+victorymike Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 I have been on a few hiking trips in the past, the biggest being a 22 mile, 3 day trip to North Manitou Island in Lake Michigan. I've always borrowed gear in the past. But this year I saved all Winter for the grand opening of the new REI store in Ann Arbor, MI...which happened to coincide with the 70 year anniversary of the REI franchise. The test trip ended up being 30.8 miles along the Bruce Trail in Canada (which included 2.5 miles of hiking on Flowerpot Island). 6 days and 5 nights. The gear I bought: Pack: o Osprey Argon 110 Pack custom hipbelt molding oven @ Northville o Sea To Summit Ultra-Light Packcover - Large Tent: o Big Agnes Seedhouse SL 1 Tent o Big Agnes Seedhouse SuperLight 1 Footprint Sleeping stuff: o Mountain Hardwear Spectre SL +20 Sleeping Bag – Regular AND REI Down travel pillow Taffeta lining o Therm-a-Rest ProLite 4 Sleeping Pad - Regular o Therm-a-Rest Trekker Lounge Chair Sleeve - 20-Inch Cookware o REI Ti Ware Long-Handle Spoon o *On Sale* REI Ti-Ware Double-Wall Mug 10 o * On Sale* REI Ti Ware Nonstick Titanium Cookset o *On Sale* Jetboil Backcountry Gourmet Cooking System (comes with skillet and utensils) o Jetboil 1.3 L pot o Jetboil Jet Power Fuel - 100 grams & 220 grams Clothing and gear: o 2 Sea To Summit eVent Compression Dry Sack - 8 x 18 o 3 SmartWool Light Hiker Socks (buy 3 pair, save 10%) o *On Sale* Marmot PreCip Rain Jacket - Men's o REI Safari hat o REI Safari shirt Other goodies: o Brunton Solaris 12 Foldable Solar Array o Seattle Sports Utility Chart Case - Medium o U-Dig-It Stainless-Steel Hand Shovel o 6-spice dispenser (salt, pepper, seasoned salt, garlic, paprika, red pepper) o Nalgene flask and small 8oz. Nalgene bottle for olive oil o Thin plastic cutting board o Leatherman Skeletool The gear I already had: First aid kit with lots of extras added (like duct tape, bug spray, moleskin, an ace bandage, ibuprofin, etc.) Leki Makalu trekking poles Montrail hiking boots Rain pants Rope and 'biners for hanging a bear bag Katydyn Hiker Pro water filter Princeton Tech 3-led headlamp that lasts around 100 hours on 2 AA batteries 2L Camelback bladder with quick disconnect and valve for easy filling with my water filter. 2 pr hiking pants and 1 pr polypropylene underpants (Columbia and Patagonia brands). Black knit stretch cap for sleeping in the cold Sea to Summit collapsible bucket My new Celestron SkyScout personal planetarium Garmin Colorado 400t loaded with Ibycus Canadian Topo maps, City Select v7.00 maps, and Bruce trail waypoints and geocache waypoints. Bruce Trail Reference, 24th edition. Note: There were 5 of us and we were spending 5 nights there so each of us was tasked with 1 dinner for 5 people...and we were on our own for breakfasts and lunches. I used one Sea to Summit eVent compression dry sack for clothes and the other for food and as a bear bag. Day 1: Drove 325 miles into Canada, exchanged money, parked truck at one end of the trail and the car at the other. Started our hike around 4pm in about 60 degree weather and hiked 4.3 miles past Gun Point to the unofficial overnight rest area at McKay's Harbor. Terrain was very close to the worst I'd ever seen. Extremely rocky and eroded and along the edge of 300 foot cliffs most of the way. Spectacularly gorgeous. We made it to camp around 2120 and had just enough light to set up our tents and I set to work on my dinner. I made Pad Thai but everybody was really hungry so I passed out a quart sized bag of the 7-wives inn granola that I made to each person in our group. Then I boiled water in my 1.3L Jetboil pot, removed from heat and added rice noodles. In my Jetboil skillet I sauteed onions, bean sprouts, & chicken (Tofu for Dajayhawk and Pirates of the Woods...fellow cachers) in olive oil. Added the noodles and sauce. It came out pretty good but the bean sprouts were a bit stringy...probably from freezing them and letting them thaw as we hiked. After cleaning up and hanging the bear bag we got to bed around midnight. It got down to about 40 degrees overnight and it rained solid until about 8am...and then sprinkled until 10am. Review: I love my Montrail boots and hiking socks (and Dr. Scholl's Gel inserts). My feet were REALLY comfortable and dry. My trekking poles really helped on the rough terrain. My tent was nice and light and dry. I stored my large pack in the vestibule overnight but it was really too big for that little space. It stayed dry but I didn't like it. The Jetboil stove was AWESOME. Everything worked really well. Loved the pot and skillet for cooking my dinner. I had the stove going constantly for around 1 hour on the little 100gram canister. My Mountain Hardware Spectre 20 degree sleeping bag was nice and warm...almost too warm. That is unusual for me...I normally don't like camping when nights approach 40. My feet seemed to have a cold sweat thing going on but I couldn't really tell for sure. More testing on the bag will be required to see if I like it. The ThermaRest pad seemed to be comfortable. Day 2: We all got up after the rain stopped and had a hot breakfast with my Jetboil. Didn't get hiking until around 1pm and it felt like it was in the upper 50s...and WINDY. Hiked past Lion's Head lookout and did the cache there. Again, the trail was an ankle buster with crevices and rock faces to climb. The views were even better than Gun Point. Saw the spectacular sights and got to the truck in 