleecy Cannondale gloves for this run. For the majority of the trip they were perfect though once the wind was blowing through the soaking wet fabric my hands got seriously cold. Next time I'll need to find something a little better. Even just a thin, lightweight outer shell would probably be enough, just to block the wind.

-I wore my (10+ year old) Under Armour winter gear tights and top as a base layer.

-I picked up a basic pair of Nike DriFit running pants, similar to my DriFit shorts of preference, at REI which I wore over the tights. They were perfect until the snow was getting deeper and then the snow started building up on them around the ankles to where I had at least baseball sized balls of snow hitting my ankles every step.

-On top I wore my Celtic Solstice 5 Miler fleece over the UA and my Salomon wind/rain jacket over the top of that. That combination was surprisingly perfect, kepping my core temperature well regulated throughout the run. With a better glove combination I would have been comfortable the entire run I believe.

-Of course I wore a pair of my DeFeet Woolie Boolies along with my Montrail Highlanders. This actually worked; the socks kept my feet warm enough despite being soaked for most of the trip and the shoes handled the circumstances relatively well. Not an ideal shoe for the conditions but they got the job done. Other then some spikes or even snow shoes I'm not sure what would really do better though.

-My thin, vented running hat from finishing the Shamrockfest Marathon was perfect; keeping snow out of my eyes and keeping my head just warm enough.

-The route with elevation. This puts it a little shorter then what I think we did. The trail markers had us at 9.5 from Front Royal at the start of the Dickey Ridge Trail which includes a short little (less then a 1/4 mile on google pedometer) section of trail. We're saying 18 miles total.

-It was disappointing coming home to just an inch or two of slushy snow back in Greenbelt. I'm glad I got to enjoy a real snowfall before returning to the king of slush - DC metro region.

-I need to spend a lot more time running/hiking out in the mountains. As much fun as they are to run, there are no real "climbs" on my usual stomping grounds.

Welcoming winter, done right

A couple of weeks ago when Aimee told me she'd be house sitting (and taking Homer) over this coming weekend I quickly decided it'd be my time to get out for some winter mountain fun. I got in touch with Matt from the PHT 50k to see if he'd be up for some biking or running. Saturday looked good for him so we planned a trail run/hike for the day.

Now, after early week projections showed sun and at least mid-40's for the day, we're looking at some pretty certain snow fall and what looks like it'll be a pretty fun way to welcome in the official winter. Unfortunately I won't have my camera but I will definitely be enjoying myself out there. Its likely I'll be camping out on Saturday night as well, even if I just set my tent up in the bed of my truck. It'll be better then the long drive home after a day of running and snow plowing...

For those interested, worried or looking for me if I don't return in a timely manner, our route will look something like this, with a possible different ending point around where the AT pops out of SNP.

A weekend away

Aimee is already trying to get away from me it seems as much as possible, so just a handful of weeks after she moved in she was gone again, hopping a plane for Nashville (for a friend's wedding of course). A number of months ago Brian and I had decided to spend the weekend out at his uncle's cabin in WV scouting the miles of trails on his property via mountain bike. Unfortunately we decided a bit last minute to skip the trip since his legs/back/lower body are still in perfect working order and my calf cramp turned out to be more of a strained muscle that lasted the whole of last week.



In the interim I'd decided to try my hand at a trail race up in Gunpowder Falls State Park, though once again the calf issues kept me from trying to push it too hard too soon. So, naturally I decided a back country trip to Shenandoah National Park was (finally) in order! After some negotiations with Brian and Jenny, B agreed to join me selecting what we believed to be a beginner friendly overnighter with some nice features for our enjoyment.

Brian laughs in the background while I yell at Cassie to "CALM DOWN! DO NOT FREAK OUT!

Brian notices my not-so-subtle attempt at a sneaky shot.

Saturday morning we loaded the dogs and our packs up in the truck and headed down 211 for the Hazel area of SNP just past mile marker 33 on Skyline. The small lot was nearly full but we got the only spot available, laced up our boots and headed down the trail. Some friendly debate ensued (and if you've spent much time around the two of us together you know that means a long and drawn out serious of "debates"/arguments) and we made our way DOWN HILL (emphasis for Brian... :) for a few miles before some rolling terrain finally a long moderately steep downhill section (quad burner) took us to the low point (topographically speaking) of the hike.

One tunnel like section of trail.

Cassie looking for bears with a handful of leaves changing behind her.

The trails were fantastic with most of the summer's greenery still remaining. There was an early splash of reds and yellows, more notable of course in higher elevation areas that left us with just the smallest taste of the fall foliage to come, wishing we could get back out over the coming weeks to see the leaves in all their glory.

