Trip 2: Lessons in waterproofing.

Mission: Burning the midnight oil

Date: 2/25 - 2/26

Temp: 10-29F Windchill-0F

Location: Forests near Elgin, IL

Purpose: Test out new gear and get in a solid hike before making camp.

Scenario: An unknown force detonates a huge EMP device knocking out all electronic in the Central US. We need to get out of the city fast.

Mission 2 was a last minute idea, just because we could. Each of us had a new piece of gear we wanted to test out, what better way than in the dead of Chicago winter at night in unfarmaliar territory after a full day of work? Cake walk, right? Well sort of. The trip to Morris, while a great success, felt still like car camping. We had a view of buildings and houses near-by and it was easy to pack up and out if we abosolutely needed too. The hike was insubstantial over easy to traverse terrain on a full moon lit night. We wanted to get away from all that and try to go one more step to the rugged side. In fact this would be the first time since highschool I had taken a hike in forrested terrain...SWEET!!!

Here's what happened:

Several days ago Jake and Nick posed the idea of a quick in and out operation. Jake and I were getting out of work at a reasonable hour and the weather suggested it might be a little bit warmer. Jake and got off work in the neighborhood of the 6:00pm hour and headed to my place so I could gear up. I have been in the habit of keeping things pretty well packed except clothes and food. Jake ran the stairs with me. It was easier than the day before and I think Jake realized he is not 21 anymore. 20 mins in and then swiftly we packed up the Jeep and headed for the Elgin rendezvous point. We hopped in our layers, checked our packs, and watered up. In the midst of Nick's arrival we also chatted with Jake's mom, she fully let us know how nutty she thinks we are for trudging out in the cold when she has a perfectly warm basement we can all stay in and have a nice time. I love how Jake described it to her, 'Mom, survival camping for us is like how you think curtains are fun. We don't understand it at all but it you think floppy pieces of cloth are a good time.' Maybe I am paraphrasing a bit, but you get the idea. The we set out for the insertion point around 9:00 or so. Saddle Up! And thus the true jouney begins. Upon setting out on our hike Nick tells us, 'So here's the deal. A large EMP device has been detonated 30,000 above the Earth completely wiping out Midwest power and communication. We need to get out of the main cities fast so we can formulate a more solid plan.'

This, to me, is a fantastic idea. Put yourself in that mindframe and see how we fair. While hiking we worked on things like observation, night navigation, and leaving as little tracking clues as possible. The trail we followed is apparently public land and it seemed pretty well used. We heard a bat, several coyotes communicating with each other and other wildlife off in the distance being restless, undoubtedly annoyed and the three lumbering hulks passing through thier space. This time around I was really thankful for two things, my change of footgear and my walking stick. For this trip I wanted to see how my Timerland slip-ons would fare. I was very happy with choice. I was able to feel the group and ruts, that would have turned my ankle, alot better than I could while wearing my big boots. They were also just as warm. I also now understand thoroughly the need for a walking stick. Helps take the weight a little and at least three times I would have tumbled into the cold water of the streams if I didn't have my trusty walking-stick. Which reminds me...

Along this trail we had two streams to cross to get to a fairly suitable place to set-up camp. The first stream was really not more than a trickle of water with some easy to navigate rocks. I slipped a bit and dipped my foot a littel bit. This is where I give my full endorement of my timberland shoes...no wet toes, not even really a hint of dampness, SWEET!!! Something like a wet sock could really make for unpleasent evening. Minor disaster averted, for now. For the most part the hike was not too exciting. The most notable thing with the number of stars visible to us. We had a new moon and clear skies. Orion, taurus, and several other notable constelations were greeting us from thier heavenly postions. Even Cassiopeia was a welcome site sitting upon her throne. One important observation gained however was in reguards to my eternal flash light. If you have not seen one of these things they are really very neat and handy in a pinch. They say they are practically indestructible. They have one small LED bulb and simple lens and a clear case. In the clear case there is a metal slide, some little wires, and a tube wrapped in copper in the center. You give it a quick 10-30 second shake and poof you have at least 30 mins of light. REALLY neat huh? And really handy, like I said, in a pinch. This is not a good light for nightime hiking as the bulb does not quite have a enough power or spread to assist with some of the nastier bits of trail. I found myself just putting it away and feeling my down the trail. A very Zen experience really. You have to trust your body and other senses beyond sight (what I wouldn't give for the sword of omens, shut up, I'm a geek, I know it and I am proud of it). I, however, have to say it was actually a good feeling knowing my other ense could help guide me along some nasty bits of trail.

