Gear list for the Camino

We made it to Frankfurt. I wrote up a gear list on the flight from memory. I think covers most the items I packed. 

Pack:

I'm using the same Deuter futura Pro 42 I carried around the world. Its not as full as four years ago since I shaved 7 lbs and got the dry weight down to 19 lbs. 

Clothing:

2 pairs of Columbia silver ridge covetable pants (new versions of the pants I took in 2012 which finally wore out this spring).

1 pair of REI adventure pants (these are actually the same ones I took in 2012 and are holding up remarkably well). 

2 new REI Sahara T-shirts (I still have one of the two I took in 2012 but it's pretty worn out). 

1 Long sleeve button down travel shirt.

1 Short sleeve button down travel shirt.

1 Pair of swimming trunks

4 pairs of Smartwool running socks.

3 Pairs of ExOfficio underwear (worked great in 2012.)

1 North Face flight series full zip fleece that replaces the 1/4 zip in late 2012. 

1 REI Kimtah Jacket (I upgraded a couple months into the 2012 trip to save space and didn't regret it. I still use the Taku when I'm not packing ultralight. I decided to skip the rain pants since this is summer trip.

1 pair of Merrell ventilator shoes. (I decided to move away from Goretex for this hike since I expect more hot weather than wet and the trail should be pretty good). 

1 Pair Chaco sandals. 

Sleeping (I saved a bit of weight and space here since we aren't planing any camping):

Still using the Phantom 45 deg bag. It's probably seen enough use to be a 50 degree bag now. 

I'm also still using the Reactor sleeping bag liner.

New inflatable Sea to Summit pillow (reports vary on the availability and quality of pillows along the Camino).

Hydration:

2 32 oz Nalgene Cantene (I had to replace the old pair but they fit in the side pockets of my pack so well that just bought 2 more).

Steripen Freedom (I don't really think we'll need this but it's pretty light and could be handy).

Half liter Nalgene bottle (for treatment).

Electronics (I left the computer at home so the only charger is one for the phone and a couple of cables):

iPhone 6.

Pair of ear buds.

Pentax Optio W90 (completely water proof to 10m).

Universal adapter.

I'm also carrying a goal zero solar panel and battery to charge along the trail. Based on results in Alaska it can probably keep two lightly used Phones charged on sunny days. 

Miscellaneous:

Fancy short tooth brush. 

1 oz tube of tooth paste.

2 oz wilderness wash camp soap (It worked well last time).

2 oz Sunscreen.

2 oz Aloe Vera (in case I forget to put on the sun screen).

Shin split wrap

Super glue (for blister repair).

Razor and a couple spare blades.

Nail clippers.

Towel ("about the most massively useful thing an intersteller hitchhiker can have"- Douglas Adams).

Micro wash cloth.

Clothes line.

Passport.

Wallet.

Our packs at the Anchorage airport. 

The mountains are calling

I said goodbye to a lot of great people in Galena two weeks ago. Corrie and I are moving to Anchorage where she will start a new job in August. I started Alternate Solutions to provide engineering design services about 18 months ago now and have done pretty well with it part-time. Once we settle in I will work on expanding that to full-time. First we're spending a couple of months in the mountains and traveling. We've spent the first two weeks of summer hiking in Alaska and traveling around the state. The short time in the mountains has already provided photos and inspiration for a new post. I've always been drawn to mountains more than their mass alone explains, but I missed them more than I expected to in Galena.

I've been driving past this mountain thinking I should climb it for nearly 30 years, but I was always in a hurry. My niece decided she wanted to climb it too, so we made an attempt on the way to Tok. 

Taking a break with my sister, niece, and their new puppy. (Photo by Corrie)

We made good progress, but we'll have to make another attempt at the top later. None of our legs were ready for that much climbing. 

We spent several nights camping in Denali National Park riding the bus out to the end of the road that was open. We didn't see Denali, but there were lots of animals out. 

Sunset on the Teklanika River.

It's much easier to reach the tops of mountains this way!

Corrie and our friend Bizzy, who joined us for the Fairbanks to Anchorage leg of the drive instead of flying on her way home from Galena for the summer.  

Glacier Creek in Girdwood walking back from dinner.

Corrie had a conference in Girdwood and I have two perfect days of hiking in the Chugach. The is looking down along the Crow Creek valley. I got a decent sunburn with all the reflected light and fell through the snow into a creek soaking my feet. An all around fantastic hike. 

Looking towards Eagle River from the top of Crow Creek Pass.

The mountains march on to the edge of the sea behind the valley I hiked up. 

The hand operated tram across Glacier Creek on the Winner Trail.

Upper Winner Creek Trail. I didn't spend as much time above tree line the second day because of the sunburn.

Life Below Zero

Happy Spring! I expected the dark winter months would be slower and an excellent time for blogging, but they seem to have flown past since my last post in November. I launched a business offering mechanical design services about the time of my last post. Alternate Solutions, LLC is doing well with one long-term client and several smaller jobs. I even spent a couple of weeks in December and January providing on site support in NM.

After returning to Galena I accepted a part time position with the city managing the long-term recovery efforts stemming from the 2013 flood. The first couple of months have gone really well with lots of interesting projects to work on including several involving renewable energy and efficiency. The position with the city should last through at least the end of the year. With the city's recovery work, Alternate Solutions, and a couple of ideas in development, 2015 is already looking pretty full. 

Photos of Galena life the last few months:

This was likely our low temperature for the year in late Jan. I like the weather channels optimistic assumptions about spontaneous warming. Maybe their computer can't accept a temperature that low.

At atmospheric pressure, propane boils at -44F. Ours stopped working properly a little bit above that, but the wood stove worked great.  We had squash soup and quesadillas for supper. 

Making pancakes on the wood stove 

To warm the propane up enough to work properly I wrapped it in my fleece blanket and a tarp. I also added a magnetic oil pan heater. 

Corrie coming in from a walk at about -30F.

This box processes our sewage since a community system isn't practical here.
That icicle is a probably exactly what you think it is. The permafrost the house is built on moved and pulled the insulated pipe apart.  

At -40, thawing the pipe took a few hours even with a 35,000 BTU heater. 

The pipe actually separated at both ends.

Moose watching the sunrise over  the Yukon

The frozen Yukon in mid-February 

Another shot of the Yukon.

After 51 below, this is T-shirt weather in February. I felt a little sorry for my friends in TN when I heard they lost power to a severe winter storm the same day. 

The Iditarod came through town. The race was supposed to take the southern trail and skip Galena this year, but there wasn't enough snow in Anchorage so they moved the start to Fairbanks. 

The lows each morning were near forty below while the Iditarod was coming through. I think it was about -35 this morning. I saw several mushers tending their dogs with bare hands. This is not a sport for me.

Corrie on a much warmer walk at about zero.

We bought a snowmobile! There have been enormous technological advances since I last owned a snowmachine. 

We bought a used 600cc Skidoo with a 136" track, and it really moves. I am going to have to do something about the lack of windshield though.

There's an old song about springtime in Alaska being forty below, and it was last week.
It seems we missed the memo today though.

The warm temps do make excellent riding weather!

One of the projects I've been working on will replace an antiquated distributed heating system at the boarding school with a more efficient one. It should save the school about 60,000 gallons of heating oil a year. The second half of the project will include a biomass boiler that should reduce oil use by another 140,000 gallons. I took advantage of the recent warm weather to climb into and inspect the existing utilidor. It looks like it's been there for fifty years.