An interesting tree trunk along the way. An obvious favorite of many a woodpecker.

At the base of the quad burner descent we saw a black bear crossing the trail about 30 yards down from us, quickly grabbed the dogs and watched with a little bit of awe as the bear made its way across the stream and up the other bank and out of view. I always hope to see a bear and other wildlife but usually just manage to catch a few deer grazing in the woods. It was cool to see this guy out there, though I'm sure we scared him as he seemed to pick his pace up when he noticed us.

About 5 minutes after that we found a great little campsite (sweet maybe his den in nearby!) by the stream where we set up camp and had a relaxing evening including some excellent pesto I'd found in Aimee's Lip Smackin' Vegetarian Backpackin' cook book. The night was a bit rough for me since after passing out hard while I read for a bit Cassie woke up and continuously moved around and paced for the majority of the remainder of the night.

Brian entertained me with his whistling rendition of Miley Cyrus' latest hit.

The stream and a neighborhood mushroom by our campsite.

Cassie showed the local sticks she means business while B's and my matching tents sit in the background shaking their inanimate heads.

The next day after a calm and leisurely morning and some grounds filled coffee we packed up and got back on the trail. The start of day two was basically a 3/4 mile straight up climb followed by a rolling ridge trail with plenty of up hill to regain all the lost elevation from the day before. There were a number of unexpected vistas along the ridge trail and eventually we came to the popular waterfall and cave trail which was reached by a steep tall stair step trail. The area was pretty and Cassie enjoyed a dip in the falls pool before we made our way back up to the trail.

Cass enjoys a dip in the cool water below the falls.

One of the days unexpected vista's, looking North back towards where we started.

We made our way back (UP HILL) to the parking lot and my truck, with the highlight of our return trip being Kona finding a particularly appealing pile of Bear poo to rub herself in. Our reward for a pleasant and beautiful hike was, of course a stop at the Qdoba near 29 and 66 on the way back.

All in all an awesome trip, though I'm pretty certain the two routes we'd chosen first would have been significantly less effort and climbing despite their longer distances. It's all relative!

I was vary happy to have Brian along for the company and banter and I hope I didn't bug him too much to do it again. The seclusion of backpacking alone, while great just can't beat a (successful) trip with a friend.

Two week round-up

Is this thing still around?

So, getting home from work and getting back on the computer has just not been all that appealing to me lately. Hence the lack of blogging. Well, maybe that and the fact that I've not been out for a ride in 2 weeks, basically since the crash aside from commuting jaunts. Posting and riding seem to be more heavily correlated then anything else.

The norm for the day. Cassie sprinting around. Come dinner time I found her food all over the bottom of the bag since she'd managed to thrash the plastic baggies in her pack so hard they burst. The whole pack went up with the food sack over night.

In the mean time I've been running a bit more frequently and even got in a swim this week. The back is completely jacked up from the fall so that has something to do with the lack of riding. Amazingly the running seems to be helping to relax things. Swimming was pretty good too; some pain in the upper back area during freestyle but not severe and the hot tub post swim seemed to really help. I was surprised how easy my 1500 yard swim was after not having been to the pool since before Jerseyman. Good to carry over the base.

The Queen of the Valley. Cass poses over the best overlook of the hike.

Last weekend since I didn't have a new helmet yet, I decided to get out and enjoy the weather in a slightly different way. Cass and I headed up to SNP for a quick over nighter. Basically we hiked from Jenkins Gap along Mt Marshall Trail, up the Bluff Trail and onto the AT back to the Gap. In total we put in about 18 miles or so including a couple of side trips, one down Jordans River trail for water and another down the Big Devils Stairs Trail.

Another shot from my favorite outlook of the hike. Cass makes me a little nervous on this the way she jumps around (note the fingers through her her collar).

Like my last back country trip all was not perfectly smooth. While this time I remembered the matches, I brought them in a water proof case with a strike pad on the bottom. Unfortunately that strip was not enough to light the matches. A nearby camper was kind enough to loan me his match box so dinner was taken care of though in the morning I just packed up and took off snacking on what I had. One of these days that piping hot cup of coffee on a cool mountain side will be a reality; next I'll have multiple fire sources.

My favorite part of this overlook was the bird flying nearby. He'd swoop in close, searching for food in the woods down below. You really feel like your up there where the birds fly, despite the fact you just crossed over Skyline Drive a few miles back, if that.

