Today, I took a 4 1/2 hour out and back hike of only 4.4 miles to practice some things. I carried a pack for overnight which was 24 pounds. A little heavy, but I was using a 8 x 10 heavy plastic tarp for the hammock. The new one is on the way.

I stopped here on the way out to cook oatmeal with lots of fixins added. On the way back, I stopped here for a snack of peanuts, raisons and dehydrated bananas. Some people stopped by, so we talked for a bit.



My first wild hang of the hammock. I set up the tarp, too, but didn't take pictures.

I also cooked some really good potato soup here. I made it from potato flour, dehydrated onions, sunflower seeds and some pepper.



On the way back, I spotted a Smooth Green Snake on the trail which is supposed to be hard to find.


One thing I learned is I really need to pack the hammock things in a section of the pack different than the sleeping bag. Otherwise, the bag will likely get wet if it's raining.

Also, 1.5 pounds of food probably isn't going to be enough for a day. I'm probably going to pack by meal instead of by day. It will be easier to figure things out on the trail.

The actual hiking time was right at 2 hours, so when I moved I moved pretty good for me. It was an 1,800 foot climb on the way out and the same on the way back.

My new Danner military desert combat boots were real comfortable. They are water proof which I tested by walking though a small stream. They didn't leak at all.