Only permit I've ever gotten was Whitney and Cottonwood (Whitney ranger will send you back down w/o a permit). Dozens of GTW trips and I've never gotten one. Under 20lbs is cake but you'd have to post a list of what's currently in your pack. Mine's under 20 before I add fishing stuff (no bear vault).
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*** Official Backpacking Thread ***
- Thread starter afoaf
- Start date
if you're in the southwest, you should be at about 15 pounds for 3 days
if you're in 3 days that probably means you can drop your pack and walk out in a couple hours
and also that you're not so far out that you aren't likely to see other hikers. I wouldn't pack more
than an extra meal or two for that long of a trip....I might get hungry but I'm not likely to die. this
might be different if I was way off trail or hiking in winter
all in, your gear should be below 10lb, including your pack.
food should be 1.5-2lb per day, depending on what your calorie intake is like.
this is EVERYTHING for 6 days above 10,000 feet, with a 7th day of food just in case
What’s the dims on your quilt? I’m looking at maybe grabbing an Enlightened Equipment. Trying to decide on sizing.
check out Nunatak...they can do everything custom. less lead time than EE
how do you sleep? back, stomach, side, all of it? how often do you roll over?
all that informs how you order your quilt....you're a big dude, if you side sleep and/or are
a very active sleeper, then you want something with a lot of width through the waist/knees
so you can perform all your maneuvers without introducing a draft.
you can come over and try one of mine...I have a couple different pads too, if you want to
get a sense of how things work.
if anyone ever wants to get at it, I have enough gear for one or two additional people...there is
good stuff in los padres, joshua tree...I'd like to try some of the san diego mountain trails too
I will have to come by and check out your gear. EE had some ready to ship quilts that would fit the bill; trying to decide what I actually "need." Nunatak is a little spendy. I've got a Western Mountaineering (spendy too) semi-rectangular that I usually use like a quilt, but it's a little heavy by a few ounces in the gram-weenie world.
I'm a side-sleeper and need something a little wider. I was curious how minimal you went on sizing the quilt.
I got a 10` bag with these specs from Timmermade (false bottom Thrush):
Width: 54" top / 66" hip / 40" foot
Length: 72"
this bag is too warm for most stuff that isn't high altitude or winter/shoulder
seasons, but it allows me to go lighter with other gear; if it gets real cold, I just
get in the bag...I don't pack a bunch of clothes to be warm while sitting in camp.
I have 45` also for low altitude summer and fair weather...
I am looking at Nunatak because I can get a waterproof footbox and DWR outer
shell material...I'm moving more towards cowboy camping with bug bivvy if there
are crawlies.
I am learning to sew and also considering making a synthetic quilt since it is pretty
cheap and a pretty straightforward sewing project...it's just that the Apex does not
compress well repeatedly and begins to lose warmth over time...probably not a big
deal.
Width: 54" top / 66" hip / 40" foot
Length: 72"
this bag is too warm for most stuff that isn't high altitude or winter/shoulder
seasons, but it allows me to go lighter with other gear; if it gets real cold, I just
get in the bag...I don't pack a bunch of clothes to be warm while sitting in camp.
I have 45` also for low altitude summer and fair weather...
I am looking at Nunatak because I can get a waterproof footbox and DWR outer
shell material...I'm moving more towards cowboy camping with bug bivvy if there
are crawlies.
I am learning to sew and also considering making a synthetic quilt since it is pretty
cheap and a pretty straightforward sewing project...it's just that the Apex does not
compress well repeatedly and begins to lose warmth over time...probably not a big
deal.
Cirque Pass: 12,047 ft
This is looking southwest; the Palisade Basin is around the corner to the left
Day one started strong, but I got caught trying to go over Knapsack Pass from a poor line on massive talus while a big thunderstorm was running up the basin towards me, so I had to race up and over to pitch, leaving me pretty exhausted. This second day started off beautifully with an easy gain of Potluck and Cirque Passes, but the descent from here was probably where the entire trip went down in flames.
I misread my topo and notes and wound up too far east on the pass and nearly cliffed out.