Can't wait for the weather to get nice enough that I don't have to worry about extra warm clothes. It got really nice on Sunday but over night it was below 30. So, without the rain fly on (watching the stars is amazing) Cass got pretty chilly, even though she was wearing my big wool sweater. So, a few times during the night she'd crawl into my bag (way to small for that) until she needed to stretch her legs out again. I'll need to figure something out for that as well. Do they make dog sleeping bags? That seems like a bit much.

Today the AFC Sugar Hill race up at Avalon was called off at the last minute due to rain, though I decided I wasn't going sometime yesterday when I realized how much rain was supposedly on the way. Unfortunately the make up date is the same day as the Cherry Blossom 10 miler so I won't be able to make it. Anyone want a spot?

Back to the grind stone

Last night I talked to a buddy I hadn't heard from in a couple of months; I told him all I felt like doing these days is sleeping and eating. Aside from the once or twice weekly commute from Greenbelt and some mountain biking (until 2 weeks ago) I've pretty much been completely slacking since Jerseyman... Ouch. I'm officially feeling like a out of shape slob. I've run 1 time since, haven't touched a pool or weights and have barely spun the pedals. Mix that with the amount of food and candy I've been shoveling in my face lately I think the description really works.

Ok, so my goal is to run the National Marathon at the end of March. Looks like it's time to start my training! A couple years ago I used the training program supplied by the folks with the Shamrock Faestival Marathon down in VA Beach which worked well so I'll be keying off it again. This time though I'm using the 20 week advanced program which coincidentally started last week. Looks like I'm supposed to be doing 10 miles this weekend... I think I'll ease in to this one a little bit.



Took the day off Tuesday (best day for a day off ever, except maybe a Wednesday) to hike Sugarloaf Mountain with Brain and the dogs. Did a nice 6.5 miles over steady up and down terrain with some fairly intense little sections along the Orange trail from the East side lot. I highly suggest the Northern Peaks Trail for a solid hiking effort and if you don't mind a little scrambling take the Orange Trail from the East view parking lot to the meet up with the red then blue. Very fun and some nice views included.

The rest of my weekend

Saturday night Aimee and i drove out past Leesburg to her friend's wedding at a nice little winery just off 66. It was a beautiful setting though it was really close to the highway and train tracks so noise was a given, including a long train and some sport bikes tearing up and down the highway. I'd wanted to bring the dogs and camp out nearby that night to get an early and easy start on a backpacking trip the next day in the central Shenandoah region but Aimee poo poo'd it and we drove all the way home that night.

The next day we made our way back out, hit the trails and after a number of frustrating setbacks regarding the trails we were supposed to be hiking for our route (compounded by the fact that we didn't have out route plan written out anywhere) we set up camp a bit off the AT, munched on a few bagels and some trail mix (since I forgot macthes to light my camp stove), threw the food sack up a tree and climbed in to bed. Amazingly everything worked out alright in my little 2-person tent with two people and two dogs (aside from a bit of pup pacing going on every once in a while).

Monday we got up and headed back the way we came and then took to home. All in all we probably ended up covering a solid 10 to 11 miles the first day, between noon and 6 pm so it was a bit more of an effort then we'd planned on. Coming back was probably 6 or 7, the expected first day distance and was much more reasonably paced. Lessons were learned and I think we're planning on another trip to make up for our mistakes on this one very soon.

The rest of the day monday I relaxed and did some laundry while Cass snoozed on the couch. An early bedtime and back to the grindstone today. Horay for short weeks!

Tired paws

This weather has been great this weekend; I know Cassie is enjoying it. We went for a hike yesterday and today to enjoy it (and wear her out a bit). Right now she is passed out on her bed downstairs.





While we were walking back home along Research Rd between Ridge and Beaver Dam which is closed to traffic on the weekends a car cam e flying down the hill from the direction of Ridge. On side of the road has been open lately on weekends for guys working at the Ag Center facility and so occasionally there will be traffic along the road. I grabbed the pup and threw a hand up at the guy. So he slows down and then comes to a stop rolling down his window to talk. He started telling me how it's a good idea to keep my dog on a leash (she stays off leash when we're hiking). I let into him about the fact that the road is closed to vehicles on the weekends and that he was traveling 50 + miles an hour down a 25 mile an hour road. He then went on to repeat that it's a good idea to keep my dog on a leash so I said thanks and walked away. For whatever reason this just pissed me off.



Not sure if it was because the ass-hat was trying to tell me how to handle my dog or what, though I always get a bit fired up when people are speeding like that on back roads and the residential streets around my place. But anyway, I just had to share that story.



