Hiking Socks That Last

It pays to buy lifetime gear, even if the initial purchase price is steep.

My first experience with paying more than $20 for a pair of socks was with Darn Tough, back before my 2013 thru-hike of the CDT.  Since then, I have not bought many other socks and what I do buy comes with a lifetime warranty.

Here in Maine, We used to have the best warranty in the outdoor business at LL Bean’s but their original replace/refund warranty was watered down couple of years ago and has caused me to buy elsewhere since then.

LLBean’s current warranty:  We stand behind all our products and are confident that they will perform as designed. If you are not 100% satisfied with one of our products, you may return it within one year of purchase for a refund. … After one year, we will consider any items for return that are defective due to materials or craftsmanship …

Here’s Darn Tough’s warranty:  Our unconditional lifetime guarantee is simple. If our socks are not the most comfortable, durable and best fitting socks you have ever owned, return them for another pair. No strings. No conditions. Socks guaranteed for life.

What you see in the picture at the start of this post are five pair of brand new replacement socks I received this past week from three companies that currently offer the lifetime merino wool replacement deal:  Darn Tough, Farm to Feet and Point 6.  No arguments from these establishments about the return, and the only company that required me to send in the old ( washed, of course) worn socks was Darn Tough.  Photos of the Point6 and Farm to Feet were sufficient to receive the replacements.

I have been criticized by readers of my book and my blogs that I mention brands too often.  To be clear, I’ve bought all my backpacking socks.  Actual brands and models  matter to me. What holds up under heavy use is communicated to others.

A responsible company that backs its products and reduces its carbon footprint is Patagonia.  Right now their new COVID-19 safety procedures have put off sending in repairs until further notice—but DIY repairs are available.

Lifetime socks are much more trailworthy that “normal” socks. One brand new pair of my hiking pal’s Columbia merino socks developed two  holes the first day he wore them in the New Mexico desert.  As an example, my two pair of Darn Tough Light Hikers survived the whole CDT.  A carry one other pair , but that is reserved for wearing inside my sleeping bag.  They protect my down bag from grime if and when I can’t wash my feet and also keep my feet warm when its cold.

So, I’ve got plenty fresh socks to choose from and am ready to head out for some actual backpacking in the next couple of weeks.  I just have another metal roof to put on one of my outbuildings first.

Care for your feet!   Blisters are not acceptable!

Maine’s Appalachian Trail Opens Up

The AT on Bigelow Ridge

On June 26,  Appalachian Trail (A.T.) volunteers were given the green light to resume Trail maintenance following guidelines offered by the National Park Service and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

Appalachian Trail  Maintenance work was put on pause in late March this year as safety guidelines and procedures were developed to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 among volunteers, hikers, and Trailside communities.    COVID-19 continues to display varied impact throughout the country.  It is possible that some states and public lands might shut down if there are spikes in new cases, and volunteers will abide by all closure orders should they occur.

There are a few issues that volunteers were advised to be aware of as  we begin assessing and repairing any damage to the Trail:

1. Many sections of the footpath have not been monitored or maintained for several months, including obstacles such as bushy/overgrown areas, downed trees across the footpath, or erosion damage from rainstorms.
2. Overgrown sections are also high-risk areas for ticks, so be sure to follow tick bite prevention techniques and perform tick checks frequently.
3. Overnight campers and visitors in parking areas should pay careful attention to potential hazard trees and dead branches overhead.
4. All campers are advised to avoid using shelters and privies along the Trail. Over 200 shelters and privies are still closed by their respective land management agencies, and maintainers have been asked to postpone cleaning these structures until further notice to help keep them safe from potential COVID-19 infection.
5.  If you encounter a downed tree or any other significant maintenance needs on the Trail, please send an email to info@appalachiantrail.org describing the exact location and the type of maintenance needed.

The day included 200 miles of round trip driving.  I left the house at 7:15 AM and was home by 5 PM.  My goal was to be off the mountain by 3 pm when rain was predicted to fall.

I packed rain gear.  I left my chainsaw at home, as my certification has expired.  I filled my biggest external frame pack with hand shears, a lopper, an axe, two hand saws, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. water,  compass, first aid kit,  bug repellant, and a hoe.

Non-motorized success!

My day pack now includes a Garmin Inreach+ GPS/ satellite communication device in case of an emergency.  I am out and about in the woods so much that I pay $12/a month for a service plan.

I was alone all day except for a couple of hikers coming down from spending the night at the Avery Col.

So, even though Dark Sky predicted the 3 pm rain, it started early-  as soon as I exited the car ! Despite wearing my rain jacket, I was soaked by the end of the day, due to rain and me sweating inside the jacket.

