Mike has been pretty busy, so I thought I’d put up some of his “firsts” that were done over this past camping trip:

• First time camping
• First time in a canoe
• First time portaging a canoe
• First time pooping in an outhouse
• First time pooping in the woods (with flies!)
• First time sleeping in a tent
• First time sleepign in a tent with his brother
• First time wearing camo pants
• First time hiking with a full pack

In early August I’ll be heading up to Minnesota with Graham and Company for our fishing trip. It’s in celebration of his 40th birthday and should be a blast.

So, I’ve been pulling stuff out of storage (no small feat) and getting stuff organized and ready. I tried to get at my four-man tent, but it’s buried so deep that it was easier just getting another (smaller) tent. So, now I have a one-man, two-man, and four-man tent.

Hints On Tents: I really like the MSR (Mountain Safety Research) line of tents, especially their “quick and light” stuff. As the name implies, the tents are very light and very quick to set up (especially important when it’s pouring rain and you are trying to get dry). I own their Zoid 1 and 2 man tents. They aren’t cheap, but they are well worth the money.

I had a lot of equipment already, because I was planning on doing a through-hike on the Appalachian Trail. (The complete trail is about 2,100 miles and takes about 6 months to complete.) Though, I did pick up some more clothes and some lightweight (summer) sleeping bags.

Hints On Sleeping Bags: For cold weather, I use Wiggy’s bags. The guy who owns the company is a bit of a fanatic, but in a good way. They are the preferred bag for the U.S. Navy Seals. Enough said. For summer bags, I’m trying out the Marmot Trails bag, which doesn’t have any insulation.

For a 3-5 day fishing trip during the summer, I’ll be bringing the following clothing:

• Two pairs of pants. I choose BDU’s, since they can take a beating and quick-dry. You can get either heavy weight (good for winter/spring/fall) or “hot weather”, which is much lighter. I usually get used stuff, with the rip-stop material. Make sure it’s at least 40% synthetic. Cotton kills! No denim–it doesn’t dry.
• Three short-sleeved t-shirts. Again, go with 100% polyester, as it wicks away sweat and drys super-quick.
• Four pairs of socks. I’m bringing two synthetic and two wool. You’ll feel stupid spending $15 on ONE pair of socks–until you wear them for 18 hours straight.
• Three pairs of underwear. For treks in the backcountry, I use Wickers, as they dry quick. Notice a theme? Quick drying = your friend. Slow drying = death.
• Rain gear (tops and bottoms, though tops are most important). I hate all rain gear, because I always feeler hotter in it, but that’s just me. Useful if you don’t want to look like a prune. In my opinion, keeping your gear dry (ex. your bedding and clean clothes) is more important than keeping you dry.
• Hats. I’m bringing a baseball cap made of oil cloth and my wider brimed Alf Bush Hat for the canoe.
• Bathing suit. Doubles as shorts. I have a pair from Columbia that stuffs into its back pocket for easy storage.
• Low-rise hiking shoes and Teva sandals. I’ve got an old pair of Merrells that feel good and are broken in. The Tevas are good for the water, though they get too “slimy” for extended hiking (at least with my sweaty feet). The Tevas are fine for the canoe and water work, but I’ll put my faith in a good pair of socks and my Merrells. They may stink, but they have never given my dainty heels a problem.

In addition to the above, I’ll have my usual kit full of gear. Bags, pads, cooking, knives (of course) and so on. I won’t bore you with the details, but rest assured that anyone who hikes with me comes out alive.

I’ve added the pictures we took during out trip to Jayuya. There are about 40 of them up there. Enjoy! Either access them via the link at the right, or from here.

We plan on carrying our camera more often (sorry we’ve been so lax), so we’ll hopefully have a lot more to add. It takes a lot of time to get them up there, with comments and all.

P.S. The TSG people “in the know” should search for the passport picture. I think you’ll get a laugh out of it. I sure did.

I’m pooped (it’s almost 3 AM here). I think I’ve got a tough day at the beach tomorrow, so I need to rest up. I’ll take pics.

P.P.S. I modified the image gallery settings slightly. You no longer have to be registered to add a comment or to download an image. Also, because I don’t have that fast of a connection, I have greatly reduced the size of the images (to 640×480). If anyone wants a higher res pic (2272×1704), let me know. The high-res ones are about 2 MB each.

We headed down to the Rio Abajo Forest Reserve today. It’s along Route 10, between Arecibo and Utuado, just west of Lago Dos Bocas. We wanted to check it out and do a bit of hiking. Unfortunately, when we got there the gate was chained up. Since it was Monday, and many “tourist” places are closed on Mon/Tue, we figured that was it.

So, we headed over to TJ Ranch to hang out there (since it’s pretty close by). They mentioned that it seems like the forest is always closed. (Problem being that the hiking trails seem to be accessible from the visitor area–and that area is closed and surrounded with barbed wire fences.)

Later on we visited some other friends and had a very nice dinner. They mentioned the same thing–they were able to find some trails, but they were not clearly marked, and were pretty much at the end of the road (621, west). The times they have been there were also for naught (visitor center closed).

So, if anyone is interested in hiking this forest, try to call first (if there is a number anywhere). Otherwise you might make a trip in vain. I’m not sure why this is the case, since we’ve never had problems at other forests we’ve visited. There is supposed to be some good camping here, too, but we didn’t see anything. Maybe we’ll try on a weekend and see if we have better luck.

It’s a shame, because the Dos Bocas area is a very scenic spot. When coming from 22 / Arecibo, you take Route 10 south. Instead of taking 10 all the way down, get off on the 123 south exit. (Route 123 is the original “old” road between Arecibo and Ponce. It’s gradually being replaced by the high-speed Route 10.) It’s a very pretty route, running through the valley in parts. You’ll also pass over a river, see a small waterfall (you’ll hear it before you see it), and a house with a big (20′ long) dragon sculpture in the front yard!

If you want to do some hiking “nearby”, the closest forest would be the Guajataca Reserve, near Lake Guajateca. Lots of well maintained trails, and the Viento (Wind) cave is here (be sure to bring a flashlight–you are on your own in the cave). Plus, it’s close to the lake, which is worth taking a look at.

This forest is located in the northwest, near Arecibo. (If you are in the area to see the Radio Telescope or the Rio Camuy Caves, be sure to stop be here also.)

Evelyn and I have done several hikes in this forest. It’s usually quiet (very few visitors compared to other forests) and the trails are well maintained.

Be sure to visit the Wind Cave, which is on one of the trails. Now if you are expecting wind, then look elsewhere, since it’s never been windy when we’ve went there. However, you will find some steep (but well maintained) stairs that lead down to a clean cave. You’ll see bats and bugs and the usually amount of dripping water. Be sure to bring flashlights–headlamps are better–you won’t see anything without them. We’ve gone about 500 feet into the cave (no crawling is necessary) and plan to do more once we live on the island.