I’ve flirted with SUL weight a few times, but never cracked 5 lbs- until now :)
My new kit included MLD’s new Core pack, a Zpack 7×9 cuben tarp, a 50 degree quilt w/ an extra ounce of down from Hammock Gear and a short neoair pad- maiden voyage for all of them.
I had two days off and decided to make the most of them and head into the Pintlers with my newly assembled kit. I had a pretty aggressive route planned, made more aggressive by the fact that I had one day of rest after a grueling 50k race (grueling enough I had to bail after 24 miles- we had record heat @ 97 degrees). I got up at 4:30 and made it to the East Fork trailhead at 7:30 AM.
My legs felt surprisingly fresh and made good time up to Page Lake, a light pack doesn’t hurt in that regards either
after Page Lake the climb really starts in earnest for Rainbow Pass
at Rainbow Pass there was a faded sign for Rainbow Mtn, no trail but I could see a clear way up to the top and decided to bag it; gave me a nice view of the East Fork and Page Creek drainages
from Rainbow Pass I descended into Queener Basin, got to see two cow elk in one of the many meadows, didn’t see calves with them, but they could have been hiding easy enough
as I neared my next pass, Cutaway Pass I met up with a trail crew that had completed a really nice section of refurbed trail- I thanked them for their work and was reminded of my youth working on a trail in crew in the Bob
Cutaway Pass was a tough haul and the freshness in my legs had faded, but I was rewarded with outstanding views of Beaverhead Mtn and West Goat Peak
if the pics looks a little hazy, it was- smoke from the many fires in CA/OR/WA tend to make their way to Montana with the typical west to east flows, we a have a few of our own fires to add to it as well
I was a little (OK a lot) disappointed in how much elevation I was dropping coming out of the pass heading into the West Fork of LaMarche Ck, this meant one thing- I would pay dearly on the ascent to my final destination of Warren Lake :) I eventually ended up into the head end of the West Fork and then it started to really climb, 24 switchbacks (yup counted them). It also started to rain in earnest, which actually was pretty refreshing, but eventually had to don my rain jacket. I finally made it to the lake and was greeted with this view with Warren Peak as the back drop.
found a nice spot for the tarp (rocks to augment the stakes)
I ended up lowering the pitch as the wind picked up (and continued to rain), something I was hoping not to deal with my first outing with the tarp. I also had some difficulty with my mini Bic in the wind lighting my Esbit, I’m going to take a tip from a recent thread here and bring some pjcbs and a small firesteel next trip
As the night wore on the wind didn’t let up (the rain did however) and I ended up with all of my clothing on- shirt, then windshirt, then down jacket, then rain jacket. I put the Buf on balaclava style and the down beanie over it. I was still a bit chilly, until the wind finally did die down closer to dawn. I’m going to add a lightweight bivy to the mix, it’ll put me slightly over the 5# mark, but will also eliminate the need for a ground cloth and head net- more importantly it will add some warmth to the sleep system, negate some of the effects of wind and protect from any rain spray.
I woke up early and ate a nice warm breakfast of dolled up oatmeal and enjoyed two cups of coffee all the while soaking in the view which included spying four goats working their way across one of the ridges. My trip out was going to be shorter with less climbing, which was good as my legs were definitely feeling the effects of the last couple of days.
A few notes on my gear- the Core carried wonderfully and will see many more miles; the short pad wasn’t too bad-longer is nicer, but I think I can make do with the shorter pad for fast/light trips; the 45-ish degree quilt was pushing things a bit I knew, but had it not been for the wind I think it would have been fine- a bivy will make a welcome addition; the tarp really performed nicely- I have to admit I was a little nervous when the wind picked up, but my worries were for naught
All in all, a very fun trip- short, but definitely sweet!
