Gear Night!

Gear, gear, and more gear. I do love gear and have been accused of being a “Gearhead” more than once. Somehow, I take that as a compliment, so “Thanks!” That said, I am looking forward to the next Trek for a Cure Event, which is the Gear Night on May 3rd. Woohoo! I can’t wait for an evening of checking out the latest backpacking and camping gear at Outdoor Davis (623 2nd St) in Downtown Davis. The folks at Outdoor Davis will be discussing backpacks, tents and other important items to consider when on the trail. They are also going to give a 10% discount to trekkers and campers that night but also up to the actual day we leave on July 14th. It is a great opportunity to get ready for the Trek, learn about cool gear and spend an evening with friends- with some yummy treats and wine. Gear Night will begin at 7pm and end around 9. When I started backpacking in the 80s most of my gear was either borrowed or household items that were relegated to outdoor use. I remember carrying frying pans, can openers and other ridiculously heavy “equipment.” There were accomplished hikers out there loading their packs with expensive and more appropriate gear but I didn’t belong to that school of backpackers. Then, I started spending more time at REI in Berkeley and bought my first camp stove and WOW, it was super fun to have an actual piece of equipment specifically engineered to not only operate in harsh conditions but to also demonstrate a type of conservation that one needs on the trail. It was light, efficient and European. Slowly, over the years I have began to collect different components of backpacking gear but much of it I realized that I did not necessarily need. I began to chip away at my gear list in an attempt to simply carry the lightest and most effective gear because I want to hike with as little weight as possible. There are some of my favorite items that are ‘extras’ which I refuse to leave home when I hit the trail. One of these items is my extra sleeping pad. Boy howdy, I do need a little cush on those hips- it is the difference between a sweet slumber under the stars versus a night of turning side to side in the bag! For those of you who are Gearheads or sense your potential gearheadedness, you can check out the gear I will be posting my gear list very soon! Keep it green and muddy! Annette

The Trek for a Cure 2013 is really rolling these days! We had our Trail Mixer on the 23rd of March. What a great group of folks, many of whom sign up to hike one and two segments of the Trek. It was an excellent day of food and fun. Audrey came down from Manitoba to join the Mixer (and some warm weather :))and sign up for a segment, also! We have a couple of "dust off your boots" hikes on the schedule, so far. One in May and one in June. The May hike is an over night at China Camp State Park. I have reserved a ton of spaces and so I am encouraging folks to bring their family to camp over night at one of Marin's lovely hide-a-ways by the Bay. The June hike is in my favorite winter backpacking spot, Pt Reyes National Seashore. This is a hike that is already at the quota. I could only reserve a permit for 6 hikers and so it filled rather quickly. Those Pt Reyes permits are harder and harder to get if you want to go on a weekend and forget Coast Camp! We will be camping at Glen Camp, which doesn't have a view of the ocean but is a sweet glen in a coastal oak forest. We have a couple of other events brewing... One is a gear nite at Outdoor Davis on May 3rd and another is a music event at Plainfield Station on June 15th. I will write more about that tomorrow after I hammer out all of the details. Keep it green and muddy! Annette