T minus 5 days...

It's raining here in Westylvania. So much for getting into the shed and going through gear. I reconciled the checking accounts and paid this month's bills. I now have access to my personal checking account on the web. I need to go through re-enactment clothing for Bedford and set aside things I need Jeff to bring for me (no room on the BoB for the cello and fiddle). Maybe I should try to sort out minor (and I do mean minor) dilemmas...

Coffee

I'm not OK unless I have a cup (or five) of coffee in the morning. People tell me I'm like a bear with a sore ass without my morning cup of coffee. I've made coffee many ways on camping trips, and some ways were quite successful. Last year I took grounds and made cowboy coffee, using a Nalgene bottle and a piece of stocking to strain the stray grounds. I was able to make LOTS of coffee -- a liter at a time, at a minimal cost. Never mind that the coffee container I brought it in took up a lot of space, and cracked open in my pannier, leading to a royal mess. The other drawback was I couldn't use the Nalgene for anything else but brew coffee -- I never got the coffee residue out of it.


Coffee bags are much simpler, but more expensive. I tend to use two bags to a mug. My friend Dan makes a coffee concentrate that he just adds to hot water (reminds me to call Dan for the recipe). I don't think I'll use it this trip - how do I store it? Some people purchase coffee concentrate -- it's available on-line. Instant coffee? Never (unless I use a coffee bag - they contain some instant).

Tires

My friend, Neil F. recommends running a tire with tread instead of the stock tires on my Novara Randonnee. It's good advice, but I think I'm going to run out of time before I get a chance to change my tires. I leave on Sunday. Hutch at Cumberland Trail Connection said he'd take care of me when I ride through. [Neil B -- stop in on your way through and watch out for wet RR tracks; Neil F -- Hutch said to tell you "hello"]


Tents

I prefer sleeping in a hammock. You would think that with all of the trees along the Passage and C&O you could find suitable ones to tie a hammock to. You can in most places, especially if you stealth camp. Now, I'm not anti-stealthing -- I just try not to do it on these particular trails. Landowners adjacent to the Passage get pretty upset about people leaving the trail, and as a matter of fact, one has posted nasty "No Trespassing" signs on his property. I'm pretty sure camping is only in designated areas on NPS property along the C&O as well. I had a hard time finding suitable trees along the C&O. Most are old and very wide around - and there's usually too much distance between them to hang a hammock. I took a tent for Libby and myself last year, but I prefer the hammock. I guess I could use the hammock as a bivy on the ground, but I worry about it being waterproof enough. Perhaps I'll take both... and hope for the best.

Stoves

I love to cook. I've used: Trioxane, alcohol gel, Sterno, wood, propane, iso-butane -- pretty much everything. Backpackers swear by their alcohol burners, but I can leave them. I haven't been able to heat much more than water and dump it into a cozy to do freezer-bag cooking. I like the flexibility of having a real stove around. I have two: a Markill Dragon and a Primus Omni-Fuel. The Primus is the more versatile of the two - you can use canister or petroleum-based fuels. The Dragon is strictly a canister stove, but it is no-fuss and quiet - so much that you can hold a conversation without screaming to make yourself heard. The Primus, on the other hand, sound like a jet engine on take-off.

The thought of being able to use unleaded gasoline appeals to me, I don't have to worry about finding iso-butane canisters along the way. However, more shops have opened along the route that cater to camping bicyclists, so finding iso isn't such a logistical problem anymore. The verdict - take the old Markill.