Repair, even Gore-tex(r) or have your down re-lofted.

I was reading Brian's Backpacking Blog and found a link to Rainy Pass Repair, Inc.  The examples of repairs made there are amazing and while we have not had need for their services, when it comes time they will be high on my list.  I had no idea this fine company existed.  If you have Gore-tex(r) or down (or any other) items in need of repair check them out.

JOGR Ultralight Backpacking Stove

Seriously, I was just looking at backpacking equipment and I see this stove (see the JOGR advertisement at the left).  I could not pass it by and another item falls to our Amazon one-click ordering.  We are huge fans of the Jet Boil cooking system, but little stove might be just the thing for a backup or primary stove.  After all we cannot fry good eggs on a Jet Boil. Now we need to look for cooking gear...

Review of the JOGR UL stove:

It arrived in a surprisingly small package and you can watch the unboxing below. It is truly small and seems fairly well built.  I like its compact size and that it includes a piezo lighter build in. It weighed in at 3.4 oz by itself and 4.0 oz in the plastic orange protective box.  It holds a pot fairly stable (I used a Snow Peak 600 titanium).  I don't think you can beat this stove for the money, buy two and have a back up.  The stove can be regulated to a low flame and as such beats the Jet Boil for anything except for boiling water. The story in pictures.  If you get one let us know how you like it.
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Arlington National Cemetary

picture by Steven Myers

Next weekend (June 24, 2012) we are heading to Washington DC to be present as members of Boy Scout Troop One lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.  This is a real honor for the boys and for all family and friends of Troop One.


Update: After 850 miles we are home and below is the best of the best pictures of the event.

My Small System

My small system

Next summer we are heading to the National Jamboree in Mount Hope WV and will spend a few days sleeping on the floor of a church as 90 youth and adults tour southern WV before we enter the Summit Bechtel Reserve.

Sleeping on the floor isn't the greatest idea, but I intend to be comfortable.  Kimberly has a similar system and may share hers with you in a later post.  (Update: she does here)

Hunting Waterfalls in WV

On our last trip to the New River Gorge we did the Timber Top Canopy tour at Adventures on the Gorge and in the gift shop found a book by Ed Rehbein and Randall Sanger with the most beautiful and inviting pictures of waterfalls in the New River Gorge.  However, the handy insert in the back listing all the GPS coordinates of the waterfalls was the reason for the purchase.  With that  our plan to do some hiking faded as we grabbed our day packs and cameras and headed to find as many as we  could find on one day.  The result were falls from Dunlop Creek, Mill Creek, Glade Creek and more as you can see in the embedded slideshow after the jump. Enjoy.

Solar Showers

From scoutstuff.com: How about a solar camp shower for $4.88?  Not sure? Amazon.com lists a lot of choices as well. Let us know if you think these are good ideas?  These are also useful for having a supply of warm water to wash hands when you hang it near your camp kitchen.  Downside, heavy when filled (8.3 lbs per gallon of water).  We have one that looks a lot like this one in the picture.

But if all you have is ambient water showers, this can help cut through the cold. For our unboxing and review read on after the jump.

First entry and about us

Babcock State Park, WV, picture of
Kimberly Myers by Steven Myers

Hi! This is a first posting on our blog.  We have decided to try this for the fun of it and to share some of the fun we have had getting involved in the outdoors in a big way.  We are an older couple and as such are not here to impress the youth (except for our wisdom) and neither are we "die hards" or fanatics of camping and backpacking, but we have fun and that is what we hope to express in this blog.  Much of our outdoor fun is in scouting, but this is not to be a scouting only blog, since we also enjoy getting out on the trail or to a campsite on our own.  If you follow from time to time, we hope you enjoy.

Steve and Kimberly Myers

Disclaimer

This blog is our own personal reflections and opinions and recommendations and have nothing to do with any organizations we serve nor should anything said here be construed as an official statement on behalf of any organization. The reference to scouting together is because of our love of the movement in which we volunteer much of our time.