John Muir Trail Unsupported Attempt

[Aaron Sorensen]

Hey everyone,
I'll being heading up toward Mt. Whitney on the 25th for some acclimatization for the start of the attempt on the 30th.
The current JMT Unsupported Record is held by Reinhold Metzger in 5 days hours and 45 minutes.

For everybody that's been a member for the past year, I am going to go for same attempt in the same fashion that Al Shaver attempted last year, (below).

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/john_muir_trail_unsupported_record_attempt_results.html

I have posted the list here before but have gone over it so many times and melded down to a hole new list.

For the most part, I will not be trying to sleep at night and will not bring anything more than what I will need to survive a night if I had to.
Nights are just to cold and you waist more time trying to sleep when it's cold than if you just hiked throughout the night felling fresh from sleep prior to night-fall.

My list has been torn apart, but for the most part a lot of the gear I'm taking is home-made.
I also may be going with the lightest pack weight ever to do the JMT with out resupply.
Most of this is realizing that trying to sleep at night is just foolish and for the most part a waste of time.
The other is after being up in the high Sierras so many times, I know that it will not be possible to eat 11 pounds of food in 5 days.

I have my packlist 100% ready to go. I just don't have the weight for everything yet.

I will post the list tomorrow. I just wanted to get the ball rolling for any questions.

I have had the intent to go for this attempt for the past 13 months, so for it to be a week and a half away is just insane for me right now.

I will not be the only one going for the attempt this year, (by a long-shot).
There are at least 4 of us with Jon Chiappa, a fellow BLP'er starting the attempt on July 19th.

The other 2 that are confirmed are John Stamstad, back for the 3rd time and Justin Angle, who will be going with John Stamstad.

Wish me luck.

[John S.]

Good luck Aaron. Have you been doing sleep deprivation training?

[Jonathan Ryan]

very interested to see your gear selection…

[Mark]

Good luck to you and the others for safe and speedy treks! Can't wait to read your trip report.
-Mark

[Jonathan Chiappa]

Hello,

I'm one of the others making an attempt. In a couple hours I'm starting my trip to Lone Pine. Tomorrow, I'll start up Mt. Whitney. (Hopefully) I'll reach Yosemite Valley Tuesday, in the evening. I had planned to post my gear list prior to leaving but I'm running short on time. I'll post the list, with commentary, when I return.

Godspeed to all,

– Jon

[Aaron Sorensen]

O.K.
Here is the list.
I do not care much at all about skin-out weight.
I'll just be throwing on what ever isn't dirty.
It's what's on your back that's important in the long run.

PACKLIST
______________________________________________________
A – WORN OR CARRIED
28.2 – Golite Sundragon size 10-10.5
1.7 – Toe Socks Injinji Crew
2.0 – Gators Simblissity
3.5 – Running Shorts
4.8 – Short-Sleeve Patagonia Shirt
1.7 – Watch High Gear Axis
1.3 – Shades
0.8 – Hat
44 – (2 lbs 12 oz) – Total Worn

B – BASE
22.0 – Pack Modified Nathan HPL 759
3.7 – Momentium Bivy
1.8 – Pad G/G 1/8" Thinlite
1.4 – Recordable MP3 Player
1.0 – O.P. Sack 12.5" X 15.5"
1.2 – 4 Glad double zip bags for food
6.6 – All Kits & Maps in Ziplock Bag
(Tom Harrison Map Pack, Water Purification, Bug Spray, Batteries 5-AAA & 4AA, Sewing Kit, Fire Starting Kit, 1st Aid Kit, Sunscreen, TP)
3.0 – Fenix Cree L2D w/ Batteries
0.2 – Cash and I.D
1.3 – Water Bottle 24oz Gatorade
2.8 – Bladder – 2L Platy w/ hose

6.8 – H/made Climashield Momentum Insulated Pants
8.0 – H/made Climashield Momentum Insulated Jacket
2.2 – H/made Momentum Wind Jacket
0.4 – BPL Headsweat
1.2 – Mountain Hardwear Powerstreatch Gloves
1.3 – Socks warm 1/2 sock

64.9 (4 lbs 0.9 oz) Base Total

C – Food
8 1/2 Pounds
(Between Trail Mix, Hammer Jel Perpetruin, and what ever else I feel like eating that day)
20 – Average Water

156 – (9 lbs 12 oz) Total Food & Water

B+C – Pack Weight = 13 lbs 12.9 oz (with food and water)

A+B+C – Skin Out + 16 lbs 8.9 oz
_________________________________________________________

I will post the pictures here soon.

