Who Is Your Trail BFF?

For those of you who read through my account of our Eagle Cap Wilderness adventure, you know that during our off trail experience I made a note that my altimeter watch failed me, indicating a low battery. Although, it seemed to be working fine right AFTER that trip, there are have been several times later in the summer it refused again to give me an elevation reading making it a rather fickle friend.

I have had this watch since 2013 and my first long backpacking trip completing the Washington PCT section. Ever since, this watch has basically been my faithful companion and “bestie” while out exploring the PNW. I never like to leave home without it on my wrist or pack and often feel a little “lost” without it. We have been on so many adventures together!

It not only tells me the time, it gives me other important information that helps me have more confidence on the trail. It gives me my elevation so I can read my maps more accurately. It tells me the temperature so I can confirm that yes, today seems particularly hot. And it has a barometer that can tell me if the weather is going to improve or get worse as the day goes on. Plus, there is something soothing about the fact it lights up when I am laying in my tent at night and need to know what time it is.

Turns out it’s also good for gauging the temperature in your house so you can make homemade kombucha! It is SO there for me when I need it.

Well, it wasn’t until recently that I finally got around to replacing the watch battery. You know, there are a lot of steps to making this happen. First, you have to find out the battery #. Then you have to write it down. Then you have to remember you need a watch battery at the store. Then you need to remember the battery # while you are AT the store remembering that you need a watch battery. It’s actually kinda cool they hang all that stuff right there at the checkout line, right next to things like hairbands and lighters. It’s very hiker-friendly.

Finally the stars had aligned and I bought the battery. I cleared the dining room table and laid out the tools I thought I would need.

How hard could this be? I’m sure I have replaced a watch battery before. You open the back, pop out the old battery and pop in the new.

Yeah, right.

I unscrewed the 4 TINY little screws (with a screwdriver I found on the trail BTW) and peered into the inner workings of the watch.

The battery was obvious but wait, what is that?? There are straps over it. This made me nervous! What if I broke something and didn’t have my watch to take hiking with me??

It was at this point I started to have flashbacks to when I was 5 and we lived on an Air Force base in Texas. My dad and I were sitting at the kitchen table and his tools out and he was taking off the top of my favorite doll’s head (you know, the doll that eats that baby doll food you mix yourself?). I guess she must have gotten gunked up because he was trying to fix her. I must have been emotionally scarred at the experience because it is one of my few memories from childhood.

Well, thank goodness for YouTube. Oh, how I love YouTube. I love people who post on YouTube! There is a video for everything.

Even though I had to watch the video several (more than several) times to actually see what he was doing, I was able to eventually replace my battery without any problems. I will add he did do his in a much more complicated matter than what I felt was necessary. Sometimes you have to be smart enough to know what is important and what is not in those videos. Kind of like life, I guess.

So without too much stress and trauma (and a little help from the bf who had more patience than me to reset the time), my trail BFF and I are back together again and ready for more outdoor exploits and excitement.