San Diego Model Railroad Museum - Balboa Park

San Diego Model Railroad Museum - These trains are awesome!
Learn more here: http://sdmrm.org/

Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve - San Diego Hike and Waterfall - Zoom iQ7

This is a quick hike I did in the Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve. I entered the preserve from the south side at the Camino Ruiz Trail-head at the Camino Ruiz Park. There was ample parking and appeared to be no fee. The trail was easy and made for a nice end of day retreat. The waterfall is about 2.5 miles from the trail-head parking. I only explored a small portion of this preserve and was impressed with what it had to offer.

More information on the park can be found here:
https://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/osp/lospenasquitos
https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/park-and-recreation/pdf/penasquitoscanyon.pdf
https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2013/dec/04/roam-los-penasquitos-canyon/

#optoutside - Appalachian Trail - Shenandoah National Park

Enjoying a day away from Black Friday shopping crowds...
Filmed with my iPhone 6

Hike to Blackrock Summit, Hut, and Spring - Appalachian Trail - Shenandoah National Park

This is one of the better hikes along the Appalachian Trail I've had in Shenandoah National Park (at least everywhere North of here). Starting at the Doyles River Trail parking lot at Skyline Drive mile post 81.1, I followed the Doyles River Falls Trail south past the upper and lower Doyles Falls and via the Jones Run Trail to see the falls on that leg. It is 6 miles to the Jones Run trail parking at mile post 84.1 from the Doyles River parking if you follow this route. The trail also descends 1400 feet and ascends 1200 feet along the way. The return to Doyles parking via the Appalachian Trail is another 3.7 miles and relatively flat, only changing 150' or so along the way. The total loop distance is 9.7 miles. What I ended up doing is hiking 2.1 miles further south from the Jones Run Parking on the Appalachian Trail over Blackrock summit and staying overnight at Blackrock Hut and then returning via the AT the next morning. The hike over Blackrock is just amazing! Blackrock hut is nondescript and has an unreliable water source. Oh, and I lost my selfie stick somewhere on the blue blaze down to the hut… Distance hiked this weekend was 14.2 miles.

Maps of the area can be found here:

https://www.nps.gov/shen/blackrock-summit.htm

https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/upload/2017_LoftMountain_RoadTrail-508.pdf

https://www.nps.gov/shen/upload/Black-Rock-Summit.pdf

Loop Hike of Doyles River Falls and Jones Run Falls - Shenandoah National Park

This is one of the better hikes along the Appalachian Trail I've had in Shenandoah National Park (at least everywhere North of here). Starting at the Doyles River Trail parking lot at Skyline Drive mile post 81.1, I followed the Doyles River Falls Trail south past the upper and lower Doyles Falls and via the Jones Run Trail to see the falls on that leg. It is 6 miles to the Jones Run trail parking at mile post 84.1 from the Doyles River parking if you follow this route. The trail also descends 1400 feet and ascends 1200 feet along the way. The return to Doyles parking via the Appalachian Trail is another 3.7 miles and relatively flat, only changing 150' or so along the way. The total loop distance is 9.7 miles. What I ended up doing is hiking 2.1 miles further south from the Jones Run Parking on the Appalachian Trail over Blackrock summit and staying overnight at Blackrock hut and then returning via the AT the next morning. I'll post the Blackrock Summit and Hut as a separate video. Distance hiked this weekend was 14.2 miles.

A map of the area can be found here:
https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/upload/2017_LoftMountain_RoadTrail-508.pdf

Mount Rogers and the Fat Man’s Squeeze – Appalachian Trail Grayson Highlands

We did this hike back in October 2015, but never posted the video of the Mount Rogers summit, the spring behind the Thomas Knob Shelter, and the ever popular Fat Man’s Squeeze. We’ve come so far since then. It’s interesting to watch our older videos and see how we’ve improved. This is an awesome area to hike! We need to go back when the Rhododendrons are in bloom.

https://www.hikingupward.com/JNF/MtRogersGraysonHighlands/

See the pesky ponies in our 1st video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gosN5k00jqQ

Watch my other hiking videos and gear reviews:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdxYynz7DmRoLfGNWYRI5wsvPi-WJ_OIa

My final cook kit: Modified Toaks 550 by Zelph with Trail Designs Ti Sidewinder Cone and Starlyte Burner

I posted a video a while back on an ultralight cook kit that Zelph at Zelph’s Stoveworks put together based around a specially modified Toaks 550 titanium cup. I liked it a lot and have continued to tweak it to what I think is my final configuration. This is my ‘go to’ cook set for quick weekends and provides enough capacity and fuel for me to boil enough water for a couple cups coffee, oatmeal, tea, and rehydrating a meal or two. Want to go longer, just add more fuel. In a pinch this can also be used with Esbit to drop a few more grams off the weight or with a small twig fire in an emergency. I have a bunch of other stoves and kits and really don’t use them much anymore. The one exception is winter hiking and I’m still tweaking my winter setup. Expect a video on that some time in the future as well as a “What’s in AlphaGal’s Pack” video.

