Feathered Friends Flicker 40 UL Quilt Sleeping Bag

The Feathered Friends Flicker 40 UL Quilt Sleeping Bag has a center zip, adjustable foot vent, and a draft collar providing sleepers with a highly flexible set of temperature regulation and configuration options.

The Feathered Friends Flicker 40 UL Quilt Sleeping Bag is a 19 ounce quilt sleeping bag designed for backpackers and climbers who want to the flexibility and light weight of an insulated sleep system that can be used in many ways, including:

• a hoodless sleeping bag for tent or cowboy camping under the stars
• an ultralight quilt in a tent, under a tarp, or in a hammock
• a down comforter in a tent or under a roof
• or a hammock underquilt

If it’s hard to imagine how a single piece of gear could perform in all of those roles, let’s look at the key features of the Flicker and how they can be used to configure it in different ways.

As a Hoodless Sleeping Bag

The Flicker 40 UL is easy to configure as a hoodless sleeping bag that ideal if you prefer wrap-around insulation and draft protection over using an open-backed quilt.

A hoodless sleeping bag is good for cooler weather when you want added security of wrap-around insulation and draft protection.

Full Length Zipper

Featuring a full length zipper, you can sleep on your back with the zipper on top or rotate the bag to your right or left if you prefer having the zipper along one side.

The center zip is offset which prevent cold air from leaking in, and creates a draft tube which runs behind the flap.

The zipper is covered by an offset flap (shown above), which prevents drafts from leaking into the bag, while preventing zipper snags with the interior fabric. The flap contains goose down, so it also acts like a full length draft tube that prevents heat loss.

The Flicker’s down-filled draft collar molds around your neck and upper chest, sealing in heat, so it can’t escape when you move around at night.

Draft Collar

The Flicker 40 UL has a down-filled draft collar that wraps around your neck and can be cinched tight to prevent heat from being forced out of the bag (called the bellows effect) when you move around inside your bag at night. The draft collar is a horizontal baffle filled with goose down whose function is to seal the top of the bag closed around your neck and upper chest. There’s really no comparison between it and the primitive cinch systems found at the top of other ultralight backpacking quilts and hoodless sleeping bags.

The Flicker UL 40 has an adjustable foot vent that lets you regulate the warmth of your feet

Adjustable Foot Vent

The Flicker 40 UL has an adjustable foot vent that you can open or cinch shut with a draw string. It’s a great way to cool off your feet when you still want warmth around your core and shoulders. The down in the horizontal baffle at the foot of the bag also helps seal in warmth when the draw string is cinched tight, much like the draft collar at the head end.

High Fill Power Goose Down

The Flicker 40 UL is filled with highly compressible, 950+ fill power goose down with a high warmth to weight ratio that is optimized for ultralight backpacking gear and apparel. Bucking the industry trend,  Feathered Friends uses natural goose down instead of waterproof-treated down in their sleeping bags because they’ve found that treated down never lofts quite same once its gotten wet or  it’s been washed.

Continuous Horizontal Baffles

The goose down across all Feathered Friend’s Flicker Quilts (available in different temperature ratings and sizes), is held in place using continuous horizontal baffles. This gives you the ability to reposition the down for maximum comfort, shifting it to suit your specific needs. This is a feature you find in the very best backpacking and ultralight sleeping bags and quilts. I’ve taken this bag down to the low-40’s and feel that I could easily take it down to the mid-thirties, without a problem.

Water-resistant/Breathable Shell

The exterior shell of the Flicker 40 is made with ultralight 10 denier Pertex Endurance (0.94 oz/yd² total weight), a water-resistant/breathable fabric that protects the Flicker from condensation and splashback in tents, under tarps, or when sleeping out in the open.

As an Ultralight Quilt

It’s also easy to configure the Flicker as an ultralight quilt for warmer temperatures. It doesn’t matter if you sleep in a tent or use it as a top quilt in a hammock. Simply unzip the back part way to whatever length you prefer and drape it over you. The full length zipper is completely unobtrusive since it’s backed by the overlapping flap described above. For example, I use the Flicker like this as a top quilt in a hammock. 

The Flicker can be opened completely and used like a down comforter .

As a Down Comforter

Unzip the Flicker all the way so it lays completely flat to use it as a down comforter in very hot weather. The advantage of this configuration over many backpacking quilts it that your feet will be cooler because they’re not trapped in a foot box. It’s also a comfortable way to sleep in a hammock or on a bunk at a hostel.