Yesterday after Cass and I went hiking I get out for about a 20 mile ride out Beaver Dam out around to 197 and back in on Powder Mill, looping down into the Wildlife Preserve for a couple of additional miles as well. The ride was great and the weather was decent except for the wind gusts of up to 42 mph according to the news. I could feel it as I headed into at least 30 + mph winds, going downhill from 28 mph down to 13 in a matter of seconds from the wind. Luckily today's ride with Brian (bro-in-law) won't be like that. I believe it's almost short sleeve weather today...

REI Junkie

I LOVE being an REI member. I just got my dividend the other day (actually have not even received the paper statement) and cashed in on my spending habits. Last year was a relatively light year for my REI spending, though I still got a nice $50 dividend. In return I just bought a pair of Merrel Water Shoes (black) on Clearance and the GSI Soloist Cook System for a grand total of $26.74.

This is gonna be a fun year!

Beautiful Bentonville

Awesome trip! The weather worked perfectly for me and my first solo winter backcountry camping trip went smoothly. I got to the trail head right at 1pm like I'd planned though unfortunately there was nowhere to get a camping permit and I had to head back to Skyline drive so I left my truck at 2. I was a bit nervous about setting up camp before dark so I basically trucked it right through to about 4:30 or so when I found a good spot. As you can see I was working hard, though I did stop to enjoy the views along the way...






The "tallest waterfall" in the park was a little less then incredible but still pretty cool. Had I not been worried about time I'd probably have tried to get down to it to check out the trail looking bit that appears to go behind it.





The campsite was pretty great; nice and flat with a couple inches of natural leaf bedding underneath my sleeping pad with a nice view of the sunset. Heard plenty of animals roaming around after heading to bed, though the screaming animal sounding like it was being attacked by wolves a bit before bedtime made me a little uneasy. My imagination told me a heard a bear in the middle of the night as well though it was probably some small furry creature, but wheres the drama in that?





Day two was pretty nice; woke to a large number of deer passing my tent; they stared as I got out of my tent. Breakfast of cheesy eggs, packed my tent and made my way back to the trail for a more leisurely trip back to the truck. Saw a great swimming hole area I'll have to come back and try out in the right time.



All in all I'd say my trip was a whopping success. Cheers to 2008!

I'm off

Pilates kinda sucked...

Off to Shenandoah National Park! I'm doing the Thompson Hollow Beecher Ridge Trip, from the suggested one night winter list; should be pretty decent!

Alternative methods

Last night I went to a free yoga class held at a spa in Greenbelt Center. There is a small studio attached and they are offering free classes this entire week to draw people in. So, last night I took my first hour long free yoga class. While I’m not quite feeling the spirituality of the practice, the stretching and body relaxation was pretty good. I was amazed at how flexible I still am and the general relaxation felt great. When I left the studio I felt much more relaxed and calm then when I went in. I think I’ll probably buy one of the passes and try it a few more times.

Saturday morning there is a free Pilates class from 9 to 10 that I’m planning on going to. I’ve heard good things about Pilates as a core strengthening program so we’ll see how that goes. After that I’m planning on hopping in the truck and heading out to Shenandoah National Park for a quick one night backpacking trip to try out the new gear. I can’t wait to get out there, though hopefully the forecasted Sunday rain holds off until later in the day, after I’m out of the park. I’m heading to REI this evening to pick up the last of the essentials such as fuel for my stove and the footprint for my tent so I should be all good to go. Not too sure about bears right now as I’m assuming they’ll all be in hibernation, though I could see the unseasonably warm weather causing them to come out of their burrows for a little midwinter snack. I’ll hang my food just in case.

I had been hoping to hit the mountain bike trails in Patapsco this Saturday but with all the rain and no freezing temps in sight they'll be too muddy to ride without tearing things up too badly. One of these days I'll get out there and hit the trails again. In other news, while I’m still forcing myself to hold off on getting a dog for a bit longer, there has been a proposal at the shelter for a weekend foster care program for animals that need home environment exposure. If that were to go through I’d be able to pick up a dog on Friday’s to take care of over the weekend but then wouldn’t have to leave it alone in the house for 10+ hours everyday during the week. Awesome! Still not the same as my own dog, but awesome.

A new year, a new you?

Happy New Year!

Nothing too new this year for me. To celebrate yesterday I spent 90% of the day on the couch in front of the television watching bowl games and parades. What sloth! Actually I did manage to get out for an hour or two hiking across the street again. As if I haven’t said it before, those trails are incredible! I managed to find another entire area I had no idea was there and realized what I though was Beaver Dam Road was far from it. There is just so much space out there it blows my mind.