We hiked and hiked and came to the second stream. Looking for a suitable place to cross, we discovered that this section was going to be a bit more diffcult thatn we thought. I am always leary of crossing over ice. I am a big guy and I have a heavy pack, which again makes me bigger in the eyes of the delicate ice below. It seemed the ice was pretty solid. Jake was the first to try to cross our icy sperpentine nemesis. Slowly he made his way accross. The stream at this point was about 50 feet across with fairly steep banks. Trudge trudge trudge, crickle, crackle, crunch, SPLOOSH!!!! Down Jake went. Luckily the boy is pretty nimble. He scurried up on the far bank and regrouped. At this point we collectivley decided without really speaking we needed to make camp NOW. Jake safetly navigated abotu three quaters back and them required a little helping hand from us. Jake got out of his socks and Nick loaned him his spare pair. We all quickly put up our shelters and Jake cleared a bit of a space for a fire ring. The good news is we had plenty of fuel, soggy as it was. Actually given the state of the nearby vegitation I was VERY reluctant to start a fire. Again we decided that Jake's need outweighed the enviromental impact concerns. The good news is Jake only dunked his leg really so he did not loose all his layers to this accident. A little tri-oxane and poof, we have a fire. (I love that stuff) I was origionally trying to get it started using some dryer lint and and small tinder but, as Nick pointed out, this was not the time to have to fumble for a few minutes so, we needed to get Jake's gear dry. (even though I am pretty sure I would have had a fire in no time).

An hour or so by the fire and Jake's gear was liviable. I believe me that Jake also slept ontop of his BDU's to dry the a little more as we slept. While the fire was live we were VERy vigilant of sparks and floating embers as everything in the area was VERY dry grasses and some very soggy wood. I most worried about all the tinder all around us. I had visions in the back of my head of being on the news for getting a little lazy with firewatch. We decided to heed advice given us by several different sources and get some hot soup and teas or hot choclate in us before sleep. I tried a new cinnamon tea and some good ole chicken noodle soup. Both were as expected, soup is soup and I have concluded i need to start carrying some sugar with me to sweeten my tea just a touch.

Warm food in our bellies snuggeld into out bags Jake asks a very 'existential' question,'If a wireless network forms in the Forest *DING*.' The gauntlet was thrown and a couple rounds of tent to tent MarioKart were our reward for not getting ouselves killed. Not suprisingly we found it was difficult to play for extended periods based on the cold and it was hard to keep the screen clear due to cold breath crystalizing on the gameboy itself. Then sleep washed over us like a beckoning darkness. I only woke up twice to readjust and rebanish the cold. I have purchased a new sleeping bag sadly, however, it will not be here for another three days or so. A fat lot of good it did me this week. *sigh* oh well, next time. In the middle of the night mother nature apparently wanted to test our mettle yet again. The temperature droped from the high 20's to around 10 degrees with a windchill of 0. A little adjustment and tossing my cloak over me kept me from freezing too badly. In my sleep I also found that acting like a cricket can warm a person considerably. 30 seconds of friction adds a good 5 or 10 degrees to the internal temperature of a sleeping bag.

When we woke it was, as mother used to say, colder than a witches tit outside. A fine layer frozen breath lined the inside of my tent like millions of little gems and my latern a had burned almost an entire candle. As I stirred I found that oatmeal made with last night's cinnamon teas was a very pleasent and warming breakfast. I also discovered that I was ravenously hungry. From what I have read it a person that is cold or worse yet shivering burns far more calories than normal. If one is in the onset of hypothermia the body can burn in upwards of 6000 calories per hour....sadly as my waistline still shows, I was not THAT cold. However we did find ourselves in the midst of a lovely winter morning. It did not take long for the sun to melt away the night's chill as we struck camp. We met a very indifferent gentlamn on our march home, with two lovely dogs. I think we may have spooked the guy a little when we popped up out of the brush. We march bravely back to the cars recapping our journey. The trail was much muddier than the night previous but passable all the same. Really all in all it was a beautiful morning. Sunny, blue skies, and a temperature that can be considered VERY comfotable to hike in. Jake and I took off directly and sped towards work as our hike back was a little longer than anticipated. We did a show that seemed to lat an eternity. When I finally landed at home it was roughly 6:30pm and I did not stir again till 7:30 or so the next morning.