Eight fabric loops sewn to the sides of the Flicker make it possible to use as a hammock underquilt

As a Hammock Underquilt

The Flicker 40 UL is also designed to be used as a full length hammock underquilt and is easy to rig up a simple suspension system using elastic cord and mini S-biners. Feathered Friends does not offer a suspension kit for this, but it’s easy enough to rig with 2 x 80″ packs of Gear-Aid elastic cord and a pair of Nite-ize #2 S-biners.

If you’re familiar with full length hammock underquilts, they often have draft tubes at the head and foot end to prevent cold air from flowing between the bottom of the hammock and the underquilt. The Flicker’s adjustable foot vent and draft collar give you that same capability when they’re cinched closed. Feathered Friends rates the Flicker 40 UL to 40 degrees, when used this way, and I’ll update this review when I use the underquilt capability in cooler weather this autumn.

Cinch the adjustable foot box and draft collar closed in order to snug the ends of the Flicker tight against the bottom of your hammock.

Recommendation

When I first received the Feather Friends Flicker 40 UL, I wondered if was a bit overbuilt for three-season backpacking. Was an insulated draft collar really necessary or a full length zipper? While highly desirable, you don’t find these features on other ultralight quilts or hoodless sleeping bags.

Then I started using the Flicker UL 40 on backpacking and camping trips and became a complete convert to the design philosophy behind this bag. If you’re the kind of person who likes to switch between different tents, tarps, or hammocks as the seasons change, it’s nice to have a sleep system that can be reconfigured for different temperatures and in different ways to complement them. Especially, if there’s no weight penalty or price premium for the added flexibility. I’d rather own one product that can be used in several different ways than buying several products that only have one purpose.

If you’re looking for a new lightweight sleep system, I’d encourage you to include the Flicker 40 in your search. Do the price and weight comparisons and consider the benefit of the added versatility that the Flicker provides. I can tell you that I’m seriously considering selling my top quilt and hammock underquilt and replacing them with a Feathered Friends Flicker 40 UL Quilt Sleeping Bag. Consider me a convert.

 Likes

• Can be configured in many different ways
• Sophisticated draft collar
• Adjustable foot vent
• Offset zipper with draft tube
• Fabric perimeter loops
• 950+ fill power goose down
• Low weight
• Highly compressible

Dislikes

• None, really

Manufacturer Specs

• Length: Reg 6′ 0″ / 183 cm | Long 6′ 6″ / 198 cm
• Width: 62″ / 48″ / 39″
• Weight: Reg: 1 lb 4 oz / 564 g (1 lb 3 oz on the SectionHiker Scale)
• Fill Power: 7″ x 10″ | 5L
• Fill Weight: Reg: 8.4 oz / 238 g; Long: 8.7 oz / 248 g
• External Fabric: Pertex® Endurance UL
• Liner: Flite 15 denier ripstop nylon
• Temperature Rating: 40ºF / 4.4ºC (FF is know for very conservative temperature ratings; your bag will likely be warmer)
• Zipper: Center

Visit Feathered Friends for complete product specifications and sizing information. 

Disclosure: Feathered Friends loaned Philip Werner a Flicker 40 UL Quilt Sleeping Bag for this review. This post contains affiliate links.

           

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When To Be a Follower

I once drove my scooter with a group of people to a place outside Chiang Mai called the Grand Canyon. It’s a beautiful natural canyon with tons of high cliffs, and everyone kept asking each other if they were going to jump.

Nobody told me that jumping was the whole point of going there, so while I had no real interest in jumping off cliffs that day, I did it. Not because I was following my heart, but because I just wanted to be a part of the group.

I was the literal embodiment of the old saying “just because everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you?”

Yes, apparently. Sometimes I would.

So much of the work I do with women is to get them to think for themselves, stand up for themselves, put their desires and needs first, and stop letting other people make decisions for them.

I am a firm believer that being the proactive “leader” of your own life is the only way to freedom, self-trust, and being truly happy.

The problem with the old saying is that it implies a person might jump off a cliff blindly, without consideration of the circumstances. Following someone blindly is the exact opposite of thinking for yourself and putting your needs and desires first. Being a blind follower is dangerous and passive; it says “I trust you more than I trust myself.”

That wasn’t the case for me. I trust myself more than anything else in the world. I trust myself so much in that, that on the occasion I feel a pang of desire to “be a part of the group,” I honor that shit full-out.

Because here’s the secret nobody will ever tell you about being an independent, highly conscious leader: It can get fucking lonely.

