Battery Point Hike

Over the Christmas vacation, we have been try to get out and go Cross-country skiing and hiking every day. While in New Zealand, we will be going on two four-day backpacking trips, so we need to get into shape.

We hiked out to Battery Point a few days ago. There was almost no snow, but it was icy. There are about five different streams that you cross on the way, and all of these were solid ice. Part of the reason we went was a geocache I wanted to find. I got a GPS a few years ago, but there are only one or two geocaches in town, so this is the first one I have found. When we got to the beach, there were huge waves crashing on the shore. Much different from the summer!

We have been out to Chilkoot Lake a few times. The first time we went, there wasn't very much snow, so we walked. The lake was mostly frozen over, and was thick enough to walk on (about 4-6 inches.) However, a couple of weeks ago some people fell in, but managed to get themselves out. We walked out on the ice and rolled around and had fun slipping and sliding. A couple people were out ice skating. My sister can skate, but I never learned.

I took a few panoramas, laying on the ice and swiveling around.

To see the images, check out my Picasa gallery.

New Zealand

Since it is a holiday, my family has been working on our vacation plans. This February, we are going to New Zealand for 5 weeks. It should be a very fun vacation (and the first one we've had in 5 years). We are planning backpacking, kayaking, and canoe trips, all of which require gear. We are trying to figure out the right packs, the right tents, and the right stove.

We are trying to pack as light as possible. Normally we would just build a fire, but it is forbidden in national parks. We would also just eat cold food, but a few places lack safe drinking water and my mom doesn't believe in water filters. My mom has chemical sensitivity, and carrying around a bottle of White Gas in our car could make her sick. We might try a alcohol stove, but supposedly we would have to burn Vodka or Everclear, which isn't exactly cheap. It also burns at a low temperature, meaning we would need a lot to boil all our water.

On the subject of backpacks, I need a pack. I think I want a Osprey Talon 44 pack, which seems like it could function as a daypack and a weekend overnighter pack.

We are also trying to find a good tent. We want a superlight one, but also a cheap one. My mom has quite a few disagreements with today's tent designers. Today's tents have fly's that cover the entire tent, like an opaque forcefield. That's because that is better in stormy conditions. But what about just normal Alaskan rain? With this kind of fly you can't see out of the tent, you have very limited ventilation, and it is bright orange inside. If it is raining for weeks on end, you don't want to be stuck in one of these tents. Lots of tents also have complicated pole setups, making them heavier and harder to setup.

The kind of tent my mom wants has a staked out fly (see picture) thus it is rainproof. I suppose the best options is a tarp shelter, like MSR's Zing or Twing. Of course, those cost as much as a good tent.

I suppose if we want a tent that suits our needs, we out to design and build our own.