Overnighter to Spruce Grove in Angeles Forest with Little Buddy (son)

Love the reports where kids get out for a trip. Well done Don & son!

A little trooper you have there. Thanks for sharing your outing with us. Looking forward to more!

Highly cool, Don.

I just took my daughter through there this past weekend. We camped over by Hoegees though. Spruce Grove is the better bet I think. Better water if nothing else.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin’ Jim’s Blog

Very cute! Did you guys see a bear? A ranger said there's a bear that frequents the camp especially when a lot of Scouts are there. What pack does your daughter use?

Looks like you guys had a great time! sometimes the most epic adventures are about who you're with, not where you're at (and sometimes a little of both).

Very cute! Did you guys see a bear? A ranger said there’s a bear that frequents the camp especially when a lot of Scouts are there.

We actually stayed about 1/4 mile downstream of Hoegees. We went after work on Friday. It was getting dark, she was getting tired, so first flat patch of ground we came to, we set up camp.

BUT we did talk to some Boy Scouts who said that the bear got some of their food that they forgot to put into their canister, so, yes, there’s definitely a bear that frequently is raiding Hoegees.

Bears appear to be crossing back and forth between Winter Creek (where I camped) and Santa Anita
Creek (where you camped) based on evidence we saw on the Mt. Zion Trail.

What pack does your daughter use?

My daughter’s pack is at right. My Gossamer Gear Mariposa is at left. GG says the Mariposa is a 60 L pack. The main compartment is 47 L, presumably that 47 L includes the extension collar.

My daughter’s pack is just some little canvas day pack. She carries a teddy bear, a 500 ml Vapur bladder, and some trail bars. Nothing but the essentials, especially the teddy bear, lol. I carry the rest. My total pack weight for two was 25 lbs (incl. food, fuel, and 3L water). I carried 3L because I had been told that there wasn’t water right at Hoegees. That proved to be wrong. There was water where we camped, water at the crossing below Hoegees, and water at the crossing above Hoegees. Not sure how much longer the water will hold out at Hoegees though, but then again we did get a good rain this past weekend.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin’ Jim’s Blog

Awesome, my daughter has the REI Passage too. IN a different color.

Now I feel like I'm committing child abuse having my son carry 7lbs. If he continues with it, I'll definitely buy him a lighter down bag. His Marmot kids bag is synth and heavy-ish. 32oz. Although I like the REI passage it's still around 32oz and that's after I took the "lid" off. I may look into making him a pack. When I thru hiked the Lost Coast in May, my friend and I came across a dad and his 2 young teenage boys. They all looked to be carrying 70L packs! They extended about a foot above their heads. Yikes!!! Talk about child abuse. ;-)

I use a Gorrilla and love it. I considered the Marioposa but it seemed a little too big. I can easily fit a bv450 in the Gorrilla which suits most of my trips (3-4 days). I'm looking for a bigger pack for when I need it. I'm really hoping the SMD Fusions that hopefully come out later this year fit the bill.

25lbs is great for the both of you. I was carrying 20lbs but that's with my son carrying 7lbs.

Gordon: how does you kid like the Passage? How old is he/she? I'm wondering how long he can use it. He has about a 14-15" torso so we still have some room to grow with it.

Great job, Don! I still have great memories of backpacking with my kids, and they all still hike with me and their own kids. You've started a great tradition!

Now I feel like I’m committing child abuse having my son carry 7lbs. If he continues with it, I’ll definitely buy him a lighter down bag. His Marmot kids bag is synth and heavy-ish. 32oz.

Nah. I’m looking forward to the day when my daughter can carry some actual weight.

Re sleeping bags, I got a used Western Mountaineering Summerlite for my daughter, the 5’6″ version. We’ll see how this strategy pans out, but I bought her a high quality adult sleeping bag that hopefully she can use for the rest of her life. It’s a bit big now, and her feet have gotten cold. The Summerlite is a really good bag for So Cal. The other advantage is that I also have a Summerlite, and the two can be mated together, which I figure could be good if my daughter ever got really cold; zip ’em together and she can warm up via shared body heat.

I came across a dad and his 2 young teenage boys. They all looked to be carrying 70L packs! They extended about a foot above their heads. Yikes!!! Talk about child abuse. ;-)

Yeah, it’s like some people just don’t know they have a choice or that it matters.

I use a Gorrilla and love it. I considered the Marioposa but it seemed a little too big. I can easily fit a bv450 in the Gorrilla which suits most of my trips (3-4 days).

Yeah, I bought the Mariposa intending it to be my “everything” pack for overnight trips. Solo and sans bear canister, it’s pretty empty, but when I’m with my daughter or when I’m solo with a full-sized bear canister, it does the job.

25lbs is great for the both of you. I was carrying 20lbs but that’s with my son carrying 7lbs.

Well, sometimes I “cheat” and only carry one sleeping bag on trips with warm weather. I unzip it and drape it over the two of us like a blanket. Works pretty well and saves a pound and a quarter.

Tonight, all three of us are going out (me, my wife, and my daughter). We’re bringing only 2 sleeping bags for the three of us. We’ll just zip ’em together and be one big happy family. :)

HJ
Adventures In Stoving
Hikin’ Jim’s Blog