You do all this work to declare yourself independent from the mass of expectations and assumptions that society has for you. You question and challenge your thoughts and beliefs, learn to tap into your desires, and create the exact kind of life that suits you. You’re active in every sense of the word, pursuing constant growth, seeking ever-deeper healing, and practicing feeling worthy as you are, right now. Y

ou do the work to set yourself free, and it’s painful but exhilarating. You’re marching to the beat of your own drum! You’re dancing like nobody is watching! But you’re also feeling isolated, and a bit drained.

Once this journey is on motion, you start to notice some things. First of all, you’ll notice how much of your life is filled with people, places, ideas, and things that no longer serve you.

It’s astonishing how much clutter we acquire when we’re not living consciously and proactively.Getting rid of these people/places/ideas/things can range from intoxicating to uncomfortable to downright devastating, but doing so is an absolutely vital step toward creating the life that you really want and deserve.

The second thing you’ll notice is that most people aren’t doing what you’re doing. Most people won’t understand, and it can make you feel like kind of a black sheep. Most people are content just doing normal things the normal way, and they’re not really excited about all your new growth and changes. They liked things the way they were, and they’ll wonder why that was no longer good enough for you.

This is a totally normal part of the process when you’ve been taking strides to separate yourself from the “pack.” There are growing pains, and sometimes there is separation anxiety. It can be a confusing impulse, and it might even make you question your commitment to being an independent woman, but sometimes what you want most is to just want to blend in and feel… normal.

This is Where Conscious Following Comes in.

• 

  You give yourself permission to momentarily let go of all that radical self-responsibility and autonomy, and choose to honor the very real (and human!) desire to “just be a part of the team.”

Conscious following is when you hit pause on all the things that make you a proactive leader in your new life. You give yourself permission to momentarily let go of all that radical self-responsibility and autonomy, and choose to honor the very real (and human!) desire to “just be a part of the team.”

The difference between blind following and conscious following is that you’re making the choice to do this, with full awareness of what you’re doing, and why. You’re choosing moments and situations that won’t have a negative impact on you; you’re offering yourself the gift of feeling normal when there is a very low cost. This isn’t about giving up your moral ground, it’s about giving yourself permission to take a break from the exhausting and isolating work of being a leader, and let yourself follow.

An example of conscious following in my life is how I dress. Some days and some events I dress purely to please myself, and I take pleasure in the contrasting oddness of my outfit against everyone else’s, because I put together something that really represented my unique self-ness. Other days and events, I text my friends to find out what the vibe is, and what they’ll be wearing, and I try to match it.

Another example is how two of my best friends and I form a democratic trio. In our own lives, we are each stubborn, independent leaders, and nobody can tell us what to do. But when we come together, we automatically follow the two thirds rule: if two of us want to do something, the third one is going to do it too. No questions asked.

I never put pressure on anyone else to make decisions, but things like where we go to eat, what we should do on Sunday, what movie we watch, or what we should order just don’t matter to me. So if someone else has opinions or a plan, I allow myself to passively go along for the ride, and enjoy every minute of it.

There are so few examples in my life of me being a follower, that it feels kind of amazing. I never feel “guilty,” or like I’m turning my back on my independent self. It’s more like I’m offering myself the gift of connection and a sense of normalcy, when my life is anything but.

I run an online business, based on the thing that’s most important to me in the world. I live nowhere, and travel full time. I don’t have a boss, or a paycheck, or dress code. It’s only July and already this year I’ve spent three months in Costa Rica and three months in Thailand. I’ve had various intimate relationships, none of which ended in marriage or babies, and none of which probably will because that’s not what I want. I have no boyfriend, no house, no car, no pets, and no 401K.

I’d rather spend my days working than doing almost anything else, and the truth is I’ve never been happier in my life.

But sometimes I wish I was different. Sometimes I wish I was the kind of person who wanted a house and babies and the whole thing. I usually find myself wishing this on days when the pain of not being able to connect to people is acute. I often feel like an outsider to many of my peers, whose lives and values are so very different than mine.

No don’t get me wrong here. I do have an amazing tribe of people from all over the world who understand and support my independent soul. I have proactively sought and nourished these relationships, because I knew without them I would crumble backward into a life that I didn’t want. But these connections can never replace the feeling of just being normal.

Conscious following offers me the opportunity to feel that way, without compromising on the things that matter most.

A Final Note

A friend of mine, who is really shy and introverted, heard me explain the idea of conscious following, and said it was interesting but that she didn’t relate to it because she’s still learning to become a conscious leader. This made perfect sense, and is worth mentioning.

