Long Trail Training Shakedown, Day 2
04/12/2026
Early morning
Sleep was a difficult task during the night. I expected this, my first night in the forest of the season is usually restless. The wind remained constant throughout the night and into the early hours of the morning. It stays at 17 mph and with gusts over 3o mph in most cases. As the wind howled over the top of Passaconway, I stayed comfortable in my 20-degree synthetic bag and liner. My tent site seemed to be well protected, as I experienced much less pushing and moving from my tent than in similar climates during previous trips.
As I lay there in the early hours of the morning preparing to encounter the raw elements. I wasn’t quite ready to break camp. So I stayed in my tent for a while, waiting for the first rays of sun. Knowing this would bring more bearable temperatures. While I was waiting for the first hints of light, I checked the weather reports from the previous night and realized that I had experienced sub-zero temperatures with a real feeling of 19 degrees. This gave me yet another reason to stay until the sunlight. I knew then that the water spots I experienced during the hike would probably be ice for the hike out if I left too early, and I may have even found the hike more technical.
Tomorrow
The sun began to break through the trees and I felt a dramatic change in temperature. It was time to get to work. I followed my normal routine of getting dressed for the day, hydrating, stretching lightly in the tent, and packing my backpack. I located my boots and quickly realized that my wet boots had frozen solid. This made me grateful for dry wool socks. Although I quickly realized that any free time would work against me. The frozen boots quickened my pace as I broke camp and by 08:00 I was on my way. After a quick goodbye and exchange of information with my new friends.
Shortly after leaving camp, while walking along the Passaconway shortcut, I ate shit. I was looking around without paying attention to my balance and I slipped to the side. At that time I was very grateful for my years of training martial arts. Touching the ground and knowing how to deal with it is not a new concept to me, and my training kept me safe.
The first 1.7 miles were an icy technical monorail. Then it started to break down into drier patches, icy patches, and eventually softer patches. The last 3 miles I managed to keep a steady and ambitious pace. At 11:00 I arrived at the trailhead and saw my welcome truck. I only took two breaks to remove layers, each of which was brief. By the time I reached the trailhead, temperatures had risen to a beautiful 53 degrees with a cloudless blue sky. I immediately took advantage of the sunny parking area and put my gear in the bed of my truck. I dried my tent footprint and shook off the dirt from the inner body of the tent. I aired out my sleeping bag and repacked my backpack leaving only my dirty clothes and items that needed tending to at home.
Late
I took my time at the trailhead intentionally and carefully packing and caring for my gear, which gave me one less thing to do at home and more time to catch up with my wife. At noon he was already on his way home. I was glad I had minimized the usual pre-trip grooming and gear changing. Traffic was light and manageable the entire trip and I was home before 1:30 p.m. I spent an hour cleaning and getting settled before spending some much-needed time with my wife and dogs.
“Here and now, where everything begins.”
Until next time
Minuteman
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