First and foremost, we learned that hikers help and support one another. One other camper/hiker even offered to pump water for us, so that we didn't have to have the taste of the tablets we had brought instead... it was a cheaper option and we are broke college students alright.
The next morning was Easter, and we woke up to early hikers making the summit. We talked to one hiker who was taking a break, and we discussed how you have to pace yourself, and not be ashamed to face your limits. Before she left, she ended up giving us two Easter Eggs... awesome. :) Thank you lady!
We did end up facing our limitations and decided to head down instead of making the summit. That was the best for both of us, Kim with her back, and me with my rehabbed ankle.
Camping- Kim's first time!!! Poor thing, it got so cold at night. I did not take into consideration that the temperature drops in higher altitude.. so the night temp at the bottom of the trail was expected to be in the 30's F, at around 5000-6000 ft. We were at 9000 ft, so give or take 10/15 degrees at the least. Cold. We ended up opening our emergency space blankets, and those little things work miracles! Our tent also got wet quickly, so condensation and precipitation were other factors we didn't take into consideration.
My mummy bag was great, and kept dry, and the head part kept my head warm. Kim, on the other hand, had a normal square sleeping bag, that didn't contain heat too well. Again, poor girl. The mats and tent definitely helped though. This is a must.
Also, I need to invest in layers for sleeping. Kim brought a sauna suit, which was light, and actually worked well at containing heat. I was reading that a silk insert can also help at this point.
Out packs... too heavy. 30-35 pounds. On the way down, I took some of the extra weight in my bag. Part of the training I was able to do, was to hike with 30 pounds on my back. The first time I did 10 miles with 30 pounds, I remember being so tired, uncomfortable, and in lots of pain with the bruising. My hiking buddy was feeling this for the first time, while in higher elevation, tired, and hungry.
There are many ways to reduce the weight in our bags, and the biggest way was to invest in a water filter and not bring up as much water as we did. We also need to bring more higher calorie foods, that are also lighter Our bags themselves, are a bit on the heavy side, and that can be taken care of sometime in the future, when we can afford to spend around 300 on a bag. My friend needs to invest in a proper, and lighter sleeping bag though. The expense makes it difficult.