If you’re a natural leader or have been doing a lot of work to be more conscious and empowered in your life lately, this post might really resonate with you. But if you’ve been blindly following for a long time, or are still at the beginning of your journey to self-image independence, then you might need to focus more on how to be a proactive leader right now.

The important thing to remember is that we all have the potential to be both a leader and a follower. We all have access to both sides of ourselves, and can actively develop whichever one comes less naturally. That way you can strike the balance that best fuels and nourishes you.

The post When To Be a Follower appeared first on Jessi Kneeland.

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How to Write an Eye Catching Cover Letter and Why It Matters

If you think the cover letter died a slow death when we moved to online applications, think again. While they may not be the trendiest, cover letters are not rolling over dead just yet.

It is true that some companies are thought to ignore cover letters and focus solely on the resume and any specific application form required. Others, however, still demand the cover letter as part of the screening process.

If you are in any doubt, then err on the side of caution and use a well-crafted cover letter to help you get your foot in the door. This is especially true if you are sending in a speculative application: one submitted to an employer before a job is even advertised.

Here’s how:

1. Introduce yourself

The cover provides a chance for an applicant to tell the employer about themselves in a more personable way. While a resume can follow a standard template and is often fairly formal in tone, the cover letter should be a moment to let your personality shine through.

Open your letter with an introduction, including confirmation of which role you are applying for and where you saw it advertised. This forms the opening paragraph of your letter. If it is at all possible (with a little detective work, if needed), get a personal name to address the letter. You might need to call up the company or use LinkedIn to find the recruiting manager’s details.

You might end up with something like this:

Dear Ms Smith,

I was thrilled to find the role of Customer Success Manager advertised on your website. I have worked in retail positions all my life, and love nothing better than turning a disappointed customer into a delighted one. My passion for great service really is what gets me fired up for work every morning, and I am excited at the opportunity to join your growing team. Please find my full resume attached.

Trending: What Style of Resume is Right for you?

2. Match the role requirements

So you’ve acquainted yourself with the recruiting manager. Now, you need to show how you meet the requirements of the role, as set out in the job advert.

Start with the essential and desirable skills as listed, and brainstorm ways your experience fits. If there are many skills listed, then bullet point this section for clarity. When you list these skills and experiences, aim to show measurable successes whenever possible. Adding in metrics gives the reader a benchmark that they can use to measure your abilities.

Think about things like the cash value or percentage increase in turnover you achieved. Maybe calculate the reduction in weeks of customer waiting times due to your efforts. All of these give the reviewer a solid handle on the impact of your previous work.

Your next paragraph might look a bit like this:

From my experience working as a Customer Service Manager with Wal-Mart, I have extensive experience of CRM systems. I have developed a comfortable proficiency in offering tailored service solutions in person, on the phone, and online. During my tenure at Wal-Mart, I improved resolution times by 30%, despite my budget remaining static. I took proactive steps to interpret complaint trends and, in turn, reduced customer complaints. This resulted in customer loyalty in my store rising year-on-year by 15%, with corresponding sales up $1M a month in my part of the business.

3. Sell your unique qualities

For extra points, do a bit of research into the business. Find out about the company culture and the challenges or opportunities that may be on their horizon. You’re looking to explain how your personal mix of skills and experiences — which are unique to you — can help the business address any issues (or capitalize on opportunities) that are coming their way.

Maybe your research will turn up a conference where a leader from the business described their current and future plans. Investor reports might also give good insight if the business is floated.

Be sure to follow the company’s primary social media accounts (such as their Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn), as well as any key members’ accounts that you may come across. Often times, these can provide informational tidbits about the company’s struggles, achievements, and vision.

If these are not available, turn to industry press to get a feel for what is playing on the mind of the ‘insiders.’ Then, think about ways you can help meet these needs head-on.

It might go something like this:

I was interested to learn that your current service focus lies in simplifying the route for customers to raise issues, and specifically developing your social media presence to resolve complaints more quickly. During a project role with Wal-Mart, I was able to develop service training for our social media response team and led this group in creating and rolling out ideal practices for dealing with high profile social media complaints. This experience left me convinced that the future of customer service lies in part in spotting and resolving online complaints quickly, and turning the tide to a good news story which can still go viral. I would be delighted to share my experiences with your team.

4. Thank and follow up

Finally, close your note with a thank you, and offer to follow up if you think it is necessary. If the job listing specifies that candidates will be notified by a certain date, a follow up might not be needed.

