I stopped by Mission Trails regional park yesterday to see what sort of havoc the rain was doing to the park.  I expected some water, but was stunned as to how high the water level had risen.  The Mission Dam was under water.  The pictures do better at explaining just how high the San Diego River had risen.

The entrance to the grasslands on the east side of the park

The old Mission Dam is somewhere under all this water

Another view of the dam

The bridge over the river to Oak Canyon

Another view of the bridge

Late this summer and early into to fall, we had a group of friends attempt to tackle the John Muir trail; all 211 miles of it.  With the grueling nature of this trail we at Outside San Diego decided to send along a little gear with these guys to see how it held up to the abuse heaped upon it during the grueling almost month long hike.

One of our testers brought along a couple of pairs of Darn Tough Vermont Merino wool hiking socks.  In my opinion wool is one of the best ways to go when you are putting a bunch of miles on the trail over multiple days.  Merino wool does not stink up a quickly as many synthetics I have used, and they are as comfortable as anything on the market. They wick like no other fabric,  and tend to be pretty durable.

The Darn Tough lived up to their moniker and remained tough on the trail.  While they did not make it through to the end of the trail for reasons unrelated to the socks, they were ready to take on much more, and continue to pull hiking duty on a regular basis.  While these are not the fanciest sock on the market, they are good quality well cushioned socks that have all the right technology to function just as they were intended; as hiking socks.

DCRainmaker.com is giving away a Timex Global Trainer on Thursday October 14, 2010.  To enter simply post a comment on his blog,  and someone will be coming home with this cool GPS enabled fitness watch.

While this watch is primarily designed to use a fitness training aid,  I see real potential in this type of gear while hiking.  First, it is programmable to display different screen, such as altitude, speed, distance etc:  All sorts of GPS and non GPS generated data that would be cool to have at your fingertips while hiking.  Second,  you can come home and download your routes,  and manipulate these routes all sorts of ways using Google Earth and other programs.  You can even track how you were performing during the hike, including pace and heart-rate.   All this combined in a watch that you would already be wearing.   It is true, that a unit like this is not going to allow you to navigate,  but you are also not carrying an extraneous piece of equipment on the trail.

What do you think?   Would a GPS training watch be a benefit to hikers?

Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp/Push Bicycle Light

Princeton Tec is introducing a new headlamp called the Byte.  This $19.99, 64 gram wonder is perfect for throwing in your back pocket during a day hike, or tossing into your pack for that multi-day adventure.  They claim up to 146 hours on a charge, and best of all it comes with an integrated LED.   I did a review of it’s big brother  the Princeton Tec Remix several months ago,  and if the Byte performs as well it will be a winner.

In addition to the Byte,  Princeton Tec is introducing the Push Bicycle light for those looking to ride the trail or asphalt in low light conditions.  This single unit light has red LEDs on the side to help create a 260 Degrees of visibility. The push is going for $49.99

I am so excited to see the winter season coming in, as it opens up a whole new world to us Southern Californians; The Anza Borrego Desert. If you have been keeping up with Outside San Diego for a while you know that the seemingly barren wasteland of the Anza-Borrego is one of my favorite places on earth. It is paradise on a micro scale. What seems to be emptiness is really a place teaming with life and filled with diversity. You just need to slow down and look carefully to see it. This is perhaps the reason I crave time in this desert, it forces you to slow down, and repace yourself from the frenzy we call modern life. I know when I step out of my vehicle after arriving into the desert, I literally can feel my head spinning in the vast silence that surrounds me. With concerted effort I can slow myself down and integrate myself into the silence.

The Anza Borrego is an unforgiving environment, and with that in mind it is critical to be prepared for just about anything. I have hiked in the afternoon sweating away in the ninety degree heat, only to set up camp to freezing rain and an unbelievable wind chill. One of the things I alway carry in my winter trips in the desert is a light weight way to stay warm if the weather turns cold. We think of deserts as hot places, but in reality they are places of extremes, and when it gets cold it gets really cold, just as when it gets hot it gets really hot.

The insulation piece I carried through most of this last winter was the Mountain Hardwear Nitrous Hooded Jacket. This extremely packable featherweight 800-fill power down jacket packed down to grapefruit size, and was (pun intended) light as a feather. Whats better it came with a hood to keep my noggin warm as well.

The jacket has been through a lot of trips in various environments, and has held up very well. In fact it still look pretty close to new despite being stuffed in every conceivable nook in my pack, roughly yanked out to get me warm, and then unceremoniously stuffed back in a dark corner. The jacket has been my impromptu pillow for numerous nights, and has even graced my 5-year old daughter as an warm dress as she pranced through the unexpectedly cold Laguna Mountains. When I received the jacket, I had some concern as to the durability of the fabric, as it was thin and soft, the last six months have proven this to be unfounded.