2.8 miles. Picked up the car and headed to Bruce Peninsula National Park for our next 3 days of hiking. My knee was starting to hurt (old injury that crops up about once every 2 years...probably the rough terrain aggrivated it) and Shannon hikes slow, but sure...so they let us head towards the High Dump campground with the tents and foodwhile they got parking and camping permits and jockied the cars. This trail was an easy 5.1 mile hike...mostly down snowmobile/atv trail to the Georgian bay coast and the campground. The last 200 feet down to the campsite was via a rocky cliff edge with a rope partway down for support. Tricky, but do-able. Around 1930 (7:30)pm I got water and set up my solar panel on the beach to charge a digital camera battery and 4 AAs (I was loaning out batteries for digital cameras). Set up 2 tents on the bear platform and got dinner cooking on my Jetboil with the 220gram canister. This time I used my Sea to Summit untralight pack cover to cover my backpack and set it on a downed tree. The other 3 arrived around 2245 (8:45) pm. Set up the 3rd tent and got them fed. Cleaned up and headed down to the beach and hung our bear bag on the way. Played with my SkyScout, which everybody really enjoyed. Once again we got to bed around midnight. And once again it rained until around 8am. And once again sprinkled until around 10am. Review: Sleeping on that bear platform sucked. Air blows under it and up thru the boards and is really cold. Anything hanging off my ThermaRest pad got really cold, really fast. My feet felt cold even in my sleeping bag. I think the outside temperature was close to freezing...definately in the low 30's...definately in my "don't like" category. Once again my Jetboil shined. I love that Sea to Summit dry bag compression stuff sack, which was also my bear bag...everything stayed nice and dry. Also loved that Sea to Summit collapsible bucket. I would fill it when we got to camp and it was generally enough to filter to cook dinner, do dishes, and to filter to re-fill our water bladders and bottles in the morning...and also filter for breakfast...and it is light and collapses to fit nicely in the large outside pocket of my pack. The Sea to Summit ultralight pack cover worked well to keep my pack dry, outside the small vestibule, overnight. The straps kept it in place really well (note that it later ripped pretty easily the 3rd time I used it and I returned it to REI and got the REI pack cover). Day 3: Once again we got going after the rain stopped. After a hot breakfast we hit the trail around 1pm. It was 6 miles from High Dump to Storm Haven and was supposed to be the roughest terrain on the entire 465 miles of the Bruce Trail. It was! What wasn't large, broken rocks and crags was eroded rock stumps and crags. Lots of steep uphill and downhill. But still with spectacular views of the Niagra Escarpment along the way. Oh...and it sprinkled on us for a few hours...enough so that I used my Marmot Precip jacket and pack cover. Otherwise it was fairly sunny and in the mid to upper 50s while we hiked. My knee started hurting in the morning but then felt great. Until we got to 1.2 miles from Storm Dump and took a break. After getting back up it was really bad. But I managed to hobble into camp with it wrapped in an ACE bandage and covered with a knee pad I'd also brough along. This night we also set up on a bear platform but I didn't use my tent...I was going to sleep with Jer in his 2 person tent...and the 3 girls in their 3 person tent. I left my pack outside, covered with my Sea to Summit ultralight pack cover, but it had ripped. It still managed to keep my stuff dry tho. Pirates of the Woods cooked on her new MSR Dragonfly stove. I liked how it worked...but not more than my Jetboil. After cleaning up we used the bear box at the campsite. That night it snowed and sleeted on us with temps in the 20s, I am sure. Bitterly cold. So cold we all piled into the 3 person tent for warmth...Jenga style. I actually slept comfortably warm that night. Review:I actually have determined that I like my Mountain Hardware 20 degree sleeping bag. The ThermaRest is really nice but the chair sleeve can be annoying to set up into a chair and break down to roll up (comes with 4 fiberglass rods for use only when set up as a chair...and they have these tiny slits you have to slip them into). But it is the MOST comfortable chair...ahhhh. Did I mention that I love my boots with the gel pads and hiker socks. My feet are doing GREAT. I love that long handle spoon for getting into the bottom of foil packs without getting your fingers messy. And the double wall titanium mug is really nice for all sorts of things...stews, chilli, hot chocolate, tea, etc. That Marmot Precip Jacket worked awesome...light, yet large enough to allow multiple layers underneath. I no longer like that Sea to Summit ultralight pack cover, as it ripped pretty easily. And it packed down so small...oh well. Day 4:It didn't rain on us in the morning but it was so cold that we still didn't start moving until late. I think we hit the trail around the crack of noon. It was 9.1 miles to where the truck was parked at the end of Little Cove Road. The weather turned delightful...around 60...maybe even 65...and sunny...like all the afternoons we were on the trail. Once again the trail was rugged and rocky. And when it wasn't it got swampy. We stopped and picked a quart of fiddlehead fern tips for frying in olive