Overnight Backpacking Trip
Well we made it back in one piece. The hiking part wasn't so bad, but the SLEEPING part was what I just couldn't get the hang of. It was pretty much impossible to get comfortable enough to get even a little shut eye. Ideas, anyone? Perhaps some Tylenol PM? In theory I'll have to be able to hike and camp for four days by August, and I figure I will ABSOLUTELY need sleep in order to get by.
Lake Kelly
The endlessly amazing rolling hills of Henry Coe park
posted by ms. crafty @ 8:18 PM
3 Comments:
I'm gonna go out on a limb & say if you're hiking hard enough, you shouldn't have any trouble sleeping...
That said, was it the ground - too hard/cold? Do you have a roll of thinsulate, an air mattress, or a portable sterns & foster to put under your sleeping bag?
I haven't camped in so long, but I remember we always had something underneath to make it cushy, and plenty of layers on so it's cozy enough to drift off.
The tylenol PM could make you groggy if it doesn't work (still to uncomfy to sleep) and then you'll be hiking in a fog.
OMIGOD, I just realized, are you going to have coffee with you?! You could take beans and chew on them as you hike...
Good questions all. In theory you are correct, but there were a few factors which combined to create the ultimate nightmare sleeping sitch.
First, it turned out that my sleeping bag just wasn't warm enough for temps in the 30s. It was rated to 15 degrees, but I was insanely cold in the bag--I woke G up with my shuddering.
Basically G and I ended up zipping our bags together. The down side of that was that I had to lay on my side to fit and thus my hip was the primary point of contact with the sleeping mat (and thus the ground).
Basically, I think if I had a new warm bag I could sleep on my back and the whole sleeping mat/bag combo would work.
Maybe Tylenol PM as a last resort...
I may have coffee with me, but will most likely bring Lipton tea bags and perhaps some chocolate covered espresso beans?
Although that might not do it...I'm so addicted to coffee these days...but every extra pound I bring I have to carry on my back for days...
I wondered if being chilly might be the main culprit - that always ruined it for me, which is why now I prefer to camp in hotels.
Anywho, sounds like you're on the right track w/ a warmer bag, and perhaps a really good insulating layer underneath it.
Air mattresses can be cold (though cushy) while thinsulate-type layers do just that - provide a little cush while blocking the cold from the ground (and they don't weigh much).
As for the coffee - that is a pickle. Sure, you could get decaffeinated before you go, but if not, the espresso beans sound like a reasonable and tasty compromise!
Post a Comment
<< Home