GGG 2024

[Tyler R]

Hey I’m down!
I was hiking the JMT during GGG 2023, but my calendar is all clear for this one. Excited to meet you all!

[David Gardner]

Hey Tyler, it will be great to meet you finally.

Dude, PLEASE bring more of those awesome little micro-inflators! I forgot to hang onto one more myself last year and have been kicking myself ever since.

[Tyler R]

Sure thing! I’ll bring a handful along with me! And I’ll probably bring some of my more recent projects and the HX pots I’ve made in the past as well so show. :D

[Catherine D]

Tyler, it will be great to meet you. I was the lucky recipient of an inflator but it failed on first outing – I suspect it was user error. I’ll bring it in case you have any insights.

[David Gardner]

Excellent! I get first dibs :-)

I’m thinking there should be a new categories for the UL gear Weigh-Offs and Alcohol Burn-Off: HX pots

[David Gardner]

GGG 2024 EVENTS

FRIDAY
2:00 PM onward: Hike in and gather at Manzanita Point Group Campsite #5. It will be marked with a sign surrounded by flashing LED’s. Sit around, relax, get reacquainted, enjoy the fire as night falls.

SATURDAY
12 PM/Noon
SAW-OFF: Fastest saw under 8 oz. to cut through fir 2×2

12:30 PM
BURN-OFFS
Wood speed – fastest to boil 500 ml of water
Alcohol speed – fastest to boil 500 ml of water
Alcohol efficiency
Esbit speed – fastest to boil 500 ml of water
Esbit efficiency
Canister speed – fastest to boil 500 ml of water
Canister efficiency

2:00 PM
WEIGH-OFFS
HX pot (gm/ml)
Alcohol stove cooking system
Esbit cooking system
Wood stove cooking system
Canister stove cooking system (500 ml minimum, includes stove, windscreen, pot, lid, fuel container, sack; categories by fuel)
Knife (gm/in – 1.5″ blade minimum)
Saw (gm/in of teeth)
Backpack (categories by capacity)
Fishing system – tenkara
Fishing system – reel
Trekking poles – fixed
Trekking poles – adjustable
Camp shoes/sandals
Headlamp (light sufficient to read a book with light 3 from book)

SUNDAY
12:00 PM/Noon – vacate site
1:00 PM: Gear Swap/Sell
In the dirt parking lot. Bring cool stuff to trade/gift/sell.

SWAG
(1) Flat Cat gear courtesy of Jon Fong: Epicurean Stoves, Cheetah windscreens for JetBoil type mug, Ocelot for the Pocket Rocket Deluxe, Ocelot 6 for the Pocket Rocket Stove
(2) From Zachary R: UL BeFree water filter back-flushers
(3) GOLD Gear MK I saw (3.2 oz) to saw contest winner

Hoping we’ll have more swag by game time.

[Tyler R]

Hey Catherine! Oh no! I’ll bring you a replacement, or if you message me your address, I’ll ship you one when I have them available.

 

I don’t think it was user error honestly, I’m currently working to solve an issue where Anker power banks with their ‘Q’ charging protocol will kill a Pad-Pal on plugin when using the USB-A port. I have not notified to many people about the issue yet because I’m not to certain on the cause (just a suspicion I’m in the middle of testing), but I’ll likely be shipping everyone a replacement motor control board with the new overcurrent/voltage protection circuit I’ve been working on to solve the problem once I think it’s ready.

Hopping I’ll have it ready in the next month or so and start contacting everyone to slowly roll out and replace their motor control boards and also finally have these back in stock!

Excited to meet you in person at GGG though! :D

[Catherine D]

Tyler – interesting. The inflator worked great during home tests (which I think I did with an Anker USB-C battery) but indeed, I have an Anker power bank with USB-A that I take on trips and that’s exactly when it died.

[peter v]

in case of poopy weather ; i found my radiant propane heater and it’s 5# propane bottle, if  it looks icky, i’ ll drag it in.

that way, while ya’ll are huddling under a tarp , wondering how this is “fun”, but like … Manfred and vacco will be roasty toasty warm under a Big Agnes whetstone shelter slam’n back battered rums.

[David Gardner]

Hmmm… big tarps, big stoves… maybe we could MacGyver together some kind of flue and have a massive hot tent. And persuade Mr. Shuff to bring his ammo can propane burner too.

[peter v]

so then thinking about bad weather and schlepping firewood, i got to pondering the possibility that if more folks brought some wood in, well, we’d have more. to that end, what if necessary to tote wood, some clever person devised some way to rig up wood in bundles, so everybody could “have” (ohh, look at me, always thinking of others .. ) one.

perhaps if some kind person had a line on some burlap bags, then we could burn them too.