The Nitrous Down Hooded Jacket is not the most substantial insulation piece on the market, but it will keep you warm and comfortable when the thermometer drops. I have worn this jacket down to the mid-teens, and have been comfortable. The narrow horizontal baffles help keep the down spread evenly across the torso and arms, and make the jacket efficient. The hood also adds to the warmth factor and is big enough to wear over a helmet, but does not have any method of cinching it around the face to keep put the breeze.

The fit of the Nitrous Jacket is meant to be close. There is no room in the cut of this jacket to fit bulky layers underneath. In opinion, the jacket would benefit from a looser cut, allowing more flexibility when layering. Perhaps I should get narrower instead? The good part of the close cut, is that is does fit under a waterproof shell without bunching and pinching. I would suggest that you go one size up for all but the thinnest builds.

If you are looking for a light, warm technical insulation piece that will not break your back or fill up your pack, the Mountain Hardwear Nitrous Hooded Jacket may be the ticket to keeping you warm in the backcountry.

I have been using Leki’s Corklite trekking poles throughout the spring and summer, and can officially say I have put a lot of miles on these poles, and I like them.

This last year Leki introduced the new “speedlock” system to the collapsible joints on their poles, which significantly enhanced their speed and reliability. The old system which used in internal compression fitting which you had to spin the shaft of the poles in order to get them to lock, was always unreliable, and prone to user error. I could not count the number of time I had to stop to figure out why my trekking poles were not working only to realize that I was spun the shaft too far in the open position, and the fitting inside was not engaging. I then had to pull apart the poles and tighten down the fitting to get it to work. Way to much when one is itching to get on the trail. The new “speedlock” system uses external clamps which are easy to operate, and clearly show the user when they are and are not engaged.

Beyond the locking system, the Leki Corklite AERGON poles feature segmented aluminum shafts, comfortable plastic and cork handles, durable “Carbide Flextips”, and interchangeable baskets.

Trekking poles are not something that go with me on every dayhike, but they are indispensable when I am carrying a backpack, or on very rough terrain. This year the Leki Corklite Aergon trekking poles have been with me a lot, and I have put a lot of miles on them. They have seen duty in the desert, the mountain, and even in the snow. They have held up perfectly despite the numerous times I have abused them. As I mentioned before, I am not a big fan of the old locking system used by Leki, to the point I would avoid their poles. My opinion has changed since the new Speedlock system, and these poles are now my go to set when I am headed out the door on a backpack.

I really like the feel of the cork inserts in the handles, and the tips to not show any significant wear. These poles are functional without being complicated. There is no shock absorption, or other bells and whistles that in my opinion get in the way of the function of a trekking pole; support. If you are looking for a good set of poles that are easy to use and will be with you for the long haul, take a look at the Leki Corklite AERGON Trekking Poles.

DC Rainmaker is giving away a piece of gear that I have been lusting after for a long time now. The Garmin Forerunner 310XT is a multi-sport GPS device that can be used to track the most minute details of a workout. You only have a couple of days to sing up for the contest, so get over there soon.

Here is the link for the contest, so get over there by tomorrow and sign up.

If you are looking for a review of the Forerunner 310XT,  he does the most comprehensive review I have seen,  get it here:  Forerunner 310XT

It’s time to think about backpacking in the Anza-Borrego Desert again.  While it still is really hot out there,  it is never to early to get geared up.  Here are a few deals that make it hard  to resist picking up a little something.

I really love it when great local companies give back to our wonderful San Diego Community. Runningskirts is an Encinitas based company that is sponsoring a weekly fun run. Here are the details from them.

RunningSkirts weekly fun runs kickoff!

Thursdays….
6:00 p.m. @ RunninngSkirts
676 2nd Street
Encinitas, CA 92024

Calling all skirts & all paces, our fun runs are lead by our own Skirthusiasts (coaches)! We’ll take you on our favorite beachfront & coastal runs each week.

* Stroller Moms
* Expecting Moms
* Marathon Moms
* Speedy Skirts
* Newbee Skirts
* Walker Skirts

Sponsored by Utlima Replenisher!

We’ll be giving away FREE running skirts weekly and tons of gear giveaways. Join us for the kickoff tonight and receive a special goody bag! (while supplies last)!

Teva hooked me up a little while ago with a pair of Forge Pro Multi-Sport shoes. These are the same pair that Survivalist (lucky) Gavin McInnes host of the Survivalist series on Youtube is sporting in the new season.

These shoes have been working out well for me as an all around run around suddenly have the urge to hit the trail shoe.  They blend in in the city,  not screaming out outdoor geek,  but perform admirably while dayhiking on the trail.  The offer enough support and rock protection, while breathing well enough that my feet are not bathed in blister inducing sweat.  The soles are a little bulky for my taste, but do provide good cushioning, and protection on rough rocky trails.  They  are plenty grippy,  and seem to be wearing really well after a moderate number of trail miles.  These shoes are going to see some miles both off road and on road, as I navigate both the urban jungle and the backcountry.

Now if you are looking for a real bad-a** survivalist for a little advice,  be sure to check out Gavin McInnes who makes Bear Grylles look like a college professor.