Pre-Hike Gear Test

The other day a fellow Oregonian/PCTer named Bryce and I took a stroll up Eagle Creek to camp for a night and field-test our gear. The plan was to camp at Wahtum Lake (about 12 miles in) and then hike back to Cascade Locks via the PCT (15 miles out). Even though the weather looked like it was getting better, we hit a ton of snow and after post holing for a couple miles, we called it quits 1 mile before the lake. The snow was up to our knees, and the absence of  snowshoes made the trek very difficult. The sun was setting so we decided to camp in the snow at around 3100ft. Needless to say it was a cold night and I learned that my 'PCT system' needs some tweaking.

Sleeping socks: Dry socks designated only for sleeping/camp is a must (hiking with wet socks all day does nasty things to your feet)
Food Selection: That night I cooked a bland pasta dish that I mixed with tuna, olive oil, and some Pizza Hut pepper packets.. I need to read-up more about food selection, but then again I feel this will work itself out on the trail.
On the plus side, I love my sleeping bag! It kept me cozy and warm during the night.

Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with my setup, but still need more field testing.... only 18 more days until I'm stuck with what I got :)

Bryce and I waking up to a cold & wet Cascade morning... Very difficult to climb out of my bag.

Crossing Tunnel Falls on Eagle Creek (alternate PCT route, where most thru-hikers travel)... very wet but always amazing