[Doug Coe]

Here’s a silly question. What do you all bring for a nice dinner? Last time I brought a freeze-dried meal and felt like a chump. Coming on Friday so the second dinner will need to keep till then.

[David Thomas]

Doug: I usually bring a variety of Alaskan critters – caribou sausage, bear pastrami or smoked sockeye salmon – stuff like that.   When I met my wife on a gourmet backpacking trip 30 years ago, she brought a chocolate fondue.   Given what many of us show-offs bring, a nice green salad might be a lovely addition.

Peter: I’ve got lots of firewood, but TSA actually prohibits firewood in checked or carry-on baggage (I learned when researching my cooking options on Adak in the Aleutians).

[David Gardner]

Steak/salmon/chicken breast, small potatoes/rice/noodles, chopped onions, carrots, green salad. Live it up, it’s a short hike and only a couple of nights!

Or a variety of “ramen bombs” (ramen + instant mashed potatoes + packet of tuna/salmon/sardines + dried veggie bits).

Single malt(s)

[Doug Coe]

Thanks, Davids for the tips. I’ll have to see what I can come up with. I’m not used to car camping style cooking—no camping frying pans or stoves, etc.

 

[Doug Coe]

Peter—I hope you’re bringing your McHale. I never get tired of geeking out on the brilliant details of his packs.

[peter v]

Doug ; for geekable details, what you really want for an evening around the fire is an Aarn pack. buckles aplenty and more than enough lines to rig a clipper ship. things that slip and slide and zero-sum balance linkages. ohh dear, it’s just .. majestic.

but ya, the Big M will show up. they’re all i got other than that Aarn thing, which for firewood and lawn chairs is too small. of further note, being as this IS on BPL, is that “firewood” is like, one word, and correctly so. while the seemingly should-be-the-same “lawn chair” needs to be busted up.

[Doug Coe]

Peter—Yes, an Aarn would be cool to look at for all the details. Another innovative pack designer for sure. Hey, the McHale is good for loads, so why not pack in the Aarn empty strapped onto it?! :)

[Jane Baack]

Just checking in again after long absence due to older brother’s long illness during which I (and family) provided lots of out of town support. First time to check in and it’s about a GGG plan for March!  Lots of great memories.  Getting slower and can do fewer miles but at 81 I’m still hiking every week with a group of women, now in our 26th year, once a week, year ’round.  Backpacking out of Mammoth and Yosemite backcountry every summer is still a joy although my husband tires of sleeping on the ground.

It’s on my calendar, hope weather cooperates!  Jane

[David Gardner]

peter v: If they won’t let us drive in due to weather and/or road conditions, I’ll be at the Ranger Station no later than 1:00 p.m. If you want to meet up we can prepare firewood bundles of various weights for BPL’ers arriving after us to hike in with.

David T: Looking forward to tasty critters from AK

Jane! I was hoping we would hear from you. It will be great to see you again. You are an inspiration, and I really appreciate your support and encouragement over the years. Can’t wait.

As an addition to our shelter tour, when we go around the site I thought it would be interesting to also see what packs people are currently using too, and their experience with other packs.

[peter v]

i got to thinking . ya .. i know..

ever wanted a theme .. like a bad sweater party ?

if a theme is desired may i suggest “retro gear”.

[Bob Shuff]

I think I’m good to get these days off and will drive up from SoCal again.  I assume I’m walking in this time, but let me me know if I should bring any group gear.

[David Gardner]

peter v, you mean like bring old gear? I have plenty of that.

Bob, please bring your ammo can propane stove. If you arrive by 2 p.m. Friday we can truck it in, assuming they will permit vehicles. We’ll have to monitor weather and conditions as the date gets closer.

[peter v]

so hey .. i just acquired 20qty  14″x26″ burlap bags for to schlep firewood if need to.

where comes from this so far unmentioned the source firewood ? and will it be dimensionally optimal/acceptable ?

v.

[David Gardner]

They ask us not to bring in firewood from outside the park, to avoid the spread of pests and diseases like sudden oak death, but they sell bundles at the ranger station. I will be bringing douglas fir 2×2’s for the wood stove Burn-Off.

The Weather Channel 10-day forecast calls for PM showers on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with a sunny Sunday, so everyone should bring good rain gear and shelters at a minimum. We likely will not be able to drive in with support vehicles, so I’m asking everyone to pack in at least a gallon of potable water and some firewood (with peter v’s burlap sacks). Check your fuel levels for your stoves too. I plan to bring a haul pack too and make at least one extra trip out and back to bring wood, tarps and cordage. Others should feel free to borrow it for a run as well.

I will follow up shortly with a copy of the communications and guidelines I received from the park staff. In the meantime, here is a link to the park’s website.

My cost to sponsor this event is about $250, so I appreciate contributions. Thanks.

[Author]

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