JMT Trip in July

[Lance Cunningham]

Hi All,

I am relatively new to the forum, signed up a few weeks ago and have been so impressed with the group, feedback, and extensive knowledge! My Pack list can be found on my profile, I tried to cut and paste into here, but I am on a MAC so it came out jacked. So, spur of the moment, I came home one day at the beginning of March and said if I am going to thru hike the PCT some day, I better hike the JMT soon to see if I can do it before my body starts to break down. I filed an application for the lottery to hike the JMT NOBO from Whitney. Since that time, I have bought a lot of gear I will need, big ticket items from fellow BPL members, and think my list is looking good at this point. Nice thing is I am not so full of fear any more since BPL!!!!

So the trip would be in July, even though I did not get my lottery fulfilled, I am going to go to Lone Pine and sit and wait. I plan on taking 30 – 34 days to complete the JMT, so I am traveling slow, taking several zero days, fishing all along the way to supplement my food source. The first 100+ miles to the first resupply, I will have 12 days of food for a 14 day trip, hoping to supplement with fish at least 6 meals to stretch 12 days of food to 14 days of food. I am pretty confident this should not be a problem, but have not fished up there before, so who knows. Sometimes hunger can be the mother of invention and a supreme motivator. This part of the trip is meant to be away from people and to stop and really enjoy the land rather than just pass through and trekking like a bighead sheep. :-)

First three weeks is solo, last week will be with my girlfriend. She is talking about meeting me in Mammoth and completing the last leg of the JMT to Yosemite, so the tent is for two, the pot is for two, the water filter is for two. Solar is for two, phone will be needed for updates to family when possible, and camera for a lifetime of photos, this part sucks at 3.5 pounds, but doubt it will change much. Two headlamps with AAA batteries, camera with AA batteries, cell phone with battery stick. Without it my pack is at roughly 16 pounds base weight.

What am I missing? Any suggestions? What do you think?

Let me know!

Lance

[afterdarkphoto]

Lance,

Please take my comments as helpful and not a bash. I had a hard time with your list because of the format. I would really recommend you detail out your spreadsheet in sections like this and have subtotals for each category weight to the ounce. Weigh each item in the category and list them individually. You might be shocked at how much weight one item is taking up in your precious pack. Once you identify that item as being too heavy, start searching for a lighter substitute or ask yourself..DO I NEED THIS?:

Shelter
Sleep
Cook
Clothing
Tools
Pack
Toiletries
First Aid
Fishing

By breaking down your list like this you will see what is the heaviest area of your pack list and the area you need to focus on the most to try to improve. Packing light is a lifetime endeavor and it takes a while to whittle it down to where you want to be.

The first thing I see is way too many clothing articles.

Think of multi-use items that can be layered. You can save a few pounds easily by ditching half the clothing.

An idea would be your base layers (sleep in them) if it is cold while hiking wear them. Use a merino wool t-shirt or a button up as your hiking shirt. Ditch the windbreaker. Your rain jacket is almost a pound. You can get under 12 ounces on your rain jacket easily. There are several jackets that can be used as a rain jacket and windbreaker for multiple use.

Pants…I don't wear them. I wear board shorts and if its cold in the morning I wear some running tights under them (also my base layer). If this isn't for you then I would suggest ditching the board shorts and going with convertible pants.

3 liters of carrying capacity for water is more than enough. A platypus 64 ounce bag and a gatorade bottle is all you need (imho). There is water everywhere out there and you won't need to carry large amounts except for maybe to Whitney.

I don't see a bear can? How are you fitting 12 days of food in one? is it a custom bearikade?

If your weights on your pack list are right, with 12 days of food equaling about 1.25-1.5 pounds of food a day, totaling 15-18 lbs of food and then add that to your listed weight of 22 pounds that equates to 37-40 pound pack without water. If your pack is 16 pounds, as you stated in your thread, then you are staring at a 31-34 pounds pack without water.