When all is said and done, this was a good trip. We averted minor trouble and found that even when daunted by wet clothing and dropping temperatures we can keep our heads and get what we need done. I can't wait for the next trip....

Conclusions:

1. D's should never really cross a stream even when other friends have shown the way is safe.

2. I can't wait for my new sleeping bag.

3. I need a new tent soon. I could see spots where it was disintergrating.

4. Even though it is unorthodox and probably frowned upon, bringing some Gameboy DS's is a damn fine idea.

5. The cold doesn't really bother me much anymore.

6. Cinnamon tea is a must for winter hiking.

7. I really want to find my old watch that had a thermometer in it.

8. Tri-Ox is still the shit.

9. Small fires are good especially when they keep a member of the crew from freezing to death.

10. Lipton Side dishes are a great lighter weight alternative to Mountain House meals.

More camping soon....

I think I just want to give up my apartment and go live in the forest for a while. If Henry David Thourea could do it so can I....

Blessings and Light,

'D'

(MORE SOON...)

A Brief update.

Hey all,

It has been a little under two weeks since our littel winter excursion. There has not been much of note that has happened since then. We were going to try and hit up a quick one night excursions last week but the temperature dropped far below what would be considered sane and beyond that of our gear's capabilities.

First thing of note has been my training. I have been running the stairs EVERY time I leave or return to my apartment. This is still a challenge but I have found that my recovery time from each trip has been shortening. When I first started, my recovery time was around 4 minutes for each trip up the stairs. Now I am down to about 1 minute of recovery time. I think this is progress. I figure I will be ready to step it up a notch when I am barely winded when I reach the top. At which point each time I hit the top I will immediately turn around and do it again. I have noticed the past week I have been looking for excuses to go out of the house so I can run the stairs again. It seems my body is beginning to crave the activity. I noticed also I am waking up easier in the mornings and my energy is increasing ever so slightly.

We have a trip schedule for March 21st and 22nd. I will keep you all updated as to where we are going and such as we get closer. As for now I will keep running the stairs and going on city day hikes. Maybe I should re0organize my pack a bit and try to shave some weight off...

Blessings and Light,
'D'

Trip 1: The beginning

Mission: Chillin' Like Villains
Date: 2-10 thru 2-12
Temp: Low-14 F High-34( I think)
Location: Gebhard Woods State Park. Morris, IL.
Purpose: Test our mettle and winter gear.

So this was our first mission. We have spoken on these type of events for a considerable amount of time and as of last we decided to stop talking and just go. Sometime a few weeks ago, we decided to hit up some winter camping and try it out. Jake and Nick have gone at least once or twice before this weekend to get a feel for what to expect. The weather leading up to this weekend has been very mild in comparison. In fact, for Chicago, it has been unseasonably warm. I suppose in retrospect it was a good time to start training. I also have to say we cheated a little by bringing in a couple chords of wood with us, so as to not piss off the Park Rangers and also to make sure we were going to have enough warmth. The weather reports all said it was going to be the coldest it has been yet this year (around 10-20F).

2-10-06

Friday. In Skokie we did a show with the 50's boy band icons: The Letterman. The show was average and we spent most of the jonesing for the upcoming trip. We were to rendezvous with Nick in Elgin after the show to arrive at the site whenever we could get there earliest. In the early afternoon Jake and I compiled a list of last minute needs for food and such. We divided it up into REI and Jewel needs. Jake took the Jewel run and I headed for REI since I wanted to gather a few more items being that Friday is payday. I picked up 4 mountain house meals, an extra fuel cell, a stainless plate, some GU for the ride out there, and a couple sesame snaps for a tasty treat.

The show went down and we finished up at about 12:15 am to start our first leg of the trip. The trip to Elgin was uneventful. We arrived in Elgin approx 12:45 am and started to go over our packs while waiting for Nick to arrive. We changed into our layers and watered up. Nick arrived baring gifts of Para-Cord and a Walkie Talkie since we had to take two cars. Car Loaded. We go.

