Hello! Welcome to my blog. My name is Em and I work as a cook in rural Minnesota where I live with my hubby. I hope you'll enjoy this assortment of random things I like and mini-adventures I'm living.

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Making Traks

That backpacking trip I mentioned before takes place in June, so I'm already gearing up and preparing. I started this last Saturday with my pack about 1/3 full. I walked the local park paths for about 3 hours, feeling toasty in layer on layer of clothes as I picked my way over ice and packed snow. The next time I made sure to wear my yak traks for better traction. Either way, yak traks or no, there were a few spots where the path was so steep and icy, I opted to sit and slide down the path, rather than risking a trip and fall.
What I learned on my first hike:
-after only a few hours, I'm already getting hungry (made sure to bring trail mix the next time!)
-my hip flexors were the most sore after, closely followed by my shoulder muscles
-the snow has barely melted in the park because of all the shade, so the conditions on the roads and lawns are no indication of trail conditions
My second hike lasted 4 hours, and it was so cold when I started (about 4 F) that after only an hour, the straw on my water bottle had frozen solid and the water in the bottle had flakes of ice forming in it..!
I'm excited for the next hike! Aiming for 4 hour hikes in February, 7 in March, 10 in April, and 13 in May... Then gear tests in early June. So far so good.
Here's to the adventure, and this journey leading up to it!








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