The weather ended up blowing up my thru-hike plans. I pushed back my start one day because of thunderstorm, 45mph gusts forecast for my 1st night at Star Lake. I ended up spending my first two nights in the rain, the 2nd in a lightning and hail storm at Susie Lake. Tried to make it over Dicks Pass on Wednesday 10/6 but got turned back by knee deep snow drifts near the top. The trip ended up being split into separate 2 night, 3 days expeditions, Part 1 from Kingsbury South to just below Dicks Pass and back via Glen Alpine, and Part 2 from Kingsbury North to 3 miles past Tahoe Meadows and back.
I hope to make time to write up a proper trip report this weekend, but as far as gear-related issues, I learned:
– The MYOG Mountain Poncho I made converting a Golite Poncho Tarp was absolutely ideal for the conditions; breezy, on and off precipitation, 30-50*F. Being able to slip it on and off as needed,(hanging in on the pack when not in use, as described in the article) was perfect. No need to take off my pack as with a regular rain jacket. For the conditions, it ventilated well-enough that I didn’t overheat, even climbing. No worse that Gore-Tex, at least. Above 50*F, I had trouble with sweating due to the non-breathable silnylon and reverted to my wind jacket. A great cold weather piece.
-This was my first bad weather tarp use, and I made it through okay, due to the large size of the tarp. It rained all night my first night, and rained almost all night for the 2nd, with one intense 5-10 minute hail storm, and I stayed dry. I used a bivy, but I didn’t need to, as I found no splashing at any point, even in the worst of the winds and rain. And mid-to-low thirties plus precipitation made for a condensation party inside the bivy. I was mainly using the bivy against drafts, but the Nunatak quilt fits me well enough draftiness wasn’t really an issue,(it was a psychological thing) and I got a damp bag in the morning for my efforts.
-Speaking of precipitation and condensation, for a future trip where these conditions are possible, I plan on using a synthetic quilt for the safety factor. Fortunately after the damp night it got sunny and breezy enough I was able to dry out the quilt in the kangaroo mesh pocket of my pack, but if it had still been raining, I probably would have suffered some loft loss after having to carry it in the pack liner all day.
-I ended up bringing the Nunatak Arc AT as a temp-boosting liner for my Specialist, and slept comfortably down to 41*F and rain the first night in my just BPL Cocoon hoody and the Arc AT. Good to know for future trips.
-I really like the LT4’s for the weight. My old poles were 8oz/pole Black Diamonds, and while light, I would start to feel the weight in my hands after about 12 miles. I never notice the LT4’s, however long I hiked, and I could pick them up and jog downhill parts of the trail when I felt like it. However, for the 2nd time, the expander locking mechanism on one of the poles failed. I believe it was due to water getting in the shaft. It would get tight but not lock, and collapse when I put most of my weight on it. Fine for going uphill, not usable for going down.
-The Starlite was way too big, but served me well. I just let my insulation fill as much of the space as possible. With my torso-sized CCF in the pad pocket, I was able to leave the stays at home and carry 26 pounds max in pretty good comfort.
-I’m glad I brought the MSR Windpro and not an alcohol stove. Also glad it was a remote canister stove. On a 32* morning, I watched the flame jump from moderate to full bore when I turned the canister upside-down. Couldn’t do that with a Pocket Rocket.
-The switch from the Frontier Pro to Aqua Mira drops went seamlessly, and I don’t see myself switching back soon. Also happy with the switch from hydration tube to just keeping the bottle accessible in the bottle pocket. I like that fact that the drops can’t break, the way I cracked my Frontier Pro carelessly putting my pack down. The bottles could leak, I suppose, but this trip made me look at my gear list with an eye towards minimizing potential points of failure, and I think the drops and a step above the filter in that regard.
-I really like using the Perpetuem as a calorie source during the day. I had never use powdered foods before, and I believe it helped me in making new personal mileage records. (24 miles on day one; 25.5 day five, and 36 on day 6) I don’t like stopping to eat when I hike. I just don’t get hungry and I like to keep going, stopping only when I feel like taking in a view. In the past, my legs would go zombie on my around mile 13. Not sore exactly, just dead. That never happened on this trip, possibly because I was taking in fuel the whole day instead of being undernourished. That said, I need to figure out a better way of transporting the powder. I carried a one day supply in separate ziplocks, and made a funnel out of duct tape along with the supplied scoop to put it in my wide mouth gatorade bottle. But the stuff is like flour. It gets everywhere, and when it gets damp, it turns into a super glue-like paste all over my hands. Stuff in my aloksak was sticking together, and mixing in the rain was not fun. I’ll probably have to bite the bullet and buy the individual serving packets for the extra money but easier mixing.
-I’m done with Easton aluminum stakes. I know plenty of people use them without issues, but I pop the heads off without much effort. This time I popped I head off just trying to pull it out of damp ground. If I have to be that careful, it’s not worth it. It’s either Ti nail stakes or MSR Ground Hogs at the ridgelines for me from now on.
-I need to get a good pillow. It’s just not an option any more. I don’t sleep well without one. Gonna have to give someone Bender’s website address for my Christmas list.
-I’m torn between ‘roughing’ it with my Ridgerest, going back to my small NeoAir, or trading the small NeoAir for a a regular at a weight penalty. Sleep is important, after all. My main reason for going with the Ridgerest for this trip is that an inflatable mat is a potential point of failure should it develop a leak. And I’m getting better at sleeping on the Ridgerest. I just need that pillow.
That’s all I can think of for now. I’ll follow-up if I think of anything else, and try to get a trip report up this weekend.
