Backcountry Adventure with my Son

Heading Out!

My son received an entire set of Sitka Gear Youth wear as a thank you for some work I did last fall so he was excited to “test it out” under field conditions.   I rushed out of the office, we loaded up the truck, and headed out.  It took us about 2hrs to get to the trail head and it was a bit late to load up and begin the trek into where I wanted to get to.

However, he was excited and raring to go so I grabbed the rifle and we went for a short hike. Our short hike turned into a little 2 mile jaunt. He kept wanting to see what was around the next corner and I finally had to remind him that we still had to walk back. Assuming we would only hike a short distance we only had my kit bag and the rifle between us. I was uncomfortable pushing it much further. We snapped a quick picture (pretty light out for almost 9pm!) and headed back.

Evening Hike

I’ve been a truck guy since my first truck at 17 and last year I added a canopy to my Tundra. It was darn nice to be able to simply roll out some bags and grab some zzzs. We had a spirited conversation about “Martin the Warrior” and read a few chapters before bed.  Who knew a mouse with a sword was such a mighty beast!

MSR Reactor

The next morning we fired up the MSR Reactor and took care of breakfast and coffee. It had rained pretty hard during the night and was lightly sprinkling so we rain geared up and headed out.

Hiking In

The next few hours were spent hiking a decent trail and we saw some Harlequin Ducks that absolutely enthralled my son. There were more than a few sections that were extremely rooty. This combined with the rain and mud, made it difficult for my son. Most of the hike was spent in deep forest alongside a major creek. Despite a few falls here and there he kept trekking on and eventually we reached our destination.

Although the hike in was wet, we were blessed with a few moments of calm and were able to get the tent up before the rain and wind started up with a vengeance. The next few hours were spent in the tent battling for the liberation of Marshank with the gang from Redwall. Late in the evening the rain let up enough for us to get a few minutes of glassing in before starting all over again.

Rain and optics don’t always play well and J’man was starting to get cold so we climbed back into the tent, grabbed some dinner, and hit the rack. My son pulled on his Sitka Kelvin Hoody and experienced near instant warmth. Alaska again showed its ferocity as the wind and rain started up again. The next twelve hours were spent in the tent as the rain and wind just hammered us. Thanks to high quality gear we stayed warm and dry and my proven Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 tent weathered the storm like a champ.

Hydration Time

I used the time to review the topos and determined our best chance to get into more “huntable” terrain involved another 4 miles to get around to the back end of the lake.   I looked at my son and realized that although a punched tag would certainly make his day, pushing him that extra distance, and asking him to hike it back, in addition to the miles back to the truck, were too much.   So we utilized breaks in the weather to glass from where we were, threw rocks in the lake, and just hung out. He found the camera a fun way to pass time and 200 some pictures were taken during our short trip.

Hike Out

The weather cleared up that afternoon so we packed up camp.   Although our hike started with light rain we soon shed the rain jackets and enjoyed the time together. I was amazed at the number of questions that could be fired out in such rapidity! 🙂

While the trip, as far as hunting was concerned, was a failure; the time with my son rivaled any other trip. We have been hiking with our kids since they were infants, but he had never spent the night in the back-country, or hiked that many miles in such a few short days. He faced weather, obstacles, was tent bound, and was still happy and excited to be out. I was witness to the man he is becoming and proud of him for sticking with it and remaining positive.

Gear Section:
I wore First Lite’s Boundary Stormtight Jacket and Pants as my rain gear. First Lite’s merino was my base layer and I wore Core4Element’s Switchback Pant. I was wearing mostly Max1 Camo and thought it was an “OK” pattern for the Alaskan Spring, and in the lower elevation and brushy terrain we were in. The gear was hauled in via the Kifaru EMRII Pack.

The Boundary Stormtight pant is new for 2014 for First Lite and is a great compliment to their proven jacket. I really like how the full length zippers allow for easy exit and entry as well as quick ventilation when hiking. Both the jacket and pants dried quickly in the tent; surprisingly so. My only complaint with the rain pants is that the Velcro section on the waist band can put pressure on your hips when running a heavy pack. I mitigated this by pulling the rain gear up high (belly button level vs. waist) and running the pack belt below the pants.

I’ve been using the Stormtight jacket on and off since the Fall of 2013.  Its a solid rain jacket that has met my performance expectations.  The fit is a bit looser than some of its competitors allowing one to utilize First Lite’s layering system and also works well if you want to run a chest holster, Kit Bag, or Binos under your jacket.

My son wore Mt Hardwear rain gear that I am not certain is made anymore. It featured Mt Hardwear’s proprietary fabric. Underneath he wore the Sitka Youth Scrambler Pant. Up top he wore the Sitka Youth Core Mock T and the Scrambler Jacket. For insulation we brought the Sitka Kelvin Hoody, a Lucky Bum Performance Hoody, and a pair of REI Thermal bottoms.   He wore merino socks and Salomon’s Trax Mid Waterproof boots.

Everything performed extremely well for him and we purchased the non-Sitka items via REI’s outlet and Sierra Trading Post. My son took notes on his gear and commented that the rain gear kept him dry and that his system worked well as he did not get sweaty during our hikes. He also commented on the immediate felt warmth of the Sitka Kelvin Youth Hoody and appreciated the Lucky Bum Hoody as a layer.

I picked these items for him as I knew the system would keep him warm and perform in just about anything nature would throw our way.   All of these fabrics were chosen with this in mind. The only negative about his gear is that if you get the Sitka Kelvin Hoody wet, the soft inner fleece lining, takes a long time to dry out.