Hopefully your letter has built some rapport with the reader already, so end in a positive and warm note.

This might be as simple as saying, “I look forward to hearing from you soon,” or a more proactive ending like this:

Thank you for your time. I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss the role in more detail, and learn more about your current customer service journey. If I can expand on my experience at all, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Before you hit send, read the note over. If you can, get someone else to review it, too, to check for spelling and grammar errors. Make sure that it covers all of the relevant points and includes your potential contributions to the team.

Then, you’re good to go. Get the application filed and give yourself a pat on the back!

What are your tips for a great cover letter? Or, if you are a recruiter, do you still rely on them?

Trending:  10 Tricky Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

 

The post How to Write an Eye Catching Cover Letter and Why It Matters appeared first on The Dough Roller.

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Enter to WIN a FREE Box of (9) Greenbelly Meal Bars!

Greenbelly Bars are a high calorie, super-convenient way to consume a lot of calories on hiking and backpacking trips. I eat a lot of them and they’re a good way to “slam down” a lot of nutritious calories without any food prep. Each packet contains two bars, with a crunchy rice-like texture that goes down well with water. They come in resealable packages, so you can eat a portion and seal up the rest to eat later.

I first tried Greenbelly bars when Chris (the owner and founder in the video above) came out with them a few years ago after his AT thru-hike and they’ve improved significantly since then in both flavor and texture.

The variety pack being raffled off here has three packs of the following three flavors in it:

• 3 x Dark Chocolate/Banana
• 3 x Cranberry Almond
• 3 x Peanut Apricot

My favorite is the Cranberry Almond, but you can’t go wrong with any of them. Win this raffle and find out for yourself!

To Enter

To enter this random raffle to win a Greenbelly Meal Bar Variety Pack (MRSP $59.99), answer the following question in a comment below.

Which of the following do you use to prevent mosquito bites when hiking or backpacking in summer? (you can use multiple methods.)

• DEET insect repellent creams or lotions
• Picardin insect repellent creams or lotions
• Eucalyptus creams or lotions
• Long pants/long sleeve shirts, etc.
• Mud – we cover ourselves in mud
• Nothing
• Other – explain

Example responses

I wear Ben’s 100% DEET insect repellent lotion on all exposed skin not covered by clothing, That kills the little suckers!

No DEET on me. We use Picardin because it doesn’t melt our synthetic technical clothes like DEET.

I cover up with a hat, long sleeve shirt and long pants when I hike and use DEET on my hands and ears if the mozzies get bad.

We offer a orange sacrifice to the Goddess before each day hike, but we also use a eucalyptus lotion. They work together really well!

Deadline to Enter

The deadline to enter this raffle is Monday, August 1, 2016, at midnight EST.

• All raffle entrants will have one chance to win.
• A winner will be selected randomly from all valid entries.
• Please keep everything rated G.
• The prize winner can live anywhere that has postal service (including international.)
• If you have any questions, leave a comment.

Leave a Comment to Enter

Which of the following do you use to prevent mosquito bites when hiking or backpacking in summer? (you can specify multiple methods.)

• DEET insect repellent creams or lotions
• Picardin insect repellent creams or lotions
• Eucalyptus creams or lotions
• Long pants/long sleeve shirts, etc.
• Mud – we cover ourselves in mud
• Nothing
• Other – explain

Disclosure: Greenbelly donated the box of bars offered this raffle. This post contains affiliate links which help support this website. 

           

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Backpacking to Unknown Pond

Packrafting on Unknown Pond

The town of Berlin, pronounced “BURR-ln”, with the accent on the first syllable, has the feeling of a modern frontier town, where logging trucks, 4×4 pickups, and ATVs outnumber passenger cars. Located in the northernmost section of the White Mountains and New Hampshire, it is the gateway to the remote North Country, a vast region of forest and mountains with few paved roads and even fewer road signs.

My destination on this trip was Unknown Pond, a high elevation pond off the Kilkenny Trail, a 27 mile long trail that links the major peaks between the tiny towns of Stark and Jefferson, NH. Wild and remote, the Kilkenny region of the White Mountain National Forest is like a witches forest, with moss-covered trees and head-high ferns, a verdant paradise for elusive moose and bear.

Rather than hiking the Kilkenny Trail again, I wanted to explore two side trails that intersect it from the north and south, the Mill Brook Trail and Unknown Pond Trail, before camping at the Unknown Pond Campsite. My plan was to hike packraft and fly fish Unknown Pond, overlooked by a mountain called The Horn. Fishing and packrafting are natural extensions to hiking and provide me with a deeper and more satisfying way to immerse myself in the wilderness on my backcountry trips.