It looks clear in this pic, but within an hour the clouds stood up, the sky darkened and the biggest thunderstorm of the trip started to bear down which made this descent even more horrifying...I wound up basically having to down-climb an outlet stream from the tarns in the pass, dropping in to Palisade with just enough time to pitch and have a siesta while waiting out the rain.
The strenuousness of days one and two left me in a really bad way both in terms of travel time and altitude sickness....I had not made the time/miles I needed to be making to stay on my itinerary and I was so fkn sick I was basically just walking and dry heaving for the remainder of the trip, force feeding food by chewing a bit, holding my nose and washing it down with water to get SOME calories in to my body.
In the end, I did the 100 miles back to the truck in 6 days. I only did 1 of the four off-trail High Route sections, and was unable to muster for Whitney summit.
I met some amazing people, broke down and cried more times than I'd like to admit, got run out of Bubbs Creek by a bear, saw 100 shooting stars, made some truly horrible navigation mistakes, was aided by a trail angel named Patty, and did 25 miles on the last day to make it to my truck on less than 1,000 calories, hallucinating and gagging the whole way only to discover the mexican restaurant in Lone Pine that was my sole motivation for living was CLOSED ON WEDNESDAYS
so......pretty much the best fkn trip ever
This is looking southwest; the Palisade Basin is around the corner to the left
Day one started strong, but I got caught trying to go over Knapsack Pass from a poor line on massive talus while a big thunderstorm was running up the basin towards me, so I had to race up and over to pitch, leaving me pretty exhausted. This second day started off beautifully with an easy gain of Potluck and Cirque Passes, but the descent from here was probably where the entire trip went down in flames.
I misread my topo and notes and wound up too far east on the pass and nearly cliffed out.
It looks clear in this pic, but within an hour the clouds stood up, the sky darkened and the biggest thunderstorm of the trip started to bear down which made this descent even more horrifying...I wound up basically having to down-climb an outlet stream from the tarns in the pass, dropping in to Palisade with just enough time to pitch and have a siesta while waiting out the rain.
The strenuousness of days one and two left me in a really bad way both in terms of travel time and altitude sickness....I had not made the time/miles I needed to be making to stay on my itinerary and I was so fkn sick I was basically just walking and dry heaving for the remainder of the trip, force feeding food by chewing a bit, holding my nose and washing it down with water to get SOME calories in to my body.
In the end, I did the 100 miles back to the truck in 6 days. I only did 1 of the four off-trail High Route sections, and was unable to muster for Whitney summit.
I met some amazing people, broke down and cried more times than I'd like to admit, got run out of Bubbs Creek by a bear, saw 100 shooting stars, made some truly horrible navigation mistakes, was aided by a trail angel named Patty, and did 25 miles on the last day to make it to my truck on less than 1,000 calories, hallucinating and gagging the whole way only to discover the mexican restaurant in Lone Pine that was my sole motivation for living was CLOSED ON WEDNESDAYS
so......pretty much the best fkn trip ever
You are a beast afoaf! No way I could keep up on your pace and duration. Maybe 20yrs ago. Maybe! That is some awesome sh.t and inspiring. When book signing?
Why did you break down and cry? Was it because the restaurant was closed? I know the one you speak of. I too have eaten at Bonanza.
Why did you break down and cry? Was it because the restaurant was closed? I know the one you speak of. I too have eaten at Bonanza.
total exhaustion...mental, physical, emotional
knowing I wasn't going to be able to finish the route I spent so much time planning for was dispiriting,
especially when I understood this reality with so many more miles still left in the trip
I disappointed myself by making some very avoidable and very foolish errors both in prep and on-trail.
I lost my last grandmother last fall; my other grandmother passed 20 years ago....I think I just got so
worn down out there that I got down under some of the callouses I had built up around those losses
and was left with nothing but a whole lot of time with my thoughts about them. I was a piece of sh!t
back then and I would have liked for my paternal grandparents to have known my sons and the person
I am now
Sucky moments aside, epic trip report!
afoaf be like
at Lone Pine smokehouse when Bonanza close and he replenish
afoaf be like
at Lone Pine smokehouse when Bonanza close and he replenish
Emotional moment for sure but part of an epic journey. I think we all have regrets from our younger days. I too wanted to achieve certain things in life before my dad passed, but I was too much of a fuck up in my 20's to make things happen. I know how you feel man. Love reading the stories. Some real personal triumph for you in that moment. Amazing stuff.
