Various lessons learned on a recent overnight hike

Forgot one more – always put extra water in the car at the trailhead, in case you arrive thirsty!

Great tips.  Well done.

In Boy Scouts we call this exercise “start, stop, continue”. It’s great to share the lessons learned as soon as possible after the trip.  My son now has one thing to stop doing, one thing to start doing and one to continue as we’re driving home.

Yes on water!  We like to have shoes in the car.  Typically flip flops for our SoCal trips.  I used to have an old pair of Ugg boots when I went skiing or snowboarding.

if looking at the Jetboil, consider also the MSR Windburner.  It works much better in a heavy breeze that will extinguish the jetboil.

I’d say never take a tent you haven’t set up at least once.

The day you stop learning is the day you die.

never take anything you haven’t set up first?

all’s well that ends well

Part of the fun of backpacking (or doing anything you enjoy, really) is learning and modifying to enhance the experience. I almost always come home with a short list of things to do differently next time or things to try.  It’s fun to tweak stuff!

And I also would encourage you to take a look at MSR’s WindBurner to compare with the Jetboil.  Jetboil gets kudos for “inventing” fuel-efficient canister stoves, but MSR upped the bar considerably when it comes to use in windy conditions.

`1) +1.  Yeah, if you’ve never set up the tent before, you only have 0.5 tents with you.  The parts might all be there.  Or they might not.  You will probably figure it out.  But you might not, especially if it’s cold, wet, and dark. If you haven’t set up your tent this season, you have (on average) 0.87 tents with you.

2) Jetboils work.  But anything with a good windscreen does, too.  Some HX pots / stove combos function as an integral wind screen at a lower cost and weight.

3) (Goretex shoes aren’t drier but are warmer): This is a very intriguing thought for me.  I (a native Californian) adopted low-cut breathable hiking shoes / trail runners 40 years ago with the introduction of the Nike Lava Dome let me leave regular running shoes are home.  The breathability eventually let the socks dry.  But you’re right, here in Alaska, as soon as you get off trail, your feet will be wet continuously.  They might as well be warm while they’re wet.  I went with Manfred & Sons for their first day into the Brooks Range and then doubled back to the car.  I crossed that damn, very cold river 80 times, and I could feel the cold water flowing through my shoes each time.  The conductive losses though soaking wet socks and shoes was surpassed by the convective losses of water passing through the shoe.  I know that warm + wet = fungus, but I’ve also learned that applying some anti-fungal topical lotion beforehand avoids that.

Every time I go out, I make a list of stuff I didn’t use.  Emergency equipment may make the list, but rarely gets cut, i.e., first aid kit or repair kit, although they may get modified to reduce bulk or weight. Anything non-emergency that makes the list twice gets left behind.  Rain gear never gets cut in the PNW, even if it didn’t get used.

<p style=”text-align: left;”>What I’ve learned from overnight and longer hikes flys in the face of this light weight obsession. Hiking clothing- khaki shorts, wool ragg socks, Sundowner boots,   Poly shirt-long sleeve, and hat. In camp- lightweight wool trousers, Pendleton wool shirt, wool watch cap, and moccasins. Wind/rain parka for wet and cold. I don’t bring electronics, cameras, toys. Maybe a fishing rod. Most of the “lessons” are learned from decisions about navigation and pace, not gear. Wear wool, avoid stupid risks, and a little soreness is ok.</p>

Loved the article.  This hit home, “Out of necessity, you practiced changing flashlight batteries and bulbs with your eyes closed”.   I love LEDs !!! Thanks

Something I’ve been doing recently is leaving my pack packed.  After airing out the tent, etc; but not putting the stove back in the “stoves” box, the sleeping pad back in the “pads” box.

Sure, on the next trip I might swap out one pad for another but it makes packing up for the trip quicker and I’m less likely to totally forget some item.

Thanks for posting those lessons, we are always learning.

I’m just adding to this post as a bit of a counterpoint.

I have also hiked this trail twice with widely opposite weather conditions. The Pennel Mtn Trail, and all of the domes and high ridges north of Fairbanks are actually known more for lack of water during the period after snowmelt is gone and before the rains of August.

I had a difficult time finding water other than the shelter runoff during a 4th of July hike (20+yrs ago). It was really hard on my husky, who at one point near the end started ripping up sphagnum moss to get to moisture! On another hike north of this trail we had to filter water out of moose tracks! Conversely, I have been up in this area where the wind, rain and exposure was so intense we set up our tent to get out of it. Good to have extra food in case of an unexpected layover. And yes all of Alaska is just plain rough on your feet-mostly no way to avoid getting them wet unless wearing XtraTufs which I had to do for many summers working outside. and yor feet will sweat in them.

SealSkins now makes a sock that is supposedly waterproof-with a cuff that seals around the ankle, so Ill be interested in the performance of that. Usually, just tough it out, make a supreme effort to dry your feet, socks and shoes at camp and embrace the experience. If your feet aren’t wet in Alaska you’re not trying hard enough-haha.

Altra Lone Peaks are especially wet shoes. They get wet and stay wet for 2 days. The insoles soak up water like a sponge. Add Darn Tough or similar socks and you will never have dry feet.