[Brian Boyl]

With all these attempts, is this going to be the year that Reinhold's record falls? Guess we'll know in the next few weeks (or few days!).

[kevin davidson]

In many ways, conditions couldn't be better. Not much snow (if any) on the passes and low water everywhere.

[Mike Klinefelter]

My only comment regarding your gear would be do you need a pack that weighs 30% of your base weight and 10% of your total pack weight? There are a lot of other packs out there that weigh a lot less for the light loads you're planning on carrying. Good luck with the trip and I'm looking forward to hearing more!

[Ryan Faulkner]

same thing as mike

may I recomend te salomon raid revo 20 SLAB pack

http://argear.com/gear/grsalomonraidrevo20slabset-backpack.html

one of the best AR pack I have seen, and alot lighter than your nathan pack

[Mark]

Oh, cool. I didn't even know Nathan Sports existed. The 759 looks pretty nice. I like the compression design.
-Mark

[kevin davidson]

yes, a Nathan hpl 759 in lighter materials would be lovely—-maybe just a wee more volume, too. The harness is quite cool and ought to be more widely imitated.

Although my new MLD Zip, when loaded properly, can go for quite a comfortable jog, too.

And—I will be curious to see if the Sun Dragon soles are up to this kind of trip.

[Bill Fornshell]

Hi Aaron,

Good luck on your record attempt.

Nice gear list.

The only change I would make is to go with a Cuben Pack at less than 2 ounces. The Nathan 759 looks nice but small. As little weight as you are carring a Cuben Pack made out of some of the heavier 4 cord material would be as strong or stronger and at 0.49 ounce a sq yard a lot lighter.

[Ryan Faulkner]

have you loaded your pack with all your gear and food?
is the 1200cu.in enough??
other than the volume concern, it looks like a great pack.

IF i were you, I would go with an adventure racing specific pack like you have chosen already, they are better fit for a record attempt in my opinion, because that is what they are designed for. however, there are lighter options..

I have had good luck with the salomon packs…
I have also joged a little in my golite jam with no problems, the jam is my favorite fastpacking pack, and would probably be my first pick for a unsupported JMT record attempt, when a smaller less durable AR pack would be my pick if I had a resupply or two

If you could fit your gear in 1000 cu.in. the salomon raid revo SLAB would be my first pick, but I have never used this for longer than 2.5 days
but I think you might need a little more than 1000-1200cu.in.
the salomon raid revo 30 would give you 600 morre cubic inches for the same weight as your nathan, I have never used the 30, but i assume it compares to the 20

[Aaron Sorensen]

I know,
I have looked at everything for a pack. I own a Slab but it just doesn't work.
I also did Primal Quest last year in the Salomon 20 Litter pack and it still just didn't cut it for what I'm doing. I also made a pack for this that is heavily padded and will work. At 6.5 ounces its light but I don't trust the strength of it.
The thing with this style hike is that you need a strong pack due to the fact that you are going to be very weary of your surroundings and where you sit or lean on stuff that a Cuben pack would get ripped the first incident you had. Then you would need to repair it and hope it lasted. This is not just a typical SUL hike through the woods!
Plus the Nathan is the best pack for comfort when moving quickly and running. It holds ten pounds better than the Slab and has better padding on it. It also stows the gear perfectly with its compartments. That will save me some time in the long run.

I have also looked at the ULA Amp and tested it, but in the end the abilities of the Nathan pack are working out the best for me, (and yes everything fits), but just barely. But no, I'm not happy with the weight. I just posted on the U/L Wish-List that the need for a 7-9 ounce running pack is #1 on my list.

[Jonathan Ryan]

You should check out the Golite Ion. 9 oz, 1500 cu, $50 made out of dyneema so no need to worry about durability. I have used it on several trail runs and when packed properly it was very comfortable. Just a suggestion..

