Ocala NF ECT2, Florida Y'all

“Coop, I had a major typo in your name..please forgive me!! ;-)

Tex”

“It coulda been worse...”

“hi tex..... well ya....i will take one cowboy and two snickers.....i will think of something to trade ..how about some teriyaki tofu jerky? or some really sweet juicy oranges and tangerines? ....heh~~~~~~~~~~~

you are welcome to crash at the wooden tent thursday if that is where the shakti brings you....
well, a week from tonite we will be gathered in da swamp....

am i missing somethin? why the gaitors? just wondering”

“I can think of two reasons: 1. I think Tex got a nasty blister from a little piece of trail that got in her boot las year (Black Lowas if memory serves), 2. Tex has gear envy like everyone else and saw Tami wearing them last year.

Knowoing Tex - my money's on #1.”

“Do you really have a recipe for tofu jerky? I'd like to try it. Send it my way if you would, please!”

“If all you can get for a strapping young cowboy these days is some soy jerky then I'm afraid to ask what a out of shape finance guy with a kid and a mortgage would go for.”

“You talking about yourself or my husband? LOL!”

“I think we both fit the bill. HPM and I do seem to be running similar "life vectors."

treebait - I saw HPM said Laurel would not be coming along - are you coming along? Is it a grandparents weekend for the baby?”

“Looks like some showers have crept into the extended forecast. Precipitation at 38 degrees might alter some shelter choices.”

“Arclite- Steaks sounds good! LOL
I have a red jeep with OHIO plates and a green yak on top! Yo bears!”

“Nope, I won't be going. Backpacking and breastfeeding don't mix.”

“Treebait, are you at least going to come down and show off the baby.”

“I'll try! I'll either be at the start or finish of the trip. Juniper Springs is a great place to just hang around. I should know.I was supposed to meet HPM and the scout troop at the end of a hike there. I showed up on time. He was running 4 hours late. Wish I'd taken my swimsuit.”

“treebait,I hope you can, it will be nice to meet you and the baby.

Big Coop, you mentioned rain there Friday, on the extended outlook for Nashville were are suppose to have snow showers on Thursday which is when we are leaving.

With the possibility of rain does this mean you will be taking a tent instead of your tarp.”

“HPM will be tarping it. A tarp is good for almost any weather conditions if you set it up right.”

“Well geez - now that treebait said that - I have to take the tarp. Only a girly man would use a tent. I've got the Inyo II pitched in the yar now - I'm debating the weathertight coziness of it with that of my tarp. I am in the middle of sewing the no-see-um onto the tarp so we'll see.

I may take the tarp and pack the Solitaire for "just in case" safety.”

“I will bring my tent and throw the Bat Ray in the car and decide when I get there.”

“You should be cozy in the bat ray. Being comfy in a tarp depends as much (or more) on where you pitch it as it does with how you pitch it.

LOL Coop! Hey, thanks a bunch for Eiger Dreams. Great read so far.

Also, I have a copy of the 1910 Boy Scout handbook (reprint) I'll bring because it shows a ton of different ways to pitch a tarp. Very cool info.”

“this will be the first time I have used the Bat Ray so I have that uneasy feeling about it..lol

Like Big Coop said, I would hate to have to impose on someone for tent space...lol”

“Well, my tarp is plenty big and I don't mind sharing with anyone who wants/needs shelter.”

“Ewker..you big ol sweet thing you..you can snuggle with me if i bring my zen...man..I take one gay quiz and the rest of my threads have gone south..DAMN!!..lmao...i think i'm retarded!

TEX..i'm into skittles and starburst!!!

Anyone know where i can pick up esbits on the way down?..huntsville was out..and i know nowhere around here...i may have campmor 2day me some if i can't find any..or just bring my SCREAMlight stove”

“Opie - if you don't find a source, I can bring some tabs for you - you can save on the 2day mail.”

“big coop..i have 4 right now...i think that'll cover 2 courses of my first dinner...lmao..
nah..i figure 2+ more should keep me safe”

“haven't you folks ever backpacked before?!?! aren't you prepared to just pick up and hit the trail? or does it take a month of planning?

get in gear, you maggots! GO! GO! GO!”

“it takes me 4.5 months per bag night of planning *grin*...this includes 3 trips to local strip clubs to get me in tip top shap...i went 4 times in preperation for this trip..hence i omited a trip to the outfitter to restock on essentials...HA!..who's essentials...i need nipples not fuel tabs!!!”

“Pack your rain gear people!”

“Aww Ma, I don't want too.
Do I gotta? ;)”

“Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 30s.
Thursday
Increasing cloudiness with a chance of showers during the night. Highs in the mid 60s.
Friday
Cloudy with a chance of showers. Lows in the upper 40s and highs in the lower 60s.
Saturday
Partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers in the morning. Lows in the mid 40s and highs in the lower 60s.
Sunday
Partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers during the night. Lows in the upper 30s and highs in the lower 60s.”

“Ok rain is bad!

8)”

“yeah!

rain!
rain!
rain!”

“It only says CHANCE! There's always hope!”

“sweet!

it will POUR!”

“It'll change before then.Trust me.”

“it's florida! you know it's going to rain! yipee!”

“Why worry about rain?

We all do understand that backpacking is an outdoor thing right?”

“Yes I do.

I can't wait to see what it looks like to backpack in Feburay and go in shorts.

That is going to be way cool.

8)”

“Ok folks it's almost time.

Anybody needing directions or info be sure to post it or fire off an email so I can get you taken care of.

This is gonna be fun.”

“Rain ain't nothin but a thing. It's part of it sometimes.”

“But Raddy - if it rains some folks might not show up.

Yeah HPM - I'm ready to give all this rain gear a good run.”

“I'm bringin' my fake frogg toggs!”

“I and my buddy Alex plan to arrive at Alexander Springs by 9:00am in my grey Toyota T100. The last time we were able to park and wait without paying the full park fee.

With this many people I think we will need at least my truck and Trekker John's van to tote us all back.

Tango - Just a thought - I don't know what your plans are, but since it's on the way from O-town - you might also want to go straight to Alexander and you could take me, Alex and Trekker John back to Juniper (but your car is small isn't it?)

Woo Hoo”

“Coop, I'll meet you at Alexander Springs and take you and your friend to Juniper.

I've been talking to TrekkerJohn about his van and he also has a trailer we might be able to use for gear.

I'll call him tomorrow and work out the details and email you.

Everyone else meet at Juniper Springs at about 9AM on Friday.”

“I have a Sebring Convertible, it is a 4 seater but with everyone's backpacks???

The travel channel is doing a program on natural wonders and they are doing a section on Death Valley with the moving rocks we all talked about last hike!”

“i got an suv that'll hold 5 and has a truck bed for packs *grins*”

“Yeah right like anyone would trust you around their packs!! Especially with Miss Opie MIA!! LOL”

“Very cool Tango.

Did they show a time-lapse video of them moving?”

“Nope, but they showed the tracks, that they leave. Some of those rocks were almost boulders! They were quite big! I have to see that some time! They also highlighted a marathon race run from Bad Water to Mt. Whitney! OH MY GOD!!!”

“Oh yea. The Bad Water is very high no my "No-thanks" list.”

“OK jerbear, I got yer Delomonico taken care of. Anybody else want a steak? If there are no takers for a Thursday night steak, I'll just bring one extra and some lucky person (or racoon) gets it.”

“You guys and gals can't miss me I am the crazy one!

8)”