Monday, after cutting out of work early around noon I went home and hopped on the fixed gear for a nice 2 + hour spin. I actually started by riding the first half of my commute but instead of cutting off the Northwest Branch Trail just after the NW/NE trails meet up I stayed on it and rode it all the way to the end of the trail. I’d never been up that way so it was nice to see where it led.

I actually was quite surprised when I came out to Greenbelt Road by the Splash Park and then when I hit the end of the trail and found myself in a random neighborhood was pleasantly surprised to find New Hampshire Ave right near the beltway within a couple of blocks. Headed down to Adelphi then to Metzerot to Greenbelt Rd (which was one of the most unnerving sections of road I’ve ever ridden despite the bike lane) onto Rhode Island and finally back through the Ag Center Roads and home.

This time I road the Fuji Track and felt great. It was probably about 30 to 35 miles of moderate steady state riding similar to Saturday’s ride which is exactly what I think I should be doing right now. Over the next month or two I’ll probably spend a majority of time doing this type of riding along with some slightly faster group rides before getting into more lactate threshold and sprinting drills closer to the season.

At some point here I’ll try and figure out my season goals and get them up here for all to see (and hopefully hold me to a little bit). Kyle is inspiring me lately with all his talk of goals and what not. I will however not set any New Years resolutions as I don’t believe in them. Goals for the year? Yes, resolutions? Not so much.

A near perfect weekend

What a great weekend! While I didn’t ride as much as I would have liked, I did get out for a decent 30 mile steady state ride Saturday late morning after a relaxing morning. On Friday I made a specific point of getting both my fixed gear and Cannondale home as I’d driven in to Hains Point and spun over from there in morning. Unfortunately today I am wishing I’d just left the fixed gear here at the office since I wussed out on riding in or even bringing it in because of the rain/mix being called for today. Now of course it is absolutely drop dead stunning outside and all I want to do is blow off the rest of the day and go cruise around the city. Ah well, I’m taking off early so I’ll head home and get out for a nice fixed spin around the ag center this afternoon instead.

The ride on Saturday was fantastic; just a nice double layer of gear and some reasonable gloves and I was doing great. I went out to Powder Mill and looped back around to Baltimore Ave and back to Edmonston before heading up Sunnyside to Rhode Island and stopping in Proteus bikes for a bit to check out their selection of 29’ers (I’ll talk more about that in a minute). From there I spun down RI and across the ped bridge to Lake Accotink and then down Cherryhill Lane back to Edmonston and back for another loop around the ag center land and up Research back home.

It felt great to be out on the bike and aside from being a little lonely at times on my own it was a perfect morning. I rode a very nice and steady speed and average a bit faster then I’d expected which was nice as well but really it was a sweet little zone 2/zone 3 spin. Unfortunately I never got out on the fixie like I’d planned so really there was no reason for me to bother bringing it home. Oh well.

Sunday I went on a great 2 hour hike in the woods across the street from my house with Sara, her dog and a dog she is watching for some relatives. It was perfect weather for a hike; a bit of a chill in the air but reasonable, although the ground was a bit wet for my taste. I’m always amazed though at how many different little trails there are back in the section of woods between my place and the Ag Center land. While we were probably no more then a mile or two from my house at any given time, we managed to spend a solid 2 hours straight on the trails, never hitting the same trail twice aside from one small section which I intentionally crossed back on just so we could get out to a big green field area (isn’t it supposed to be winter right now???).

I’ve figured out a good portion of the trails out there though it seems like every time I make it out there I find a new section of trails and spend at least a half hour wondering where the hell I am. Yesterday When I thought we’d over hiked the section that would spit us out right across from my place we still managed to pop out at one of the streets well ahead of that section. I could spend a full day in there and probably still not cover all of the trails it has to offer. I love Greenbelt!

After the hike I made my way over to REI to see about getting a rel pair of hiking boots and at least to get fitted for the pack I've been eyeing up for the past 4 years. I ended finding a great pair of backpacking boots by Merrel and actually ended up walking out with the pack and boots and a few pairs of smartwool socks to boot. Oops. The pack fit perfectly and since it was the last one of my size in stock I decided I may as well just go ahead and get it. So, I am now the proud new owner of an Osprey Atmos 50 pack and will hopefully being using said pack very soon. This weekend is looking somewhat perfect for a mild winter hike/camping trip though I think the logistics just aren't going to quite come together for it just yet.

While at REI the lady that helped me with my boots actually turned out to be a neighbor and invited me along with some other REI folks on a new years camping trip out to West Virginia. I so badly wish I could go! Maybe next year.