oil on my Jetboil later that night. The last 1/2 mile of trail got nasty with a steep, slippery, descent into a creek...and the creek was the trail...and the creek was steeply descending and treacherously slick...but we made it. Got to the truck around 2130 (9:30) pm...weary. Ended up staying in a hotel for $55 as opposed to the Village Campground for $43. Hot showers and a warm dinner while the girls retrieved the car. Everything in Tobermory was closed. Review:My clothes have done a lot better than I predicted. The hiking pants, safari shirt, and safari hat were warm enough and didn't get too skanky. I slept in my Patagonia polypropylene long underwear bottoms and with my knit watchcap, which worked really well in the cold. It was also nice to have that cheesy REI down travel pillow. My sleeping bag, tent, and pillow all fit in the lower compartment of my pack really nicely. Day 5:Well rested and clean, we looked for the Tobermory outfitter place...the only place in town to rent kayaks. It was closed until June 1st, which was not mentioned online. So we got our camping permits for Flowerpot Island and took the Blue Heron ferry out there (which was our backup plan anyway). Dajayhawk brought her bag-boat (a kayak that has wooden struts and spars that you assemble and slip into a sleeve with tiny air bladders...a true antique from the 1940s...and expensive...replicas go for up to $15,000). We were the only ones on the island...not even the lighthouse volunteers were overnighting on the island yet. We were warned that if the weather got rough, like it was forecast to, that the ferry might not get us the next day. It was a freezing cold night and we only set up 2 tents again (not my 1-man one). I helped assemble the awesome kayak and they paddled to the flowerpots while the rest of us hiked to them (and then hiked on to the lighthouse). After reuniting at camp we had a warm dinner and slept in the freezing cold weather (upper 20s). Review:I never realized how much I loved my Princeton Tech headlamp until I didn't have it...forgot to bring it to the island. I've used it a LOT in the past. I also left my Sea to Summit collapsible bucket behind when we packed only a few dry-bags to take with us to the island...and we missed that too. We had to take all our bottles down to the water's edge to filter water into them. Day 6: We packed up and got all our gear to the dock, where we disassembled and stowed Dajayhawk's 2-person kayak. We were really happy when we heard a boat engine at 1215. The 25 foot Zodiac had returned for us. They told us that they'd canceled tours today but came back just for us. the 6-10 foot waves battered us a bit on the way back, but we had a blast. After returning to Tobermory we did a geocache and headed to Bruce's Cave on the Bruce Trail near Wiarton...and the geocache that was there too. Then back to Michigan and homeward bound. It sprinkled on us the entire time...after we left Tobermory. Review: Once again, my Marmot Precip jacket shined to keep me dry and warm on the boat ride back and during the day hikes. It seems so thin...but it works really well. I returned my Big Agnes Seedhouse SL1 tent and replaced it with the Seedhouse SL2 tent and footprint. I also replaced that Sea To Summit ultralight pack cover with the REI duck's back one. And I bought a Swiss humidity proof salt and pepper shaker, as my 6-spice shaker got...6-spice lumpy. My 400t worked really well, but the biner has always been bad and it slipped off my pack and the screen got a tiny spiderweb crack in it. And the time was wrong on it. So I called Garmin and they told me to send it in for a free replacement (thanks for that 'bad biner clip...and thanks to Garmin). The Ibycus Canadian Topo maps were AWESOME. I need to send him some geocoins and pathtags and trinkets and stuff. Quote Link to comment
+victorymike Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 I took 556 pictures (thanks to my solar panel charger and 3 good batteries) and the others took a few hundred more...here are a few. 4 of us at Lion's Head The Niagra Escarpment The trail at around Lion's Head Quote Link to comment
+victorymike Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 Nasty section of trail Lion's head looking back to McKay's Harbor Arch Rock Trail by overhanging point. The Grotto Quote Link to comment
+victorymike Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 A couple more reviews I seemed to skip above: My Osprey pack was awesome. Hauled a lot of gear and was really comfortable the entire time. After bumbling around on rocks all day the hip belt would start to slip down a bit (hey...I have these fatty love handles there) but it still didn't ride hard on the shoulders. The hip belt molding oven thing...wasn't really neccessary...didn't seem to shape the belt at all. But I did it anyway. The Seattle Sports utility chart case was a nice addition. I used it to carry the maps from my Bruce Trail Reference, notes and phone numbers, and my passport...and everything stayed dry. I love Leatherman tools. The Skeletool is pretty cool and the blade is sharp as heck. But with all the grooves and holes in it it is pretty hard to clean. I still liked it tho. Quote Link to comment
+belair56 Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Thanks for sharing the gear review and all the pics, I also enjoyed reading about your hike. Quote Link to comment
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