Day 62 - Resting in Lake Tahoe

Tuesday June 16

I slept in until 7 AM, although I had hiking dreams of heading uphill. I can't remember exactly, but I woke up a bit tired!

Willy's brother in law, Larry, treated us to breakfast at Bert's Cafe. He then drove us across town to Tahoe Sports. I got a pair of Merrell Moab Ventilator shoes. They feel great and have a wide toe box.

My old shoes, Vasque Pendulum trail running shoes, were supposed to last 800 miles from Kennedy Meadows (south). Unfortunately, the sharp Sierra granite and rocky terrain tore up the sides of the shoes in just 400 miles.

I glued on the small pieces of  velcro which hold my gaiters in place. Now my new shoes are ready to go. 

This afternoon, Willy and I went to the Outfitters. Willy bought a new ULA Circuit backpack. It is slightly lighter than his old one. 

I called a local trail angel and arranged for a ride back to the trail tomorrow morning at 8:30. 

We've had a great rest here in South Lake Tahoe and we're ready to hit the trail again!

Now for a bit of gear commentary. For rain gear, I bought Zpack's lightweight and breathable Challenger jacket. I got the version with armpit zippers for extra ventilation. This is a picture of the coat from their website.

I like the coat because it is very lightweight, and the "eVent" fabric allows water vapor to pass through, as long as it is a cool day. 

However, I have one major complaint. The waterproof front zipper is very difficult to get started. I had to try at least a dozen times to get it engaged. It became so bad that I opted NOT to totally unzip the coat. Rather, I left it partially zipped and simply stepped out of it when taking it off. This solution is not satisfactory for me, but at least I can put the coat on without the frustration of trying to engage the zipper. For a coat that costs $290, I feel that the zipper should function correctly. 

I wore this jacket in both snow and rain. When hiking and perspiring heavily, I did get wet from the perspiration, so the "breathability" of the fabric is not 100%, nor is it claimed to be. In the rain, I never wore it long enough to see if it would "wet through", although Zpacks claims the coat to be waterproof. The jacket works extremely well as a windbreaker and the hood has an effective design for rain and wind. 

If I had to make a rain jacket purchase again, I would get something with a better front zipper, even if it meant more weight. I don't know if others have experienced this same problem, but it is extremely frustrating for me.