That granite gear pack isn't going to be comfortable at all if your weights are above 30 pounds. 30 pounds is pushing it. I own the GG Blaze 60 and it doesn't do too hot with loads over 30 either.

Repost after you break down the list in detail…I or other members can help you more from there.

Good choice on the shelter…nice and light. You are on the right track but forever fine tuning.

Take care

[Link .]

Watch all Mike's videos and Andrew's

[Marko Botsaris]

yep +1, and start with the clothes one a great intro to the idea of "systems thinking" – just what you need and not more, with each part serving a specific function or functions, and with using them all at once a planned option.

[David Drake]

Lance,
I agree with Shawn above: a better organized list will make it easier to provide feedback. Weights in ounces (rather than fractions of pounds) with total base weight given in ounces AND pounds is conventional and easiest to understand.

Remember: base weight is everything you normally carry in your pack (including the pack), but not including consumables (food, water, fuel) or worn/always carried in hands items. Separating BW items from these others will make reviewing your list easier.

You've chosen nice, light (and expensive) gear for your Big Three (shelter, sleep system, pack)–keeping that total under 6# you should be able to get your BW in the 10# range (before bear can). Hope you plan some short shakedown trips to try everything out before tackling the JMT. Your pad system, for example, will certainly be warm enough, but it might not be comfortable (or it might be perfect). No way to know without trying.

Clothing: rule of thumb is you should be able to wear everything you carry simultaneously, removing or putting on pieces as necessary to warm up/cool down/stay dry, etc. Anything more is redundant, and should be left out. Exception might be a pair of extra socks for sleeping, and *maybe* base layer sleeping clothes. Currently, you have about twice as much clothing as you need. For rain gear, you may not need more than a Frogg Toggs/DriDucks jacket–6 oz and less than $20. There are lighter wind shirts than what you have, e.g., Montbell Tachyon.

Don't know if alcohol stoves are allowed on JMT–regardless, you can do a lot better than 1.15# for a small canister stove, even if you include the (empty) weight of a couple canisters.

If most of your weight is consumables (and it will be, if you get your BW to 10-12#) then you'll only be pushing the weight limits of your pack for a day or two. Again, a few short shakedown trips to see if you can tolerate those loads would be good.

[Lance Cunningham]

Thank you! Ok, I converted back to OZ on this, and arranged in order. There was a comment regarding no bear can, it is on page two of the list, Bearikade Expedition. There will definitely be a couple of shakedown trips, on at GGG So Cal, and one to Lundy Lake in the Eastern Sierras in late May, early June. These two trips should be representative of most conditions including the fishing aspect with streams, ponds, and lake fishing.

The real bitch of this trip is the beginning, summit whitney, then 2 weeks prior to resupply, which may be pushing it, but I always have the option to hike on if I am running low on supplies and fish. I might be chucking things down the mountain like Katz in Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods". Salami… really chucked it! :-)

I definitely see some extra clothes. Socks must stay though.

Hopefully that will make it easier to review.

Thanks!

[David Drake]

A few thoughts about your planned itinerary. This gets into HYOH territory, so these are more like questions to ask yourself, rather than advice or recommendations.

100 miles in 14 days is a just over 7 miles/day. Almost anyone with a light pack will cover that in less than 4 hours of hiking/day–leaving most of the day (8-10 hours) for other things.

If this is meant as a fishing trip, with some hiking, maybe that's perfect. Prob. not relevant to thru-hiking the PCT, though. On the other hand, if the primary purpose of fishing is to supplement your carried food, you'd be far better off just hiking an hour or two longer every day. 10-12 mile days will save pounds of food weight and still give you time every day to fish, camp, etc.

So this is another good reason for some shorter trips first–maybe some planned for high miles per day, some planned for short miles and lots of time in camp/fishing. Personally, when I hike solo I prefer to just hike, 10 hours or so/day–something I'd never have guessed would be enjoyable until I tried it.

