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    Vol Bivouac Across the Alps

    Vol Bivouac literally means “fly camping” though, it is often referred to a “sky camping” in English. I think this is because sky camping just sounds cooler. Sky camping is a form of backpacking where you travel by foot and by (paraglider) wing. On a pure sky camping trip you would not use any form of motorized transport. You fly cross country when the conditions are right, you hike when you can’t fly, camp in the wild at night and are fueled by the spirit of the adventure!

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    The Red Nozzle Ultralight Alcohol Backpacking Stove


    A Super Efficient, Continuous Feed, Compact Alcohol Burner

    I designed the Red Nozzle Stove for my wife and I for a trans-Alps Backpacking trip (well, actually Vol Bivouac trip) that we are planning for the summer of 2011. What we needed was a light, fast, very efficient alcohol stove that would work with our Snow Peak Trek 900 Ti Pots. I have built many cat food and soda can type stoves in the past but, as I started to research designs this time around I fell in love with the idea of a continuous feed compact alcohol burner. After a bit of tinkering the Red Nozzle Stove was born.

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    PCT 2005: Journal Part 3

    Melody:

    On day 38, we climbed under the dominating mass of Mount Lyell, over Donoghue Pass
    and out of Yosemite. What a beautiful stretch we had covered in Yosemite!

    On the South side of Donoghue Pass, we saw a baby marmot. I’m pretty sure that baby
    marmots are the cutest things in the world. OK, baby wombats are up there too. But
    that little thing so pudgy and fuzzy, that I nearly passed out – or was it the
    altitude?

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    PCT 2005: Journal Part 2

    Melody:
    I’ve finally realized that my experience out here rests on my attitude. Today, I
    decided to tweak my daily expectations and to try to resist the pain of all this
    pounding. I guess without realizing it, I had expected less work and more play. Each
    day on the PCT presents more challenges that are impossible to predict. I can never
    guess what will make us suffer on any given day … the sharp pointy rocks, the
    unforgiving heat, the incessant flies? But then, I could never really foresee what
    makes each day so incredible either.

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    PCT 2005: Journal Part 1

    Melody:
    Sitting here in the tent, bundled up in down and sil/nylon, the last few days seem a
    blur of goodness. A great trip spent with my family back east and three more days
    with Sati’s family in the Bay Area are still bringing up memories that make me
    giggle out loud. And we’re both still glowing from our send-off at Mardi’s cozy, new
    home. Good peeps saw us off and some guy with Goolie’s laugh crashed the party and
    no one batted an eye.

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    PCT 2005: Pre-Hike Journal

    Sati:
    Well, it’s official, Melody and I applied for our PCT and Whitney summit permits today and ordered data and guide books for the PCT in California. I can’t believe it, we are really doing it and now the preparations have officially begun. Guess it’s time to start looking at GEAR! 😀

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