Step 3: Training, Part 2

As mentioned in an earlier post it's important to do some controlled training before diving head-long into your first adventure ride and in late April I was finally ready for an overnight trial-run with all my newly acquired gear. To be honest, this trip probably wouldn't have happened if not for my wife who continued to "suggest" an overnight trip. Once the weather warmed up a little we selected a Friday night to take the test. Being the very first overnight with all my gear she packed up the SUV with all her stuff and a bag of backup gear for me to use should things come completely off the rails. The site we picked is one we frequent often with kayaks but this would be our first use of their campground: a small state part about 10 minutes from our house. The thinking is that if the whole thing turns into a SNAFU we can pack up and head for home. The route to get there is also a good one with gravel backroads the entire way so it will help give my equipment a chance to settle into the panniers with all the bumps.

Once on location it doesn't take long to setup the tent and load it with clothing and camping gear. I then help my wife setup her tent and load it with much more gear for a comfortable night. Just as the sun begins to set I break out the cooking gear and start on dinner. This evening's fare consists of a 12-year old MRE (and yes, they do expire) and a couple of beers. I follow the instructions carefully and start the self-heating pack but to no avail - the chemicals have lost their potency and barely get warm to the touch so I setup the camp stove, add some water bring it to a slow roil and immerse the remainder of the MRE into the warm bath. It works and before too long I have a grilled chicken breast that was alive around the same time that my oldest motorcycle was being made. Next up was the ranger bar - which was about as tasty as a combination of dry cardboard and sawdust. The remainder of the MRE gets a few nibbles but the majority of it gets tossed along with the mountains of plastic wrappers everything is packaged in. Fortunately my wife also brought a noodle cup so I boiled water and we shared them under the glow of my headlamp. As dinner finishes I start packing up the extra equipment into the panniers (lest a racoon decide to enjoy my leftovers) and turn in. I spend a couple minutes with my wife and our two dogs in her tent just to pass some time with a deck of playing cards before retiring in isolation just a few feet away. It doesn't take long before my camping pad, sleeping bag and remaining gear are setup and I'm sipping on a baby bottle of scotch. It is, afterall, a motoring tradition to end the day with a quality single-malt. A longer trip would warrant a few shots per night from a 750ml bottle but given that this will be no more than a single night a 50ml suffices.

It's Tradition

With my night-cap complete I turn in for what ends up being a restless night. The aforementioned family of racoons does indeed rummage through the trash can adjacent to the site and I've forgotten ear plugs so every cricket, bird and rustle of wind through the trees keeps me up. To make matters worse my camping pad makes an awful squeaking sound against the floor of my tent so as I toss and turn an orchestra of rubber and nylon sing me a symphony of noise all night. The tent itself isn't quite large enough to be comfortable and despite sleeping on a diagonal my feet press against one corner with my skull skimming the surface of the opposite wall. Between my anxiety and the noise I resort to taking a Benadryl which usually puts me under but it's potency misses the mark and only results in leg cramps and a tense annoying pain in my muscles. The tossing, turning and symphony of sounds continues long into the night until finally around 3:00 AM my eyelids weigh heavy and and the sandman visits for short few hours. Long before sunrise the sky begins to lighten and all the birds go on high alert signing their morning songs. The light intensifies and I regret forgetting my sleep-mask; just a few hours of shut-eye is all I'll be awarded tonight. The sounds of nature intensifies and our dogs aren't sleeping either. Every noise is followed by one of our pups growling and my wife yelling "shut it!" over and over to the offending canine. It's becoming clear that I'll be getting no more rest so begin to get dressed and packed. In about 30 minutes all the gear is loaded back into the bike and I'm working on breakfast - instant oatmeal and a granola bar. The camp stove works flawlessly but the mess the meal makes isn't something I can clean campside; it will need to wait until home.

Despite the various hurdles I still call the night a success. We didn't call it quits and head home half way through but there is room for improvement. From the trial run I learn a few things and have a handful of changes to make once I get home:

Keys need better organization. Fumbling for different keys in various pockets isn't working well.
MRE's aren't very good for quick-and-easy meals. We'll keep looking for more efficient options.
I need a better place to keep my boots at night. I can only assume they'll get muddy during the day but leaving them out in the open only invites spiders and other unfriendly critters.
I desperately need a camping sheet between the tent and the camping pad to muffle the sounds as I move about.
Ear plugs and a sleep mask are essential for a light sleeper.
I need to learn how to fold all the gear so it fits in their associated pouches correctly. The equipment takes up more space in my luggage on the trip home than during out-route.
Better organization of the panniers is needed. There are too many things to dig through to get to what I want and re-packing becomes time consuming.
The vestibule of the tent is great but a small pad beneath it at the entrance would help keep the grass and dirt out of the tent itself.
I should bring something to occupy myself once the sun goes down. An iPad or deck of cards should do the trick to pass the time after turning in but before passing out for the night.

Fortunately there were elements of my gear and equipment that worked very well. The pannier lights are perfect - they light up the entire campsite when the luggage is opened. The tent sets up quickly and easily and the camping pad and pillow are easy and quick to air-up. The camp stove is easy to assemble, boils water in under 2 minutes and uses very little fuel in doing so. My flashlight and headlamp are great, last long and use very little battery life so all the hours of research and reading reviews have paid dividends. The bike is also flawless and handles the extra weight of all the gear without complaint despite having the wrong tires for the job.

So overall it's not a great night of rest but the hope is that after a full day of riding the back country trails I'll be much more exhausted and therefore less of a light sleeper. I'm one step closer to being ready to depart for a much longer ride! Here's some pics of the trial night. Stay tuned - we're getting close to launch and it's going to get crazy!