1st S240'er o'11

 Jon, Justin, and I had a quickie last night. We left Rocket Market at 6 pm and we were home by 9 am. We've not yet achieved the S12O, but we're getting closer and this may be the year we make it happen.

We went south of town to a not-strictly legal spot. But we decided that in the spirit of the destination, it was legal. Justin got his Rawland muddy, which caused him some mild discomfort. He was big about it though. Keeping his comments to a minimum while mostly twitching and gritting his teeth silently as we slogged through the muddy bits.

The destination is a good one and has promise if we can find just the right spot -- with a view but out of view. We're still in search of the holy grail: a spot close in to town with a great view and easy dirt access.

We missed Pat: I wished I had more food. Jon wanted more beer, and I think Justin mentioned something about dessert. Or maybe that was me too. In any case, Pat would've had all that and more in his bottomless panniers. But alas, Pat was in Walla Walla where he may or may not have been celebrating what was or was not his 50th birthday. We forgot to toast that event, though it was something I meant to do as we set off earlier in the day. Dang it.

GoLite Shangri-La shelter. Word. This is a review deal. More on that later, but I think this is the one. It's a shelter/shell and you have the option of tying in the floor/bug part. It's light. It wants trekking poles, but has loops for tying off to something higher. I dig it.

 I'm becoming a regular GoLite shill. The quilt is a winner too.

In stark contrast to my multi-hundred dollar sleeping solution,  Jon has the super minimalist high-value DIY set up. That's the window shrink-plastic stuff that apparently is all the rage on the ultra-light backpacking forums (~$5). I use it for my ground cover. Not pictured: the military surplus super Goretex bivy ($50) with room to sit cross-legged.

The bike there is an old Trek (400?) that Glen brazed 650b canti-posts onto. He may have added a bit more clearance in the back too.

Justin's set up: a bag with a tarp. Old school and mega points for non-fussery.

Note that Justin was finished with dinner and starting his second beer by the time Jon and I were finished fussing around with our shelters.

Final shot. It got to mid-30's last night with a tiny early-morning sprinkle of rain. Thanks to the Buffalo Trace and the TenFidy we all survived.