Anthony Galluscio Trekking Poles Review

• Item: Trekking Poles
• Quantity: 1 Pair
• Make: Black Diamond
• Model: Alpine Trekking Pole, Carbon Cork, 62.5-130cm
• Cost: $159.00
• Weight: 17 oz
• Rating: Excellent
• Notes: I have now hiked over 100 miles using these Black Diamond trekking poles. Originally, when I was prepping for my Foothills Trail thru-hike, my daughter, Katie, had to talk me into adding trekking poles to my gear list (Thanks Katie, I love you). I don’t know why but for some reason I had put trekking poles in the same category as umbrellas and snuggies, neither of which you normally see Marines use. Wow, was I wrong! These trekking poles quite literally saved my life twice that I can think of when I was miles from nowhere.  Also, these poles help me keep my balance when my spinal arthritis invariably flares up.

The first time these trekking poles saved my life, I was hiking along the foothills trail alone in the morning when the sun was just starting to break the horizon. I felt the pole hit something that moved rapidly. I stopped dead in my tracks as saw that I had just hit a copperhead with my trekking pole.  If I had not had the trekking poles, I would have hit that snake with my foot and I probably would have been bitten. See below for a picture I took.

The second instance when the trekking poles saved my life is actually a category containing many instances where I would likely have lost my balance without the poles. There were many times when I was negotiating steps or a dead-fall on a steep incline. When I would lose my footing, I would invariably catch myself using one of the poles. Imagine taking a tumble down the steps below and waiting a couple days for someone to come along. With these poles I avoided that!

While the instances above describe when the trekking poles “saved my life”, I supposed that could be said for any type of poles. However, these poles are outstanding. The pros are that they are lightweight, adjustable for any hiker, easy to set up, comfortable, and very durable. The only con is that you have to make sure you have the tension set properly on the screws that keep the poles from collapsing or the poles will get progressively shorter as you use them. Once you overcome that, there is nothing else negative I can think of to say about these poles. These poles are excellent and I would not go hiking without them.

 

• Link: https://goo.gl/ssFl90

Florida Trail Aucilla River Section

Quick Facts

• Distance: 14.8 miles
• Duration: 1.5 days
• Difficulty: Easy
• Terrain: Primarily flat forest with some water crossings
• Human Impact: Heavy impact due to many access roads near the trail
• Location: Florida Panhandle southeast of Tallahassee
• Start: Aucilla Northern Trailhead: 30.25587, -83.86396
• End: Aucilla Southern Trailhead: 30.18519, -83.93732
• Dates: February 4-5, 2017

Getting Started

I met my son (Bobby), my daughter (Katie), and Katie’s boyfriend (Miguel) for a very scenic hike of the Aucilla River Section of the Florida Trail. The “kids” live in Gainesville, FL so I met them there and we caravanned to the Southern Trailhead where we left my truck. We then drove to the Northern Trailhead and hiked south from there.

Northern Section

We started out hiking down an access road. We missed the first trail marker and ended up hiking about a mile out of the way. However, once we got onto the actual trail the orange blazes were easy to follow. The only time it was at all difficult was at the very beginning when we were hiking through some controlled burn areas and some of the orange blazes had turned white. Once we realized that, it was not a problem.

The Northern Section primarily follows the winding Aucilla river. There are some beautiful views of the river and you are rarely ever far from the river.

About half way through the first day we came to some rapids that seemed bigger than other rapids I have seen in Florida.

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One of the landmarks you will pass along the way is Burnt Bridge. You can’t miss it.

We decided not to camp at the South Aucilla River Camp Site. That camp site was quite littered with beer cans and paper. Needless to say we moved on up the trail to a cleaner campsite.

Southern Section

The next morning we got a late start because we only had 6.4 miles to go. This is where it really starts to get interesting. The river actually disappears under ground. We saw a large beaver here making its home in the driftwood and debris. Note there is a lot of trash that floats down the river and collects here. We marked this site mentally for a possible future cleanup.

Hiking the South section of the trail there are many many places where the river reappears, called “sinks.” We lost count of the sinks and the scenery on this section of the hike makes the hike worth it. Here are some noteworthy pictures.

The  Aucilla Sink Campground is really nice. There is even a bench there!

After leaving the Aucilla Sink Camp site we hiked through some beautiful pine tree and palmetto forest.

The End

We got back to my truck around noon on the second day.  This was a good hike. We ended at Longsuffering Road. Hilarious!

Many thanks to Rick and Brenda Harris for this excellent article that inspired us to take this hike: http://www.cherokeehikingclub.org/special%20aucilla.htm

Anthony Galluscio Water Purifier Review

• Item: Water Purifier
• Quantity: 1
• Make: SteriPEN
• Model: Adventurer Opti UV Water Purifier
• Cost: $90.00
• Weight: 4.875 oz
• Rating: Excellent
• Notes: I hiked for seven days starting with only two full one-liter Nalgene bottles. I estimate that between cooking and drinking, I consumed approximately four liters of water per day. That means that I used this water purifier to purify more than twenty liters of water on the hike. The water came from many different sources including a running stream, a puddle, runoff from a cliff face, and a lake.  I take arthritis medication that suppresses my immune system, and I did not get sick using this device.

The device is super simple to use. All you have to do is turn it on for one liter of water and stir your water until it turns off and blinks green after ninety seconds. There is also a setting for a half liter, but I did not use that setting because I have one-liter bottles.

The pros of this device is that it is light, easy to use, works well, and works quickly. The only con is that it has a battery that could run out so you may need to have a backup system or extra battery. However, my overall assessment is that this water purifier is excellent.

• Link: https://goo.gl/v51rV7

Anthony Galluscio Backpacking Tent Review

• Item: Backpacking Tent
• Quantity: 1
• Make: Big Agnes
• Model: Fly Creek HV UL mtnGLO Tent: 1-Person, 3-Season, Gray/Silver
• Cost: $399.00
• Weight: 36.125 oz
• Rating: Good
• Notes: This backpacking tent has LED lighting that lights the inside of the tent and makes it visible from the outside in the dark. I was initially unsure that I would trade this kind of convenience for the cost of additional weight. However, upon further inspection, the lighting does not seem to add much to the weight (probably on the order of single digit ounces).  Furthermore, I find the lighting useful when camping in the woods on a moonless night. I really like having the lighting to find my way back easily if I have to leave the tent in the middle of the night.  Therefore, I am glad I purchased the version with the built-in lighting.

Another feature I like about this tent is that it is free standing, but can be staked down. You can pick the tent up still on the frame and shake it out before storing it, which helps minimize maintenance. This tent is very easy to set up and the instructions are super easy to follow. Additionally, you have the option of pitching only the rain fly if you so chose.

The pros of this tent are that it is light, durable, easy to set up, and will keep you dry.  Also, the quality and construction of this tent is excellent. On the con side I find this tent to be very small, my pack does not fit very well in the vestibule and definitely will not fit inside the tent with me. Overall, I like this tent enough that I am not in the market for a different one. The size is the only reason I give this tent a “good” instead of an “excellent.”

• Link: https://goo.gl/6GXnKV