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August 9th to 11th 2009: North Lake to South Lake

Gear

Not counting my food, water, or bear canister (Bear Vault 500), my pack was just under 10 pounds.  Here’s what was in it.

Pack: Gossamer Gear Mariposa
- Carbon fiber stays not used
- Hip belt cut off
- Shoulder strap pockets added

Shelter: Tarptent Rainbow
- Original model without zipper vestibule
- Ground sheet not used, bottom of tent painted with silicone diluted with mineral spirits instead

Sleeping Bag: Western Mountaineering Megalite

Sleeping Pad: Montbell UL 90
- Also used Montbell pillow and 1/8” Gossamer Gear foam under legs

Clothing – Bringing quality but minimal clothing is a great way to save weight.  In the left photo I’m in my base layer which is a white long sleeve synthetic shirt and synthetic boxer briefs (required for me to prevent inner thigh chaffing).  Over the underwear go synthetic running shorts.  On my head is a visor and white, cotton dish towel.  When its not sunny the towel rides around my neck and is tasked with wiping sweat from my face, cleaning glasses, drying off after dips in the water, etc.  Not shown are prescription sunglasses with transition lenses.  The middle photo shows my warmth layer which is silk PJ bottoms and a Montbell UL down sweater.  The right photo shows my Porepro rain jacket and pants.  I could eliminate the running shorts and PJ bottoms next time but don’t like sleeping in rain pants (even though I have).  Although I didn't use the raingear, I will always bring it.  The only additional clothes I brought are two pairs of Iniji toe socks, one pair of sleep socks, and fleece gloves.

Feet – My feet are protected with synthetic Iniji toe socks, North Face shoes and Dirty Girl Gaiters.  The toe socks prevent toe-to-toe blisters while the gaiters keep debris out of my shoes.  I’m not picky about my shoes and just get what’s on sale at the North Face Outlet in Berkeley.

PJ, also know as Beppo, proper name William Oliver Han-Shen Bowden, has some large shoes to fill.

Ditty Bag – Top from left to right: 3 or 4 waterproof matches, watch, Imodium, Vaseline, ibuprofen.  Middle from left to right: headlamp, compass, spare camera battery, knife with scissors, tweezers and toothpick.  Bottom from left to right: toothbrush, chapstick, squeeze light, earplugs, tinctures of benzoin (for blisters).  Even though I didn’t use all of this, I’ll bring it all again except for the watch since I can always check the time with the camera.  I should have brought a needle for puncturing blisters and will do so next time.  Note that I didn’t bring any sunscreen and didn’t miss it due to my long sleeves, visor, and dish towel.  Leukotape (for blisters) was wrapped around the shaft of one of my trekking poles.  Next time I might also bring nose spray as my sinuses dried out the second night and made getting to sleep difficult.

Potty Bag – I have a hard time measuring out toilet paper, so instead I cut a standard size paper towel into 4 equal squares and then bring 2 squares per day.  Via folding, a single square gives two wipes.  The lighter is to burn the soiled paper in the bottom of the cat hole and the soap, Dr. Bronners, is for washing up.  I also use it to brush my teeth.

Water – I brought two “customized” 1-liter water bottles but could have easily gotten by with only one.  For treatment I brought Aqua Mira (chlorine dioxide) but never used it.  I love the freedom of drinking pure mountain water directly from the source.  As of this writing, September 6th, almost 1 month later, I have suffered no ill effects.  I don't like or use bladders due to their expense, difficulty to clean, and the fact that I can reach my water bottle without taking off my pack.

Mosquitoes – I brought a head net purchased Backpackinglight.com specifically for mosquitoes and a 1-ounce pump sprayer of 100% DEET.  I used the headset at my second nights campsite but didn’t use the DEET at all.  I will always bring these items as mosquitoes can drive me crazy and really ruin a trip.

Skateboarders Knees – On gradual inclines I walked my home-made trekking pole joined as a single unit (see photo taken at 10:45 am on day 2).  On steep climbs I would have one pole in each hand.  However, on descents, I would generally carry the poles and instead make sure to never land a step on a straight leg.  This technique, combined with 2 ibuprofen at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, prevented severe knee pain which has previously troubled me.  Note that this descending technique (which I haven’t explained very well) puts tremendous strain on your quads.

Camera - Pentax Optio W30 which is waterproof, has a 3x optical zoon and takes 7.1 mega pixel shots.  However, to get good shots while hiking solo I always bring my mini tripod.

Blisters – On the third day I discovered I had one small blister on the ball of my left foot.  As I forgot a needle I had to puncture it with my scissors before putting on Leukotape (wrapped around the shaft of my trekking pole).  If I was to attempt high mileage days again I would probably pre-tape the areas shown, the balls of my feet certainly, maybe not the big toes.  Iniji toe socks are now part of my standard gear as they prevent toe-to-toe blisters.

The only other items I brought were my permit, map, car key, identification, cash, credit card, and cell phone.  The last items were due to the fact that, had I gone all the way to Whitney Portal, getting back to the car would have been difficult and involved buses, hitchhiking, etc.

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