2 April 2020 Went Ham at The North Face... My Gear Closet Needed an Update

Even though I'm grouped with the teachers and researchers going to the arctic, I'm technically going to the subarctic. Technicalities, I know. It has to do with a specific latitude. If I were to be more specific, I'd tell you I'm going to the Boreal forests of the subarctic. Even more specifically, the Kluane Lake region in Canada. There are two research stations there, and they face each other directly across a small, remote dirt landing strip. Pretty exotic, if you ask me.

I won't be traversing sheets of ice like my good friend and fellow PolarTREC educator, Erin Towns, will be. I won't be on a ship out at sea, looking at icebergs and glaciers. Nope, I'll be right at home in a northern forest, among the mountains and lakes in the alpine region. If you know me, which some of you do, you know this is my jam. I love the mountains, the deep wilderness. So, while someday I do want to see the glaciers- particularly before they're gone- and while it would be fairly neat to spend months on a research vessel, my researcher, Dr. Jennie McLaren and I, matched up for a reason or two. One of those reasons is that I have fairly expansive experience in the woods.

Along with years of experience in the woods, I also have a decent gear closet. The gear that I've amassed over the decade plus I've been hiking, mountaineering, rock climbing, surfing, and ice climbing is all pretty technical. I've got the basic stuff for camping- you know, tents, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, cook stove, tarps, etc. When I started doing more extreme adventuring, like trad and sport climbing and ice climbing, a whole new closet of gear was needed: Harnesses, ropes, pro, screws, biners, slings, ice picks, helmets, etc. Once I got into surfing, the gear closet actually turned into my garage because no one wants to store smelly wetsuits inside a closet, and our surfboard quiver was a bit too large for that, anyway.

On the flip side, I actually don't own that much for clothing. I mean, I have enough to get me outside during the coldest of Maine and New Hampshire winters, which is saying something, I guess, but it was all pretty old. I mean, as a broke college student I spent all my money on gear and outdoor clothing, and gas to get me where I wanted to go. But, as I grapple with getting older (I'm at the ripe old age of 31!) I realized that those outdoor clothes were fine a decade or more ago, but they're pretty worn and could use some replacing.

Which is how I found myself at the North Face about a month ago during an enormous sale. Now, my history as a traveling climber and dirtbag means that I love cheap stuff. I mean, I would never skimp on climbing pro or anything like that- that stuff is expensive, and it probably should be. But hundreds of bucks for pants? Seventy five bucks for gloves? Come on, that's nonsense.

So, I got a notification in my email that North Face was having a blowout sale. I, ever so full of hesitation and cynicism, hauled myself down to Freeport where the nearest store was, and went absolutely ham at the store. I mean, someone handed me a giant mesh bag and told me the whole store was 25%-75% off. I filled that bag and then some, and walked out of North Face with a brand new, entirely full wardrobe of layers, gloves, hats, socks, pants, jackets, a new sleeping bag (it was $19, you can't not do that!), a tent, and a really cute knit hat with a pom pom on top... just because.

Usually when I spend my money, I spend it on our farm or travel. I'm going to lump this expenditure under "travel." My researcher, Dr. McLaren sent me a list of things she recommends that her research team travel with. Being from the northern part of the country, I'm well-versed in negative twenty degree weather with serious windchill, cold precipitation. And, being a farmer during those winters, I'm also well-versed in the concept of layering your clothing. Because if you're moving around and working in the cold, you're bound to warm up and even get sweaty- which of course, you want to avoid. Especially if you're out in the wilderness; nothing spells hypothermia more quickly than getting your skin damp or wet while in freezing temperatures. The list Dr. McLaren gave me reiterated my prior knowledge: You must layer your clothing. One puffy jacket is not suitable in these situations.

Whenever I'm adventuring outside in the cold, I personally wear a base layer that wicks the sweat away from my body first, then a thin fleece layer, then a small puffy jacket or jacket that insulates, and then a windbreaker that is waterproof. Usually my windbreaker has zippers in the armpit so you can cool yourself off without taking that directly off, so if you're ever in the market, I recommend buying your jackets with that feature.

It's important to wear warm and wicking socks, as well. I usually pack 1-2 extra pairs with me. Also, my ears get particularly cold, so I have a fleece headband to go under a hat for when I eventually get too hot for the hat. I also have a (very old) Carhartt neckwarmer, which is probably my favorite article of clothing. Gloves and mittens, and then boots of some sort. Depending on the terrain and time of year, I have several types of shoes to choose from. When I hike in the summertime, I simply wear trail runners. However, during the wintertime or spring, and depending on the nature of my hiking or mountaineering, I would wear anything from just a sturdy pair of ankle-high boots, leather waterproof boots (which I don't use as much as I used to), or double-plastic boots if I'm getting really serious.

Boots also come with their own set of accessories: I have gaiters and crampons that I use depending on where I am.

Anyway, my point is, I got some sweet layers to take with me to the Boreal forests of the Yukon. Oh, you don't know much about the climate and ecosystems of the Boreal forests? Excellent, because my next post is going to be all about that.

Cheers, Jenn Johnson