[Christopher Plesko]

I like my Ion but it's not what he's looking for. I am however going to order that 1000 cubic inch SLAB. The large Ion is too big for me It's like a big REI Flash UL but doesn't have the AR features the SLAB and other packs have and again it's too big unless I'm going 6 days now that I've refined the "race" setup a bit more.

The osprey 22L is hugely popular with my friends but I can't stomach the weight. Running and bike compared to hiking have a little bit different needs when done at the extreme endurance level.

EDIT: The shoulder straps on the Ion do RULE compared to a flash UL though. It needs more load control as food and water loads fluctate though.

[Jonathan Ryan]

True, I do not have any adventure racing experience so I am sure the feature needs are alittle more unique. Something I saw last week up in North Conway that really caught my eye was the Wild Things Spectra race pack. Set you back abit but looked pretty amazing.

http://www.wildthingsgear.com/racer.html

[Christopher Plesko]

Ryan you're a bad influence. I just ordered a SLAB to try out. $125 is steep for a pack though even with free shipping. I suppose I'd pay pretty much anything for the right one though. Haven't found quite what I want yet. :(

[EndoftheTrail]

Dang… why does it have to be red?

[Mark]

"Dang… why does it have to be red?"

I know, Ben. Those long wavelengths really need to be trimmed. I hike exclusively in violet.

As a general message to the industry, I would love to see some lighter, mid-volume running packs. Good compression, plenty of easy stowage rather than just One Giant Bag, and some lighter materials choices. I think Aaron's dream of a 7-9 ouncer is doable.

-Mark

[Ryan Faulkner]

"Dang… why does it have to be red?"

haha, I kind of like the red SLAB pack.

I think the SLAB only comes in red, but you can get the Raid Revo 20 in either red or black. It is essentially the same backpack, just sans a couple of features, and I beleive a slighty more durable fabric. that is why the S-LAB pack comes out a half ounce lighter with more features

I think I read somewhere that the SLAB pack comes without salomons usual warranty, because it uses the lightest materials to achive a lower weight.

[Christopher Plesko]

Good to know. I don't mind the red but if I don't use the extra features or it's not durable enough I'll probably sell the SLAB and get the regular Raid Revo. It does appear it's not all silnylon though and that they up the fabric in high wear areas. We'll see when it arrives. They're claiming 10oz sans bladder which is pretty intriging. My large size Golite Ion is just under 10oz anyway before trimming the straps and while it's fabric is tougher I found myself wishing I had easier access to things like my extra sunglass lenses, jacket, electrolytes and food without having to stop and take the pack off. Seems like you have to take it to one extreme sometimes before you settle back a little bit in the other direction.

Sorry for jacking the thread :) I am really intrieged by your JMT attempts and appreciate all your pack research since I'm still not satisfied either. While hiking is not my thing it does share a lot of similarities to what I do on a bike.

[Aaron Sorensen]

Hey Christopher,
Yes, we have had a few discussions about this trip.

It's hard to believe that I will be spending my first night up there at 11,000' while acclimatizing in one week.
I have a hectic weekend as well, then 2 days of work and I'm off.
A few more reasons I went with the Nathan is with the new pack weight what it is, it will be a lot easier to do as much slow running as I wanted to do.
With all the bouncing around the Nathan just does great. After day 2 when the pack gets below 10 pounds it will really come through.
During my training runs with 9 or 10 pounds I can hardly tell it is on my back.
With the SLAB, it would have to be stuffed to the max and would still fell like a brick after 2 days.

On another note, I will be doing some recordings on my MP3 Player on the trail and will send it in after I'm done for a podcast.

I figured you would get a better perspective of the trail that way. I may not even remember some of the stuff I said when I hear it when I'm done.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Extended sleep deprivation WILL permenantly alter your personality. This is a well-studied effect.

The U.S. Army Ranger motto is "Travel light, freeze at night."

At least take an Army poncho & a quilted poncho liner. (Found at Brigade Quartermasters) Some sleep is far better than none.

Eric (Former psychology teacher)

[Author]

Posts