Adirondack Peeks Summer 2023

different backpacks over the years, but I mostly used a ULA Catalyst 75L and I love it. And I really liked my down booties. I could run out of the lean-to in the middle of the night without having to get my sweaty boots on. I wore a pair of Baffin Borealis boots which I love for these trips; they’re great with a removable liner. They only make them for men, so if you have a women’s size 9, you will fit in their smallest men’s boot. I love them so much I even wrote the company a letter recommending they make the boots for women. They are great for winter backpacking. I used a bag graded for minus-20 degree—and that's the survival rating, not a comfort rating—and I brought two sleeping pads: a closed cell, accordion-style mat and an inflatable Therma-A Rest pad. Based on their R-value for insulation, I needed both. Keep in mind in the winter, just bringing an inflatable can be risky if something goes wrong and it punctures. It’s there for comfort, but also to keep you warm from the ground. Having both is security and it’s not much more weight to carry the accordion and you can sit on it for lunch. SR: Which map or GPS did you use? MG: I always carry a physical map. I love maps, and I used the National Geographic for this hike. I don't love that one because it misses a lot of the campsites, but I like it because it shows the whole picture, more than just the trail itself. SR: How about a personal locator beacon? MG: Yeah, we had a Garmin Inreach with us, so we were able to communicate with emergency contacts, ride pickups. We were strict about using it, no personal texting or anything. No one was checking in, asking what’s for dinner, are you doing well, are you cold? There was no time for that, and you can't take your fingers out of your gloves and easily type anyway. So, it was only on a need-to-know basis, mostly just where we were camping. We did turn on the tracking so people could follow us throughout the day,

SUMMER 2023 | 11