My current setup comes in at 185 grams – this includes enough fuel for a weekend. I do not have any other pot and just use this Toaks 550 cup for everything. Not included in the weight is 3g for a cheezy Wendy’s long plastic spoon. I’ve been using the same one for over a year now and it serves me just fine.  😊

Cook kit total weight - 185 grams (6.5 oz)

The basis of the kit is the modified Toaks 550 with handles (54g) and Trail Designs Titanium Sidewinder Cone (18g).  I’ve ditched the heavy stuff sack and went with a small Zpacks Cuben Fiber stuff sack (5g). I also replaced the lid with a lightweight carbon fiber lid from Ruta Locura (9g). I find the modified Starlyte burner (15g) works very well in this application but can be replaced with a BGET Esbit burner to save a few grams.  I use the foil lid from a can of nuts (1g) as a ground reflector for the burner and it fits perfectly inside the pot without bending. In there I also have a tiny ShamWow and scrubbie as well as Snow Peak Hotlips, neither of which is necessary and I’ve not used (the cup rim does not get too hot to drink from with this setup)…so you can save 6 more grams if you want. The fuel squeeze bottle (66g) fits inside the rolled cone for storage. The whole thing packs nicely into the pot and there is plenty of room in the stuff sack for another ‘travel size’ bottle of fuel if you want.   

Zpacks Ultralight Stuff Sack - Small: http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/stuff_sacks.shtml

Weight: 5 grams

The Toaks Ti 550 light version with handles: https://www.toaksoutdoor.com/products/pot-550-l?variant=31412326534

Weight: 54 grams

Ruta Locura Carbon fiber lid: http://www.rutalocura.com/Carbon_Lids.html

Lid Size: Lid #2

Weight: 9 grams

The Trail Designs Titanium Sidewinder Cone for the 550: https://www.traildesigns.com/

Weight: 18 grams

The modified Starlyte burner and lid: http://www.woodgaz-stove.com/

Weight: 15 grams (13 gram burner + 2 gram lid)

ShamWow  trimmed to 3” square and Scrubbie trimmed to 1” x 3”

Weight: 3 grams

Peanut can foil

Weight: 1 gram

Snow Peak Hot Lips: https://snowpeak.com/products/hotlips-2-piece-set-mgh-001?variant=671143453

Weight: 3 grams

Mini Bic Lighter:

Weight:  11 grams

Small squeeze bottle for fuel

Weight: 66 grams (14 grams empty + 52 grams fuel)

I originally saw this being discussed over at https://backpackinglight.com forums. Zelph has produced a clever mod to the Toaks titanium pots that allows them to cleanly mate with a Trail Designs titanium Sidewinder Caldera Cone. It’s a pretty nifty setup.  The titanium pot is machined to put a bead around the perimeter to hold the pot on the cone at the correct height to work with the Starlyte burner. The cone rolls up and fits sideways in the pot, along with room for the modified Starlyte burner and a fuel bottle inside the cone.  The Starlyte burner has been modified with a smaller aperture so it works well in an enclosed space like under a Caldera Cone.

I did a performance test outdoors in 55F breezy weather and 2 cups of water comes to a full boil with 16g of fuel in about 16 minutes. The burner burns about a gram a minute.

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/92988/page/10/#post-3399039

http://briangreen.net/2011/11/titanium-foil-esbit-tray-stove.html

Watch my other hiking videos and gear reviews:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdxYynz7DmRoLfGNWYRI5wsvPi-WJ_OIa

My Zelph Toaks 550 kit box opening:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAx_GDvHqh8

Bird Hits my Window Every Day - Female Cardinal

This funny little bird visits us every day. I think it is after our Fall decorations on the window sill. It tries and tries...  Now I know what cats do all day looking out the window.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-xcgjwMcwo&list=PLdxYynz7DmRoLfGNWYRI5wsvPi-WJ_OIa

Loft Mountain and Ivy Creek Spring - Appalachian Trail - Shenandoah National Park

This was a great hike in the Shenandoah National Park from the parking at Loft Mountain Wayside to Pinefield Hut and back. It is approximately 9.8 miles round trip and has a number of very nice viewpoints. This is one of the better short sections in SNP. I used the Frasier Discovery Trail to access the AT. It was a very nice uphill climb with an excellent viewpoint at the summit.   

