We made our 20-mile goal today, plus some! Besides that, it was below freezing all day – in the 20’s!
We started by having some slight bladder problems. Mine froze, and mom’s leaked. Our hydration bladders, of course! About 10 minutes from the house my hose was frozen solid. No more water for me! So my mom shared her water with me until all of a sudden all we were getting was air from hers. So we made a stop on the side of the road and checked it out. Where her hose comes out of the bladder, the screw-on top came loose, and her entire contents of water had leaked out into the inside of her backpack. Oopsy! So I think I need to invest in an insulated sleeve for our hoses in cold weather, and mom will never have a loose cap again! We certainly learned some valuable lessons today!
My grandma had french toast and bacon waiting for us at her house at 10:00 (9 miles from our start point), so that was a great stop. And oh my – was it ever yummy! Thanks Grandma!! J She also let us thaw our bladders and dry my mom’s damp contents from in her pack. Whew. Lifesaver!
So we did it! 21.9 miles in cold weather. But I won’t lie… we have a few sore muscles. J We still have quite a bit more training to do. It gets easier each time we go, though!
For those that might not be familiar with a hydration bladder, there is a picture below. They go on the inside of our backpacks and hold almost 2 liters of water. Then the hose comes out the top of our packs and makes for easy access to water while we hike -- without having to stop and reach for a bottle then try to drink and walk at the same time.
~Robin
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