Sunrise HSC August 6-9

[Jim MacDiarmid]

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0ArFOtTI4_DGbdC1tSXNSVTJNeElOdEN2cGZBRndWcFE&hl=en">Gear list

I thought I was doing pretty good as this would be an 8.5 lb base w/o a bear cannister, but then I saw Nate throw up a sub-6lb for the same general area of the Sierras and now I wonder where I'm going wrong.

The pack is heavy for this gearlist, and I would've got myself a GG Murmur, but they're out of stock. I hope the weight doesn't go up too much in silnylon.

[Lori P]

So you're not going to eat at the restaurant or stay at the tent cabins, and the HSC isn't your only stop? They have bear boxes in the campground as I understand so if that's your base camp for day hiking, the bear vault isn't strictly necessary.

[Nate Meinzer]

James,

List looks pretty good. To cut it further, the GoLite Poncho Tarp is kinda heavy for the coverage it provides. You can get a 5×9 Integral designs tarp that weighs 7 ounces and then use an emergency poncho OR a dri-ducks jacket (will fit over a small pack, since they are so effing huge) and then ditch the windshirt.

Have you thought about ditching the bear cannister? It's the easiest way to get a really light pack. All of the HSC's have bear lockers as does the backpacker's camp at Tuolomne. If you're heading over one of the Southern passes, you can camp at Alger Lakes or anywhere west of the Ritter Range w/o a cannister. (www.sierrawildbear.gov has details).

You can also get really Spartan and ditch the gloves, which shouldn't be a problem if you just get in your sleeping bag and go to bed when the sun goes down. I dunno, doubt those 2 lbs will break your back, but if you lose the cannister and a little more then you can use a really really tiny pack, which is always fun.

[Jim MacDiarmid]

I plan on spending the first night, maybe the first two nights at the backpackers camps, but I want to spend a night at Sunrise Lakes too, so I need the Cannister.

What I was actually looking at was a loop of Sunrise, Lake Merced, and Vogelsang, however, in order to also visit Clouds Rest, it'd require an 17 miles(I'm not sure my physical condition would have my legs/feet up for that) or so 2nd day, but I'd be able to drop the bear cannister completely. I could probably save a mile or more by camping at Sunrise Lakes the first night, but that would mean bringing a bear cannister. So 2lbs to save a mile?

[Jim MacDiarmid]

It's true, I could probably ditch the gloves. I sort of look at them as added skeeter protection though.

I hadn't thought about the emergency poncho/flat tarp combo. Oware actually has a 5×[email protected] for about $30 with the 20% off. It's something to think about for the future.

I have an REI Flash myself. Where did you put the shock cord? I'll have to check tonight if all my gear would fit minus bear cannister. Don't you have to compress your sleeping bag quite a bit though?

[Nate Meinzer]

The old Flash just had one daisy chain, which wouldn't work so well, but the new ones have two daisy chains and I just put shockcord back and forth between the two like shoelaces. I put my tarp/poncho in its stuffsack on the outside. Holding a canteen is more difficult, but I put a grip clip on the side of the pack and then use a carabiner to hold the canteen (Nalgene since it has a plastic loop on the lid) with shockcord through the grip clip on the side. If you don't need the front area for extrafood/poncho tarp, etc., you could easily put a nalgene canteen there. To save space inside you can put your CCF pad on the outside, with some extra rigging, but I can fit my CCF pad, small neoair and all my gear for an overnighter besides the poncho tarp inside the main body. It IS bulging, though.

It's so warm in Yosemite right now, getting down to 62 degrees at about 9pm (Bedtime), so gloves aren't at all necessary. Luckily, bugs don't bother me much.

Here's a pic, though you can't see the black shockcord so easily.

[Jim MacDiarmid]

Ah, I have the old, single daisy chain flash. I was kind of annoyed when I saw the new Flash packs with multiple color choices and the dual daisy chain after I'd just got the old one a few months before.

Well, I think I'm bringing the cannister anyways for the flexibility of camping away from potentially crowded HSC sites.

My camps, if I do the HSC loop, will be at 9400', 7300', and 10200'. Predicted lows are in the mid-40s for the higher ones. I'll probably drop the gloves and go with DEET on the backs of my hands. I have pockets if it gets chilly.

Thanks.

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