Unknown Pond Backpack (Click for interactive map on Caltopo.com)

I left my car at a small parking area in front of the gate to the Berlin Fish Hatchery (which closes at 4:00 pm) and walked a short distance to the employee “swimming hole”, at the base of the Mill Brook Trail. The Berlin Fish Hatchery is a state run facility where they breed trout for stocking New Hampshire ponds and streams. It’s also the site of several trailheads that provide access to the northernmost White Mountain 4000-footer, Mt Cabot.

I hiked past several concrete pens filled with immature trout in various stages of development. The pens were covered with mesh to keep predators out. As I approached, I guess the trout could see my shadow, because they started splashing the surface of the water in a frenzy. It just goes to show how a stealthy approach is an asset for an angler when stalking trout.

I started up the Mill Brook Trail hiking alongside Cold Brook, which was flowing well despite the drought we’ve been experiencing this summer in the Whites. Many of the smaller mountain watersheds still have a fishable water flow, but you need to be willing to hike in the backcountry and off-trail to get to them.

The Mill Brook Trail was in pretty good shape, which surprised me because I’d expected it to be less hiked than the others nearby. It does however provide access to a famous outlook called Roger’s Ledge, which might explain why it’s hiked so frequently.

The brook was closely hemmed in by the surrounding vegetation however making it to too difficult to fish with the longer 12’ rods I’d brought to fish Unknown Pond. I made a mental note to bring a much shorter 8’ rod the next time I visited.

Kilback Pond and Unknown Pond Peak

The climb up the Mill Brook Trail was tougher than I’d expected, probably because I was hauling a boat, paddle,and PFD in my pack in addition to my fishing gear and regular backpacking stuff. It was also quite a warm day with high humidity which sapped the strength out of me.

I took a short break when I reached the Kilkenny Trail junction and then hiked up to Kilback Pond, a small beaver pond at the bottom of Unknown Pond Peak. The Kilkenny Trail skirts the pond over bog bridges which are build along the beaver damn. While it was tempting to break my boat and rods and fish it, I decided to delay my gratification until Unknown Pond, so I started climbing. Unknown Pond is south of its namesake peak, so I’d have to summit the mountain to get to its other side.

I was relieved when the pond finally came into view. I anddecided to take a break and set up camp at the campsite before hiking the northern half of the Unknown Pond Trail. I picked a wooded campsite with the best airflow and pitched my Warbonnet Hammock.

USFS Unknown Pond Campsite

I started using a hammock again, after a ten year hiatus, last summer and I really like the quality of sleep I get when using one. I’d brought a cuben fiber tarp on this trip to save on some weight and proceeded to set up my shelter system for the night. I hoped I’d be the only person in camp that night since I’d scheduled my hiked for July 5, the day after a major holiday, which is usually a good way to guarantee some solitude in the Whites.

When I’d finished my domestic chores, I packed up and hiked down the Unknown Pond Trail, dropping 1300’ from the Kilkenny Ridge to a forest service road. This trail also parallels a Mill Brook which grew in width and volumes as I dropped down lower. It too had an appreciable flow, even better than Cold Brook.

I was out of water when I reached the bottom of the trail, so I filtered some. In the process, the 3 liter platypus reservoir I’ve been using for the past 10 years finally gave up the ghost. The plastic on the side of the cap tore through to the reservoir making it nearly impossible to squeeze water through the Sawyer filter I use. I managed to get enough clean water to hike back up the hill in the heat and to effect a workaround with Aqua Mira later in the evening, but that platy was toast. An excellent value for what I paid for it.

Hiking through head-high ferns and shrubs in moose country can be a bit unnerving. I sing songs to break the silence.

When I got back to camp, I watered up and inflated my packraft for a little late afternoon fishing. It was 5 pm and approaching the time when fish like to feed in the evening. I was on the pond by 6 pm, but it was difficult to concentrate on any one area because the wind blew my packraft across the pond. I quickly resigned myself to nature viewing and patrolled the permitter of the pond, hoping to spot a moose coming down to the water to feed. No moose. Still paddling around on the cold alpine pond was a great way to cool down after a hot day.

By now, several other groups had arrived at the campsite. and I joined them down by the side of the pond after dinner to watch the sun go down. I was in bed by 9:00 pm and sawing away after a satisfying day.

I hiked out the next morning and bummed a ride back to my car from the trailhead, before setting off on another adventure in the North Country.

           

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