It's nice to know I'm not the only one who regrets being a rotten son.
I was never opporating in bad faith.
I just hated to do chores.
And just wanted to play.
Shout out to Bohter!
I was never opporating in bad faith.
I just hated to do chores.
And just wanted to play.
Shout out to Bohter!
I feel like morning cooking is a waste of time if you've got a destination that day, and more often find myself shoving dry oatmeal/quinoa and washing it down as I start my hike. Added the two new hydrating things, and immediately bought 3 of each after last weekend trip. Zero cramps and recovery is great. I also put dehydrated banana chips in a nutribullet and mixed with cocoa nibs, honey, almond butter, kosher salt, a few other things then piped it into energy bar size vacuum bags. Better than bars and hammer gels and my favorite food item in a long time (tastes epic and doesn't make me thirsty, also sealed/scentless). I might try only carrying these three things with some dehydrated greens next trip.
yes! I am a big believer in these:
saltstick.com
I always bring them with me....on the way out I took them every 90 minutes to prevent breakdown
I should send you some of my shakes...I mix a protein recovery shake with some dehydrated
coconut milk and supergreens powder, plus some added dextrose to balance out the macros
in the morning I add starbucks via packet and mix with hot water...I drink it on the trail
I have a second one as soon as I hit camp at the end of the day...nutritionally it is designed to
optimize glycogen restoration in the muscles to reduce soreness and to make sure you're ready
to rock the next day.
banana chips sound fkn godly!
Caps
Our original product, SaltStick® Caps are flavorless, vegetarian capsules that provide a similar ratio of electrolytes to what your body loses through sweat.
saltstick.com
I always bring them with me....on the way out I took them every 90 minutes to prevent breakdown
I should send you some of my shakes...I mix a protein recovery shake with some dehydrated
coconut milk and supergreens powder, plus some added dextrose to balance out the macros
in the morning I add starbucks via packet and mix with hot water...I drink it on the trail
I have a second one as soon as I hit camp at the end of the day...nutritionally it is designed to
optimize glycogen restoration in the muscles to reduce soreness and to make sure you're ready
to rock the next day.
banana chips sound fkn godly!
" I met some amazing people, broke down and cried more times than I'd like to admit, got run out of Bubbs Creek by a bear, saw 100 shooting stars, made some truly horrible navigation mistakes, was aided by a trail angel named Patty, and did 25 miles on the last day to make it to my truck on less than 1,000 calories, hallucinating and gagging the whole way only to discover the mexican restaurant in Lone Pine that was my sole motivation for living was CLOSED ON WEDNESDAYS "
On the aspect of being alone with your thoughts and being physically/environmentally stressed and dredging up the ancillary stress of life, I guess the best thing about it is upon knowing you can pass through it, surviving it, you can leave a fair bit of it behind. Not all of it, not always, not forever, but at the very least, some of the edge gets smoothed down.
So, excellent summary. Thanks for sharing and regarding the closed eatery, I feel your pain.
By the way, for others here is a a similar hike at the link below with pictures.
Similar path but on a trail
PS
Belt of Venus from mountains:
PPS
I get ya on the morning cooking thing.
But when it cold and there is some altitude, I have found hot tea more important than breakfast....but I almost always stuff some calories in my mouth while imbibing, like Cliff Bar or something equally simple to manage.
Your recipe above is a little like my peanut butter and oats mixture [I was attempting to approach this food item, a well-known and common emergency food aid item]. Many routes to the same goal of somewhat tasty energy that packs well. One of my friends was big on crushed up Minute rice, powdered milk, some chai spices...just add boiling water, let cool and you have rice pudding. It was just just ok to me..I think powdered milk reminds be too much of the end of the month growing up.
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