All in all, the trail held up well over the winter.

I registered one broken plank on a bridge, cleared four blown-down trees from the trail with my axe and saws, opened up five plugged water bars, and inspected any needs at the campsite.

A Trail crew dealt with this monster obstruction last year

We were advised to refrain from cleaning the outhouse or picking up any trash, due to Covid-19 policies.

I plan to come back within the next month and bring along my weed whacker to dispatch overgrown grasses and brush from first half-mile of the Safford Brook Trailhead.  I’ll probably make an overnight of it, camping at the Safford Notch Campsite after taking in a day hike up to the top of Bigelow.

Did you know that In May 2005, Backpacker Magazine named the Bigelow Range Traverse the tenth most difficult day hike in America in an article entitled America’s Hardest Dayhikes?  Backpacker cited the 17 miles of black flies with attitude and 10,000 feet of elevation gain as reasons for inclusion on the list.-  from Summitpost.org

 

 

 

Riding Vermont’s Kingdom Trails

I’ve just returned from my second camping adventure of 2020 Spring/Summer,  influenced by the ongoing presence of Covid-19.

Last weekend I rejoined my mountain- bike Bubbas in the Woods to return to  Kingdom Trails, located in the northeast corner of Vermont, just across the New Hampshire border. It took 4 hours to drive there, some 200 miles, via Route 2 from my midcoast Maine home.

“The Kingdom Trail network has become a destination for mountain bikers from around the world. Evolving for more than 25 years, the trail system navigates the beautiful landscape highlighting views and destinations with shredding descents and enjoyable climbs! The majority of the trails are single-track with interconnecting double-track that joins all sections from the XC terrain to all -mountain to downhill and lift-accessed trails. You will find a mix of handbuilt rake-and-ride as well as excavated flow and old cart and logging roads.” -Kingdom Trails map

A full-time crew of 10 actively maintains the network to keep it fresh and inviting.

KTAssociation riding is open, but with COVID-19 restrictions:
You are feeling healthy.
You are a resident of Vermont.
You are from a county across New England and New York that has less than 400 active cases of COVID-19 per one million residents(KTA provides maps of these eligible counties online.). Every one of us dozen+ riders met those requirements.

So we were able to go to the next stage, which was :
Read and abide by KTA’s COVID19 Opening Policy.
Purchase an Annual or Monthly KTA Membership online and in advance.
Agree to KTA Ambassadors checking in riders at all designated parking & pinch point locations.

An adult day pass to ride is $35, with an annual pass only $75, which is what I normally buy, because I try to ride/camp there at least 2-3 times a season. I was overjoyed to learn that my list of retirement perks now includes a free Annual Kngdom membership passes for life: “If you are over 70 you can receive a free Annual Membership by emailing us a copy of your ID and mailing address!”

I drove with Andre co-piloting. We masked up for the long car ride, where we made only one brief stop to snag a fresh sandwich from the Polish Princess Bakery in Lancaster, NH.

70 miles of trails were open, with dry and fast conditions for the whole weekend. The three-mile Flower Brook Trail is a brand new one, cutting out miles of travel either in a car or a bike on VT 114. Here’s a brief 2 minute clip featuring the new trail:

 

We rendezvoused with the rest of the gang at a new camping venue for us: Kingdom Farm and Vacation Rentals   We tented at the edge of the large mowed field. The amenities were very good. It is a biker friendly situation. I tented alone,  paying $60 for two nights, including (free clean showers), access to the main building’s common area, and use of the bike tools and a bike washing station. We liked the place so much that we scheduled a return for the last weekend in July. Here a slick gallery of pics from the venue.

The weekend went well for me. Although it was often humid and warm, the temps were not excessive and the nights were cool enough that tenting was comfortable.

I put in nearly 45 miles of riding over a 48 hour period, with half-day rides on Friday afternoon and Sunday morning with a full day of riding on Saturday.  Best of all, I snagged a double digit list of Personal Records (including 8 fastest times), according to Strava. I drove with my co-pilot Andre. We masked up for the long car ride, where we made only one brief stop to snag a fresh sandwich from the Polish Princess Bakery in Lancaster, NH.

Here are the routes for three days’ of KIngdom rides, along with elevation profiles.:

 

Friday Afternoon

Saturday’s Ride

Sunday Morning Ride

Armed with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, two bike bottles full of electrolyte charged water, and my new magic cramp buster product (Pickle juice), I not only survived another exciting weekend of flow-riding, I even thrived!    My riding skills don’t always come to the front these days, but when they do, I’m doubly thrilled to ride the best in the East and actually master sections of trail that I used to fear.

Momentum helps and so does looking down the trail a bit.

photo by Derek Veilleux