When we got about 30 mins outside Morris, IL an amazing thing happened. Fog appeared. Thick fog like you see in 40's movies about London. We could see around our car about 10-20 feet in any direction. The moon was full and caused an almost eerie glow around the world. I insisted we should stop and experience it for a few minutes. When we pulled over it seemed the the fog was either turning into snow resembling Dippin' Dots or coming down almost invisibly. The air was charged with positive energy and in was not terribly cold. How amazing, I cannot actually describe. Finally sometime after 3:00 am We arrived at the Park and decided to do a little recon. We found the park has a very interesting layout. One entire edge of the park is a levy keeping back the Historic I & M canal. There was a small stream running through the center of the park and the camping sites we set way back.
http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/PARKS/I&m/east/GEBHARD/PARK.HTM

Gebhard is not a big nor terribly impressive park but it was all ours for the weekend. Time to me is sort of irrelevant when out in nature and my personal philosophy is that a day is not over until I go to sleep or the sun comes up. So for intensive purposes it was still Friday for me. We checked out several of the so-called primitive sites. Which in actualality consisted of a cast iron or steel fire ring and about 20 yards of space surrounding it. We selected one and began to set up camp. I pitched my tent sans ground tarp rather quickly and went to town on getting a fire started. Nick, I have to say, has balls of solid fucking steel (pardon the language). He decided he wanted to give having only a tarp shelter for this trip to see how he fared. Jake and I agreed as we watched him set this miniature fortress of solitude into place that we were a bit a jealous of having that kind of gumption. I got the fire started pretty effortlessly despite the ever falling snow. We all settled in and chatted a bit. The snow made keeping the fire alive a difficult task being that this snow was very wet and soaking our wood quickly. After a while we decided that the fire was not absolutely necessary at this point we were plenty warm and did not need a meal. We all then piled into my tent to play some cards being that it is a three-man tent (overkill I know and heavy as hell). The guys left to their own shelters and almost instantly sleep washed over me.

About 9:30 I rose and we cooked some breakfast. I have since figured out that my stainless plate is not a particularly good surface for cooking eggs on a camp stove. I think that part of it that the stove gets too hot in one spot and scorched my eggs pretty bad, but it was a welcome feast indeed.

Saturday 2-11

We spent much of Saturday exploring our surroundings and trying out different pieces of gear. I tried three different methods of starting fires. The first method was pretty inane. I used the fire starter stick you find at the local camping or sporting goods store. I think they are essentially pine sawdust with some sort of glue that acts as an accelerant. This lit easily with a match and was little effort to get it moving. Second I tried something I have never done before. I used a Tri-Oxane tablet. If you have not used it I recommend it fully. You can light it with just a spark from flint and steel and it burn about 800 F. We have also found if it gets a little wet it burns hotter so it will ignite in any condition and get that wood a-burnin'. You only need about 1/3 the table which I think was about 1 square inch and it weight next to nothing. Next I tried a method Nick had heard of. We used cotton-balls impregnated with petroleum jelly. This was an interesting method. It was a little hard to get the cotton to take a spark and I opted for matches. After several tries I decided my Bic lighter would do the trick nicely. So we had a fire going. We went in shift too seek out other wood and suitable sticks so Jake and Nick could make walking sticks. We talked about purifying water and other survival lore. Really the most notable part of Saturday was the weather. When we woke the sun was shining and the snow was melting. After a couple of hours the wind picked up and the odd almost globular snow fell on us again. The sun reappeared and took the snow away. Not more than an hour or so later nick looked up and said," Looks like we got some snow incoming again. It dumped on us again in the same way a summer shower dumps a lot of rain quickly then moves on to hassle someone else. Jake borrowed my Boy Scout Handbook and I took a quick nap while the snow pelted the tents. When I woke it was about time for dinner. I cooked up my first Mountain House meal in a bag. Actually it was Natural High chicken teriyaki. Man was thats a tasty dish. I highly recommend it. The rice was flavorful and the chicken bits were nice and tender. I think i might live off these things for a while. I cannot believe you can boil a little bit of water, dump it in a bag and 9 minutes later you have a hot tasty meal that is nice and hearty. Finally the snow backed off again and we got a little sunshine and melty snow. Then, the cold came. The wind kicked up something fierce and had some nasty sharp teeth. We all decided to retreat to our respective shelters for some reading time and to rack out shortly. We found it odd someone was starting a little fire in the half shelter about 70 or so yards away. We have no clue as to who it was or why they were there. But they left us alone and we did the same. Saturday night was LONG and COLD. The temperature dropped to about 10-14 F. I found out a few valuable things during this time. First my shoulders are too wide to comfortably zip up my mummy bag all the way and how thankful I was for having a ground mat for the first time EVER. I have to say it is an odd feeling to know that 5 years ago I was a smaller guy. I suppose taking on work that involves pulling ropes and slinging stage weights around helped add some serious inches to my shoulders and arms. I also learned how important little things like disposable hand warmers can turn you night from DAMN FRICKIN COLD!!!! To Ahhh this isn't so bad. Sometime a little later I awoke to Nick saying his goodbye as he was sick. Poor guy felt awful. He was very apologetic to Jake and I, but to me, no harm no foul. You know your body best and it is better to save yourself pain and a worsening condition with some warmth and bed-rest when it is only an hour and a half a way. Live today to camp tommorrow. I hope you are feeling better bro. It was a bummer when you left. The rest of the night was cold and uneventful. I woke a half dozen time to shift my headgear around the to rub my feets together to get a little warmth. I must have been snoring horribly because I awoke with a sore throat and an enlongated uvula. Jake and I rose around 7:30 or 8:00 made some breakfast and struck camp and headed back for the city. All and all, not a bad little trip for my first time winter camping since I was a senior in high-school.

