Sierra Nevada kilted backpacking

[Alan H]

We finally got the pics back, and the CD's with the digital images. This is a USA Kilts Casual model.

I could overload you with 20 scenery shots, but I'll just keep it to people and kilts! We were out for six days, and it was *GREAT*!

At the trailhead.....

[Alan H]

The Luminous Joan at the first lake...



Joan on the trail, and wildflowers! It was a stunning trip for wildflowers and butterflies!



Yours Truly dropping his pack in camp...

[dwg]

The Luminous Joan at the first lake...



Joan on the trail, and wildflowers! It was a stunning trip for wildflowers and butterflies!



Yours Truly dropping his pack in camp...

WOW I would love to go on a walking holiday in my kilt, I'm thinking of going next year to the lake's north west in the UK

very nice photos well done
Derek

[Warhoover]

Wow Alan, your definately not part of the Ultralite craze! How heavy do you think your pack was at the trail head? I am sure the 6 days of food was the majority. I did my first kilted hike this past spring along a stretch of the Florida Trail on the Suwannee River here in Florida. 67 miles of pure bliss. I really do need to do a hike out West again sometime soon. Glad you had a great time!

[TimC]

Nice pictures Alan. You had fresh air and beautiful scenery (I'm speaking of Joan of course). Glad you two had a good trip.

-Tim

[JamesA]

Now you make me want to get out and spend some time in the woods. Thanks!

James

[way2fractious]

Ultra-light? What's that?

For me, kilts are about comfort - and so is backpacking! I'm not advocating wheeling a motorhome into the backcountry, but a camp stool is an absolute necessity. ("Help, honey, I sat down... and I can't get up again!")

Alan, now that you're packed, are you ready to tackle the John Muir trail for a few weeks?

w2f

[Alan H]

Wow Alan, your definately not part of the Ultralite craze! How heavy do you think your pack was at the trail head? I am sure the 6 days of food was the majority. I did my first kilted hike this past spring along a stretch of the Florida Trail on the Suwannee River here in Florida. 67 miles of pure bliss. I really do need to do a hike out West again sometime soon. Glad you had a great time!

Nope, definitely not "ultralight"! There's a bear cannister in there and most, though not all of my 2/3rds of the food is stuffed into that.

tent...Joan carries the poles, I carry the rest, and the ground cloth
sleeping pad....I use a foam pad, Joans is a ridgerest

I carry 3 days change of clothes, and wash stuff (without soap) in the lakes

I carry a rather massive first aid kid which includes stuff like a SAM splint and a couple of ace bandages, antibiotic ointment and so on. It's about 2 maybe 2.5 pounds of first aid gear. Long Story, but I take the idea that it's WILDERNESS, don't expect someone else to say your *ss out there, rather seriously...

I also carry an extra 75 foot rope, a simple webbing sling, three carabiners and two blocks. Joan and I went for a day hike with her folks a few years back when her folks would still backpack. It was just a trudge around the lake, how dangerous can that be? Yeah, well there was a big snow patch that we had to cross, and I went first...no problem. But I loosened up something, and Dad went in. He broke through about 2 feet of crust and slipped-slid another 6 feet down into the little meltwater stream that had eaten out the bottom of that rather large patch. He was only 6-7 feet down so I and Joans brother got him out easily enough, and he hadn't turned an ankle or broken anything, but what if that happens when it's just me and Joan? What if instead of 6-7 feet, its 12-14? What if there's no snow, but on one of our day hikes in which we often tackle very steep slopes and big ridges with only day packs, someone slips and slides or falls 30-40 feet? So in large part to calm Joans nerves.... because otherwise, she won't hike off-trail, and we both love that... I carry about 3 pounds of "rescue rope" equipment and enough purchase that a scared Joan can haul me up a slope.

Water filter/pump and backup purification tablets....giardiasis is no fun.

i start out with a liter of water in to 500ml bottles, and we pump a lot of water whenever we can to keep hydrated.,

There's rain gear, a warm layer, and long underwear...I strap on a pair of sandals for crossing rivers

I also take 'fun" stuff like a pair of binoculars and a Sierra field guide and a recreational reading book.

It adds up pretty fast. I've got about 50 pounds on, in those first pics. It's closer to 40 by the end of the trip.

[Ayin McFye]

Wow, Great pictures. That looks like an awesome hike.

[Alan H]

Ultra-light? What's that?

...........but a camp stool is an absolute necessity. ......


Alan, now that you're packed, are you ready to tackle the John Muir trail for a few weeks?

w2f

OK, I draw th eline at the Camp Stool! LOL

But I've been doing this for about 30 years and I know that lots of people have their own ways of hiking through the Sierra backcountry. I've seen people out there with full packs on and a loaded-down llama to carry another 30 pounds of gear.

At the other extreme is John Muir, who'd go for three weeks with a loaf of bread, some cheese, and his greatcoat in a canvas pack. Personally, I like having a stove, and besides, Forest Service rules prohibit fires above 9,000 feet in most of the Sierra Nevada. I LIKE having a couple of warm layers of clothes and having rain gear along. I LIKE brushing my teeth at the end of the day. I LIKE having a warm sleeping bag. I LIKE being able to deal with the cuts and scratches and strains and possible diahhrea and Lord-Knows-What that can come on when you're out there. The only thing I carry that I'd willingly lose is the "rescue rope".

Anyway...John Muir Trail..Ohhh, YEAH! Joan and I did a 60-miler for our 20th anniversary summer.

someday, I'm gonna....