tent – Holly Hikes Hills

As the 2017 year comes to a close, and we are full on into the dead of winter, I feel it is time to reflect on a few things, and maybe check in and see what we have in store for 2018. Do you ever stop and think “Holy Crap, its 2018… Y2K was 18 years ago!!??” I do 😛

So… what have I been up to while we wait for hiking season to begin again? Well my last hike was around the Thanksgiving weekend (the Canadian one, late October), we were graced with about 8″ of snow while camping. Our plans to summit Mt John Carter were squashed, so move that adventure to next year’s bucket list. This is the photo when we first arrived at our tent pad in Kokanee Glacier Park. We still had a fun time in the snow; it’s always fun to do some colder weather camping!

We also managed to do some nice local day hikes, as the shoulder season was upon us.

But now, as temperatures are commonly hitting around 1°F/-17°C over the various mountain passes, it’s ski season! I picked up a pair of on-piste ski’s and boots for $50 in the classifieds – perfectly fine shape to learn on! Me, enjoying some time on the hill:

Looking into the new year, I have a few big plans in the works. I’m going to try my hand at getting a Wonderland Trail Permit for later in the summer/early fall. Also, I am looking at hiking the Chilkoot Trail in three days in late summer. This trail connects Skagway, Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. I have already scheduled one half-marathon for the end of May, and probably will do another one later in the summer, as well as a 10K trail run. I look forward to providing posts surrounding planning to the bigger hikes.

In the gear front, I have gotten some pretty awesome stuff over the past month! I cannot *wait* to have a few nights in my new tent to review the Six Moon Design Lunar Solo – this tent will be my first single wall and the price point is really decent!

I also bit the bullet and just ordered an Enlightened Equipment Enigma Quilt for 0F (I had a -20F bag, and a 20F bag – felt I was missing that middle range). This bag is my first quilt ever and I look forward to reviewing it after several nights.

Happy New Year and Happy Hiking!

Let me know what you have planned for 2018!

The big three. Pack, Shelter, Sleeping Bag. The evolution of how these items change is, in my experience, due to uncomfortable trips.

I used to have this Kelty synthetic sleeping bag, however I froze my ass off in New Zealand during December 2014 when it snowed on us in the mountains. First thing I did was sell it on Gear Trade (great site if you are in the U.S, unfortunately after moving back to Canada I don’t get the luxury of this site).

I researched and researched and went with a 20 degree ZPack bag I am fairly happy with this bag, though I wish I did the 10 degree version. I also found a 0 degree REI bag on craigslist that had been used once for 100 dollars. I haven’t actually used it yet as my 20F was fine for Rainier and Peru, however I did give it to my husband once when we went camping and he died of over heating 🙂 but I digress. The ZPack’s bag is super light and fits so small. I will do a full review on it soon.

My first tent that wasn’t a piece of crap Canadian Tire monster car camping tent was a four season Terra Nova I got on Craigslist for 100 dollars. It has an issue where the inside of the fly sticks to itself and you have to gently peel it open for it to be spread out, but other then that, the price was a steal. I am in love with free standing tents at this point in my backpacking adventures. I know one day I will get a solo ultra light tent but currently free standing is my luxury, as I don’t have the extra cash for a super duper tent.

I sometimes backpack with friends that visit, as I live in the mountains, so I went with the MSR Hubba Hubba NX. I was really on the fence between it and the Big Agnes Copper Creek UL2 but in the store I made a snap judgement by the feel of the MSR material, it just felt stronger and more durable. I liked the two doors/vestibules and room to store my gear inside.

Packs – At one point I had 5 packs. I have recently downsized that list. A Deuter 35L, Deuter ACT 65+10 and a ULA Circuit pack. The ULA is by far my favourite of the three, and I will do a review of it at a later time. Shaving off the weight, and looking super rad!

Tag: tent

New Year – New Plans!

Gear List 1.0 – The Big Three