conclusions:

1. I need a new bag that accommodates my wider shoulders.
2. A new smaller tent would be nice. My tent was really made for the summers but worked as a shelter all the same. I am looking for a small one or two man tent with a little vestibule for my pack or a good Bivy Sack. The Black Diamond Light Sabre is starting to look REALLY nice right about now or something akin to Kelty Crestone 1.
3. I need to lighten my pack. I have a lot of extraneous stuff that I never used or could find lighter substitutes for.
4. I need new boots. These old thing need to stick to work duty not hiking duty. They do not breathe well and are heavy and love to have mud stick to them
5. Mountain House food is GOOD
6. HOT Mountain House food is better. :D
7. Tri-Oxane is the shit and should go into everyone's pack as an emergency fire start and heat source.
8. canned soup, while very convenient and easy to consume is heavy and not really all that necessary.
9. I need a water filtration system. While I was thankful for the extra two litres of water beyond by 2 Nalgene bottles I brought, it would have been nice to save some poundage.
10. I NEED MORE CAMPING!!!!!

Alrighty that is a lot to think about for now. I cannot wait till I get comfortable enough once again with my gear that I can focus on simpler things like enjoying the great outdoors and the beauty nature beholds.

For those of my friends who appreciate my eye for the world around:

The moon was nigh full and the bare trees tangled across my vision like the cobwebs of some ancient and ghastly spider hidden in the shadows waiting some hapless visitor to meander too close. Wispy clouds and the warmth of my breath like the most delicate silver thread that binds two souls together traced across the dark and cold blue of the sky, dark, almost black, but soft and pale like a velvet cloth. A silver glisten blanketed the land twinkling ever so slightly like diamonds in the rough beholden of a beauty found only in my lady's eyes. In my heart, I could not resist the urge to howl graciously at the Lady hanging silently over head and sing to Her my praise and love knowing Her response will be found in each moment ever after when I touch the grass or hunt tonight's dinner or the coolness of the water cleansing my skin and soul. We are truly blessed to live...