As usual, I’ve posting some videos showing the trail, the shelter, legal campsites along this section of trail, and more importantly (to me) the springs. Ivy Creek Spring is very cool! 😊

The Pinefield Hut is a fairly standard 3 sided structure with an internal mezzanine and can sleep approximately 8…this night I think there was 11 crammed in there and a hammock.  There was a strong front forecast to come through overnight that drove most people into the shelter. I stayed in my ZPacks Duplex with no issue. It kept the driving rain and wind out! There is one privy at this location, a couple poles to hang food bags from. I did not see a food locker. The spring was pretty sad and barely flowing. The sign at the start of the blue blaze indicated there is trout in the stream which is open to fishing (with a valid license) – Nothing but rocks this time of year. LoL! Tent sites up the hill behind the Privy!

Map: https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/upload/2017_LoftMountain_RoadTrail-508.pdf

https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/upload/SB_LoftMountainCampground-508.pdf

https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/images/SHEN-map-South.jpg

https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/maps.htm

A free permit is required to overnight in the park.  More information can be found here: https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/campbc.htm

Watch my other hiking videos:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdxYynz7DmRoLfGNWYRI5wsvPi-WJ_OIa

My new trail name is now "Alpha Gal"!

I’d like to make a public service announcement to bring awareness to the tick borne illness called “Alpha Gal”.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-gal_allergy

This is a pretty serious allergy caused by the bite of the Lone Star Tick. Sometimes called Mammalian Meat Allergy (MMA), it has no cure.

This tick is present across the South and has spread to the Northeast. It is present in Shenandoah National Park and I was bitten by one (I removed it) and was later diagnosed with the allergy. In a nutshell, you become seriously allergic to red meat and dairy (anything that came from something with hair)! Beware of ticks, especially the white spotted ones, I never thought it would happen to me!

Pinefield Hut and Spring - Appalachian Trail - Shenandoah National Park

This was a great hike in the Shenandoah National Park, from the parking across from the Simmons Gap Ranger Station to Hightop Hut and back, and then flipped over to Pinefield Hut. It is approximately 17.3 miles round trip and has a couple persistent uphill sections of climb and a rewarding view just 0.5 miles south of Powell Gap. There are several soso tent sites between the two huts.   

As usual, I’ve posting some videos showing the trail, the shelter, legal campsites along this section of trail, and more importantly (to me) the springs. 😊

The Pinfield Hut is a fairly standard 3 sided structure with an internal mezzanine and can sleep approximately 8. There is one privy at this location, a couple poles to hang food bags from. I did not see a food locker. The spring was pretty sad and barely flowing. The sign at the start of the blue blaze indicated there is trout in the stream which is open to fishing (with a valid license) – Nothing but rocks this time of year. LoL! Tent sites up the hill behind the Privy!

Map: https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/images/SHEN-map-South.jpg

https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/maps.htm

A free permit is required to overnight in the park.  More information can be found here: https://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/campbc.htm

Watch my other hiking videos:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdxYynz7DmRoLfGNWYRI5wsvPi-WJ_OIa

My new trail name is now "Alpha Gal"!

I’d like to make a public service announcement to bring awareness to the tick borne illness called “Alpha Gal”.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-gal_allergy

This is a pretty serious allergy caused by the bite of the Lone Star Tick. Sometimes called Mammalian Meat Allergy (MMA), it has no cure.

This tick is present across the South and has spread to the Northeast. It is present in Shenandoah National Park and I was bitten by one (I removed it) and was later diagnosed with the allergy. In a nutshell, you become seriously allergic to red meat and dairy (anything that came from something with hair)! Beware of ticks, especially the white spotted ones, I never thought it would happen to me!

Bass Fishing at St. Mary’s Lake

This started off as a quick trip down to St. Mary’s Lake to attempt to catch some fish. Rhino over at Bass Fishing SoMD has been tearing it up over at the lake and been posting some pretty cool YouTube vids. Check him out over at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsCD1fR9h7kLF1NsU0pETdA

Got there before sunrise and has a number of familiar characters paddle by. Not having a small boat myself, I was stuck on land at ‘the usual spots’. A friend of mine floated by on a two-person boat and I was able to thumb a ride out to the good spot! 😊

Turned out to be a fun day once the fish woke up. Jerk baits were the lure of choice.

Park information is located here: http://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/southern/stmarysriver.aspx

Watch my other hiking videos:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdxYynz7DmRoLfGNWYRI5wsvPi-WJ_OIa