Im so excited I can't wait!

“I couldn't get my bf's backpack to fit, it was way too big so he trucked me over to R.E.I. to look for one and I guess I bought more then I had intened. Heres what I got: A womans Kelty Trecker and one of those Mountain Hardwear bags just cause it looked a hell of a lot more comfy then my old bag. Then I saw one of those cute little thermometers that you stick on a zipper...I couldn't pass that up. When I saw they had dehydrated blueberry cheescake I decided I had to try at least one kind of dehydrated food and it sounded yummy. Oh yeah I got some of those fancy socks and the sales people were so helpful they talked me into a pair of boots that would fit my feet when I'm wearing them. I think I maxed my credit card...
but I think it was worth it ( I hope so anyway.)
Just one more long day to get through before I leave on friday for my first overnighter. WOHOO!”

“Have a great trip.

Yeah, that's the biggest cause of poverty on the planet - gear shops!”

“she's hooked........



can't wait for the trrip report! take pics....preferrable hot pics, lol!”

“Cool stuff!! But, I am worried a bit about the new boots on a hike. Take comfy shoes and the always in the pack duct tape! Good Luck!!”

“Cool!

I share the concern about the boots, though. Tryo getting out for like a 4 mile walk in them tonight, and another tomorrow sometime, just to get them broken in a little and find out if you are going to have problems, and where.

Remember...as soon as you feel a "hot spot" BEFORE it becomes a blister, put duct tape on it. Same concpt as mole skin, but is cheaper and stays in place better.”

“The handyman's friend. I wonder if ol Red heard that one.”

“Congrat's on all the new gear! I just recently purchased mine, and I know that euphoric (sp?) feeling you're experiencing right now. It's amazing at what just a few items can do to one's mental status! It almost makes you feel like singing out at the top of your lungs......


hey.... I did say "almost"! LOL!”

“You've done it now, LOL!

I think Joe Walsh said it best...


Standin' in the runway
Wavin' at the plane
There goes everything you own
You called home collect
And they didn't know your name
Starin' at the telephone

You thought he was a doctor
Now he says he's not
But the noices seem to tell for sure
And according to the symptoms
It isn't all you got
A shame they haven't found a cure

Didn't know the reason
You start to feel the rub
You know it isn't easy
Well, welcome to the club
Well, you thought they'd take it lightly

They're actin' kinda rash
Caught you in a loadin' zone
So they smile very politely
Relieved you of your cash
Suddenly you're all alone

You play the double agent
You bug eachother's phone
You got the place surrounded
There ain't nobody home

It's gettin' hard to please 'em
You start to feel the rub
You know it isn't easy
Well, welcome to the club
Come on and join us in the club”

“Have fun Blistered! Yes, please post a trip report when you get back.

If you find yourself really getting into it, consider buying a food dehydrator. I've found mine to be a real money saver, it's a lot cheaper to dehydrate your own meals rather than buying the ones in the store. If you're interested, search the threads and you'll see several on the subject.”

“I agree, a dehydrator is one of the best tools for hiking you can own.”

“Its hard to walk out of REI without spending $$. It should be nice out this weekend! Day temps should be nice, but be prepared for cold nights. When you get to camp, get out of the wet clothes and put on dry stuff. Use layers, no cotton. If you get cold, hot water in a nalgene is great for a handwarmer, belly warmer, leg warmer.....

Have fun!”

“Ditto on what the others said about the new boot's, My suggestion would be to put them on and wear them to work or wherever you go tomorrow. They need to at least have a little bit of breaking in period before walking in them with a load on your back. A old trick for breaking in new boots fast is to wet them and then walk in them til they are dry. If your feet are not toughened up don't do this as it will do more harm to your feet than good to the boots. good luck and enjoy your trip.


BAMA”

“So I packed all my stuff and walked around the house wearing it... next I set up the tent in the living room and tried sleeping in that...only to have the puppy try to break into it. Its now 3:30 a.m. here and my bf just came in and found me in the tent in the living room and is giving me the stragest look...what? WHAT did I do something wrong?”

“Have a great trip Blistered and let us know what you liked and didn't like about your new gear and the backpacking trip in general. I hope that you have great weather!”

“I hope the weathers good too.

Hey I know you all say not to take cotten but how about cotten/polyester blends?”

“pssst....some of us do take cotton or cotton poly blends. Especially if we don't have anything else yet. You just have to take extra because they don't dry fast and wet=cold. Cotton socks =wet=blisters.”

“she's a troll people!”

“my bf just came in and found me in the tent in the living room and is giving me the stragest look...what? WHAT did I do something wrong?"
Blistered
05:31:28 AM
10/03/02

welcome to the club. Anybody who doesn't like backpacking will think you are strange, and you probably are, but if you hang out with backpackers, nobody really notices.”

“If you're just going for one night, then pack only your essentials. Don't worry about what material your clothing is, too much. You only need something to change into for the next day, as long as you're able to stay dry. Extra socks are your main thing to worry about. Take a fleece though. You can use it as a pillow too, if you don't have one. Just don't wear/take jeans. BIG MISTAKE. When you're hiking in the morning.... wear 100% nylon pants with a liner. They dry fast from the morning dew, and with a liner, you aren't going to get as cold. You can find those usually in the men's depart. in any store, where they sell running pants. Buy yourself at least one poly shirt. You'll be happy that you did. You can wear that under a t-shirt, and as you sweat, take off the t-shirt and you'll notice that you're still relatively dry!

As time goes on, you'll pick things up as you need them. Going to REI is a lot of fun, but you can usually find the same quality of stuff somewhere else, cheaper.

Have a great time! I'm sure we'll all be looking for your trip report and pic's!

Oh......and remind your b/f that he was once just as geeked about his "equipment" when he was "younger"! LOL!”

“..."So then we had trail sex in the living room..."”

“LOL @ bacpac! You ain't right! Hehe!”

“Not a bad idea bacpac!”

“Have fun blisstered. You'll be back at REI on monday buying more gear..it's a habbit. and then after you go and see other peoples gear then you go and buy more stuff. Have fun”

“I think bbinkley wants to confess something...about bliSStered's user name...”

“Where ya going, blistered?”