the gear

Sept. 1, 2009

Four days without a conventional shower. Here’s how we’re getting by: the Sea to Summit Pocket Shower, the Pocket Rocket 4 oz stove, the ENO Double Nest Hammock, and the Voltaic solar-powered backpack.

After pedaling up a tree-lined highway, we reached a look-out point and there it was: the Grand Canyon. The Southern Rim. Sun rays cascaded through the clouds like a waterfall into the abyss of layered rocks and sheer cliffs. We continued our ride around the rim. Biking until night neared. After picking a dense area of trees off the highway, we found a flat spot to pitch the tent. Time to make house. I pulled out the pocket shower (a compressible bag with a shower head), dumped in two water bottles, then heated a pot on the stove to add to the mix. We put down a tarp to keep our feet clean and used biodegradable soap to bathe. With the remaining water, I washed my biking shorts and shirt, then hung them on the line to dry. After taking down the shower, I strung the hammock between two trees and Bree and I swayed with the breeze. Once thoroughly relaxed, Bree made us tea on the stove, and then we combined our kitchen skills to rehydrate black beans with cheese quesadillas and tobasco sauce. Meanwhile, the solar-paneled backpack recharged our cell phones in time to text our mothers our whereabouts before crawling into the tent.