[Lance Cunningham]

Thanks David. The idea in the first 100 miles, is 10 miles a day, with at least two stops of at least a day maybe two, to fish and hike off the trail to less visited lakes and areas. At Evolution, I was hoping to spend at least two days, maybe three, in the general area of 4-5 miles. Set up camp, and check out the area. I have no real set agenda for those off shoot hikes today, will know more as I plan along, and I am sure will pick up an idea or two just putting things out there for folks, not to mention just changing plans on the trail. It feels like shooting at a moving target, a weekend, a week long, is nothing compared to this.

I absolutely love the idea of rice, qinoa, and cous cous, in three bags, with some soup mixes… catch some dinner and boil em up… if I could do it every day, I would.

Just watched Skurka's google presentation, great video. Will order his book later today or tomorrow, sounds like a good read.

[Jennifer Mitol]

Any particular reason you want to go NOBO? Much easier IMO to get a permit and start walking from the northern sections.

[Art …]

SOBO
the only thing SOBO really has going for it is more gradual acclimation.

NOBO
almost all speed hikes are done NOBO, mainly because its a net downhill hike.
you get to march to Whitney's summit when you are fresh, then its a fun downhill romp for the rest of the trip.
also, ending in Yosemite Valley is much better … cheering crowds, great variety of eateries, much easier travel logistics, posh hotels, its endless …

[Ken Thompson]

No pack listed?

Read this. http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=31018

[Lance Cunningham]

So, I am trying to find a pack to fit the Bearikade Expedition. There is an Osprey Volt 60 on here, and I really liked the fit of the pack, but the Bearikade would not easily fit into the pack, took two people to get it in and out. The guy at A 16 was bending the u shaped cross pack support on the top meant to give the pack rigidity, I said no thank you. The Osprey Aether 75 swallowed the can like it didn't exist, plenty of space left for the rest of my gear.

Northbound is just what I have chosen, and I am going to stick with it for a variety of reasons. My girlfriends schedule is unknown at this point. With a few weeks notice, she may be able to meet me in Mammoth and hike to Yosemite for several days. Once at Yosemite, I think I have found a route to Saddlebag and on to Lundy Lake which I have fished at with a couple of friends for the last 10 years every year. They may sign up for a weekend at Lundy to have Mad Jack hike out of the wilderness to fish and tell tall tales of the adventure and give me a ride back to LA. While both are unknowns, it is good reason to keep planning the NOBO direction.

I am considering hiking out at Onion Valley at this point to split the food in the first 100 miles. I need to shave 8 pounds minimum. I tried on 40 pounds last night… hell no. 30 was great. Pack is at 19.1 which is estimated. 12 days of food x 1.25 is 15 pounds, water at 4 pounds, total weight, 38 pounds. Cut the food in half, problem solved. Need to take a good look at Onion Valley for resupply.

Still need a pack to handle the Bearikade though, and 32 pounds total after resupply.

[Don A.]

There are a number of different options for resupply out of Onion Valley. I've resupplied from there 4 times. Having a packer bring your food in over Kearsarge Pass is the easiest and of course the costliest option. You can hike out and hitch into Independence. The Williamson Motel offers a package deal, picking you up at the trailhead, a nights lodging in the motel and a ride back to the trailhead. You can hike out and pickup a resupply at Onion Valley brought to you by a couple of different services.
When you come to the GGG/SoCal there will be a number of people there with some experience in hiking the JMT, resupply, getting a bear canister to fit, picking a pack etc. etc. Make sure you corner someone and pick their brain.

[Lance Cunningham]

You are speaking my thoughts Don. I am going to hold off on my next purchases until I can learn from others' experience. I have a great starting point, good gear as a starting point, and know I could move forward at this point with confidence. Picking people's brains that have DONE it will make ALL the difference. Butane vs. Alcohol, Onion Valley vs. 12 days, where is all the cool stuff to look at, oh, and let's not forget, where's the fish baby! :-)

Going to use a GG AC Blaze 60 for the weekend. Figure I will get to know the pack for my GF. Otherwise, it's the 5# Gregory Triconi which is my buddy's.

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