Mt Stevens and a week at Scout camp!

I spent last week at summer camp with the Boy Scouts from my troop.  We had a good week and the boys seemed to really enjoy themselves.  The weather started out hot and humid but cooled off nicely by mid week and was beautiful.  The only real significant rain we had was later Friday night and everyone was already in bed.  Summer camp is always fun with a lot of walking, joking, working on merit badges and eating and this year was no exception.

My morning view of the camp site

One of the highlights for me was climbing Mt. Stevens. The trail is fairly short, it was a 3.8 mile round trip from my campsite, but the climb is fairly steep from the get go.  The summit of Stevens is 2162' and offers great views of Brant Lake and the peaks to the west.  Gore Mt. is easily picked out with its ski slopes showing clearly.

It is a well maintained trail and easily followed.  As you ascend you get a few views through the trees.  The summit is a popular place to have lunch or take a break.  There are times when groups from camp will spend the night on the mountain.  That must be great, I will have to look into staying up there next year for a night.  

At this time the second trail up the mountain is closed and so we hiked back the way we went up.  It was an easy descent and we made good time.  Looking forward to next years week of camp and hiking more in this area.  Maybe getting into the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness again.

Kelty Redwing 32 daypack

I have been thinking that it was time to upgrade my daypack for awhile and with a trip planned to New Hampshire I decided that now was the time.  I had looked around and settled on the Kelty Redwing 32.  It is a little bigger than the Outdoor Products 26L pack I have been using and offers some other features found on bigger packs that I liked.

From the Kelty website, the description for the Redwing 32 states;

Seize the day with ease! Our iconic Kelty Built Redwing houses plenty of storage to hold your gear for a day in the woods or commute around town. With a U-zipper for convenient access to everything in the main compartment, durable lightweight aluminum suspension to balance loads, and an airflow vent for added comfort, you can carry a lot with little effort. Make life simpler by making this pack a part of your everyday routine.

This pack features a HDPE framesheet that provides load transfer and support.  The larger Redwings also have an aluminum stay for support.  The suspension has a hip belt, a sternum strap and load stabilizer/compression straps.  For the pack, it has panel loading which allows for both top loading or front loading.  There are a number of pockets, 2 side pockets, a front pocket, top pocket, and the large main pocket and water bottle pockets on both sides.  Daisy chain, ax loop, and a carry handle. 

Features I liked about the pack.  The hip belt and frame sheet did provide support for those times I carried a little extra.  There was plenty of room for all of my gear and food without stuffing it overfull.  I liked the top/front panel loading, it made it easier to find things in the pack when I was on the trail, as well as easier to pack at home.  The compressions straps held everything in place.  I really like the fact I can reach my water bottles on both sides and put them back without stopping and taking the pack off.  It rode well and fit my body well.  I think my torso length may be just outside the recommended range, but it still felt fine on the trail.

Things that could be better.  The frame sheet makes it a little hot, even with the airflow panel.  Better airflow would help.  It says it is water bladder compatible, which I did not use.  But I saw no hole for the hose to go through which would mean sticking it out the zipper.  

All in all I think this is a good pack for longer day hikes where you need to carry just a little more.  It rode well and handled the weight and gear I put in it.  I will be putting this pack to the test more and expect it will continue to perform well where ever I go with it.

Here is the link.

www.kelty.com/product/redwing-32

Disclaimer:  Andy Fenn purchased the Kelty Redwing 32 with his own money.