Trip 1: Training

Sunday 2-5-06

My training began Feb 5th upon returning home with a new pack in tow. I didn't do much but I made a conscious decision to walk up to my apartment instead of taking the elevator. 7 floors later having my fully loaded tool and computer pack plus a new frame pack I was a little winded. However, I have vowed, I will never again take the elevator. It is time for me to start pushing myself and getting back to the body I had once upon a time. Hopefully with a little encouragement from my friends and my new found will power I will get there one step at a time. When getting ready for bed I thought to myself, well Hell 'D' you're not paying for the heat in this joint. Why not see if your sleeping bag still holds up to the winter cold. You can always close the windows and such to warm it back up. Important trial before going outside where you have no choice. So I flung open all the windows in my apartment and let the cold flood in. The temperature slowly dropped and started to snuggle into my bag as best I could. The verdict? My bag will still hold up to sub freezing temperatures. Even after 10 years of being my main blanket and such. The only downside, man it was fricking cold when I got up to take a shower and go to work.

Monday 2-6

I worked a full show day and returned home sometime around the 11:00 pm hour. I decided to take and inventory of my current gear and pack up would I could. After some searching I have decidedly less gear than I used to. I am missing several items that are not really that important on local trips so not to worry. After assembling I could help but have an itch to test it out. So I gathered what few layers of clothes I had at the time, my hat (Titleleist Golf Hat), and my borrowed pack. I added several 1 litre bottles of water to simulate food and new gear weight. I am lucky enough to live about three blocks from the Lake Shore Running and Bike Path in Chicago so I decided that was a very worthy place to test my pack and layers. I hiked approx. 1.5 miles and sat to take a quick water break. I found that my boots were rubbing awkwardly and starting a blister and I needed to find another layer for my legs. I also found that 7 floors is a LONG way to go with a full pack. Boy am I out of shape.

Tuesday 2-7
Jake and I ventured to REI on our dinner break which is about 20 mins from work. I bought a camp stove, fuel, a stainless bowl, and camp utensils. Upon returning to work I had to fire up the stove. I mean, if you had a new toy, wouldn't you play with it at the first chance. Jake and I re-heated a cold McDonald's Apple Pie. Upon returning home I gathered my pack two cans of soup and my new gear and made the same hike as the night previous. I wanted to test the stove can fuel consumption and test the new pants I got from the Army Surplus store. Stove worked like a charm. At the half way point I had some nice hot soup in about 5 mins and also boiled a bowl of water for washing stuff. Conclusion: I am still out of shape but the new layers and stove work like a dream. Returned home and racked out almost immediately.

Weds and Thurs.: Rest sore muscles and spend some time with my lady. Thursday night I spent packing and re-packing trying to make things most efficient. I also made a list of several last minute items I needed to gather on dinner break Friday night. The set plan is to leave directly after the Show Friday night come hell or High water. When I finally found things were in order sleep was very welcome.

Week 1 training: Complete

The Big Chill... Sadly not in pill form.

The Team

Codename: 'D'
Name: Dustin Derry
Birthplace: Kankakee, IL
Age: 26
occupation: Lighting Designer/Master Electrician
Specialty: Fire Starting
Other Skills: Cutlery Maintenance, Archer, Minor bowery, BSA knowledge, Video Games.
Scrounge Level: 10

Codename: Jago or J-Rock
Name: Jake Reich
Birthplace: Elgin, IL
Age: 25
Occupation: Sound Engineer
Specialty: Gear
Other Skills: Trip Planning, Camp Chef, maintaining Body Temp, Level Headed, Morale Boost, veritable Camp 7-Eleven(If you want it to eat he probably has at least one form of it), Video Games.
Scrounge Level: 7

Codename: NCM^3 (The Ninja Coder Monkey Master Mind)
Name: Nick Caza
Birthplace: Unknown
Age: 25?
Occupation: IT specialist
Specialty: Improvised Shelters
Other Skills: Stealth, Current Survival Tech, Firearms, Tracking, New Technology, Video Games
Scrounge Level: 5 (just from the weekend so will be upgraded soon)

Episode I... New Beginnings and a Shivering Camp

Hello everyone out there in cyberspace. Welcome to my new home on the internet. I am starting up a blog to keep a live journal of my adventures in camping and survival exercises. Please check back often as I will be updating this page whenever I do something related to camping and such. My goal is to share information with people. Maybe you can pick up a tidbit that will help you when you are freezing cold and need to build a shelter out of a stick of chewing gum and some dental floss. (Okay so maybe I am not MacGuyver, but I do have some skills here and there). What I hope most is my fellow survivalist types will learn from my mistakes and not repeat them when the time comes.

Stay Warm and Be Safe,
'D'