Month: October 2023

For this last post in the series we get into all the “extras,” to include anything that doesn’t fit elsewhere. I’ll also describe things I had but wish I hadn’t and hadn’t but wish I had. That will make more sense later. Some of these things I never used but I wouldn’t leave home without. A lot of this falls into the ‘ten essentials‘ or my version of a ‘possibles kit.’

Hill People Gear Chest Kit

I really wanted to love this piece of kit. The main purpose of this kit is to have certain pieces of gear always at hand, even if you take off your pack. There’s just too many downsides relative to an extended backpacking trip.

While “everything” is readily at hand, it is heavy and retains heat. Notice in the picture Arlyn is wearing a lighter version? And the sweat stain underneath? If it is cold out you won’t mind the heat retention until you stop and the sweat starts evaporating.

Another downside is layering clothing. When you put on your rain gear or an insulating layer, you either have to take this off first or cover up the gear you wanted to have easy access to. It also doesn’t hide my ‘dunlap’ tire…

I’m going to repurpose this SAR. Paired with my day pack, I think it will be perfect for man-tracking missions.

Okay, So What’s In It?

• Small flashlight, LED, bright, single CR123 battery
• Leatherman Wave multitool, +/- 20 years old, original (no bit drivers), my favorite multitool that I carried everyday at work
• Orange/pink signal panel
• Signal mirror, small
• Whistle
• Gun shot wound trauma kit (because the kit is designed to carry a pistol…)
• Large bandana from SOLO ALEC course, has a ‘SOAP’ note on it
• Rite-in-the-Rain notepad with map tools
• Rite-in-the-Rain pen with lighted tip
• Small Pentel mechanical pencil
• Map of our planned trip & AO
• Suunto MC-2 G Mirror compass
• iPhone
• Jaybird bluetooth, water proof ear buds
• small lens cleaning cloth
• Big lighter in an Exotac ‘Fire Sleeve’
• On the outside is bear spray in a Mystery Ranch case and my big knife

Fixed Blade Knife

The big knife is a Chax Knives ‘Warrior Spirit’ in a custom Sagewood Gear leather sheath. The knife is heavy and sturdy enough for digging and batoning. That means I can leave behind the cat hole shovel and camp axe. The sheath is a ‘scout carry’ (horizontal) and has an integrated magnesium rod and a small tin of fire tinder. I love this knife and carry it everywhere.

In My Pockets

And truth be told these are always in my pockets:

• ‘Kutmaster’ two-bladed pen knife
• OLight i3T EOS, brass
• Fisher Space Pen, brass ‘bullet-style’
• Zippo lighter, brass
• Challenge coin, the four Stoic virtues from The Daily Stoic*
• one Lira coin (from Italy before the Euro), featuring daVinci’s ‘Vitruvian Man’*

*The significance of the coins are a much longer conversation we can have later.

The knife and lighter were my grandfather’s, both from his time in service. The Italian Lira is from my shore leave there in 1994. A note on the lighter — I have another Zippo, also brass, from my time in the Navy. I had engraved it for a Christmas gift and when he stopped smoking my dad gave it back to me. Anyway, I tried putting it in a Thyrm ‘Pyrovault’ so I could leave papaw’s at home.

It looks great and holds a wad of fire-starter in the bottom (fuel-impregnated cotton). Problem is it doesn’t fit correctly and thus makes striking impossible. Also the fluid evaporates within 24-48 hours. I left it at home. I’ll consider getting a butane insert from Thyrm that I assume will fit better? If it works maybe it will make it into my pockets next time.

Solar-Powered Camping?

I carried an old Goal Zero backpacker’s solar panel for keeping all the battery-powered gadgets charged up. It is a bit heavy but (I thought would be) very useful. It wouldn’t charge my iPhone X. The battery pack that came with the panel would charge it either. And actually the four rechargeable AA batteries that run the battery pack are shot. Replacing those may change the game.

The solar panel would charge a backup battery that Arlyn was carrying. He graciously let me use his battery to charge my phone and I replenished this when the sun came out.

The panel did quickly charge my Garmin watch.

Speaking of the Watch and iPhone

The Garmin Fenix 6 was great for navigation, but I need to learn how to use it better. I should have preloaded our route and either ran the navigating or expedition mode. I used the hiking (exercise/training) mode. It tracks you well but would discharge 3-4 days of battery power each use. Allegedly ‘expedition mode’ saves battery power and still records helpful information. Expedition mode counts as training but i’m not sure about ‘navigation mode.’

The iPhone was to be my main navigation tool and camera. Using the Avenza app ran the battery down quickly. I turned off the mapping app and reserved the power for taking photos. Navigating then became terrain/trail/route following, and consulting the map if needed.

Possibles Kit

Some people see this as just a repair kit. To me it’s quite a bit more. As Patrick Smith says,

“The concept is to store close at hand everything needed to operate efficiently, and safely, in remote places. Everything meaning everything besides clothing, shelter, boots, horse…you get the idea.”

Patrick Smith

By Patrick’s definition this also includes everything in the Chest Kit and in my pockets. This kit resides in the top of my backpack. The pouch is repurposed from my US Palm plate carrier.

• Sharpie marker
• Super Glue
• Extra heavy aluminum foil (I could make a cup/pot out of this and melt snow)
• Kenyon ‘K-Tape’ fabric repair tape (‘Tenacious Tape’ seems to be the popular thing now)
• strip of double-faced velcro (hook on one side, loop on the other)
• Potable Aqua chlorine dioxide tabs (10, enough to treat 2.5gal / 10L of water)
• Adventure Medical Kits ‘Heatsheet Emergency Bivy’ (now sold by the brand ‘SOL’)
• Small pencil
• Bic lighter
• Metal telescopic straw (fire bellows)
• Exotac Nanostryker
• Exotac MatchcapXL containing ‘lifeboat matches’ several Zippo ‘tinder quicks’ and a small round of fuel-impregnated cotton
• Sea to Summit pocket body wash
• eGear clip on LED light (battery one way is a solid weight light, battery reversed is a strobe)
• Exotac ‘ripSpool+’
• Petzl e+lite headlamp with 2 spare batteries
• Suunto clipper compass
• 2 cord locks
• 8 safety pins, various sizes
• 9 split rings, various sizes
• small cotter pin
• 4 rubber bands, the thick one like you get off broccoli or asparagus bunches
• Small NiteIze cable twist tie
• roll of unwaxed dental floss
• small spool of heavy cotton thread
• Smith’s ‘Pocket Pal’ knife sharpener

The First Aid Kit

Again the pouch is repurposed from my US Palm plate carrier. The medications are in an old Kifaru pull-out pouch.

• Quick Clot sponge (3.5×3.5)
• 2 gauze rolls
• Elastic bandage
• Kerlix roll
• 2 4×4 sponges
• 5×9 combine dressing
• Bandaids
• 2 large
• 4 medium
• 8 standard
• 5 ‘knuckle’
• 3×3 gauze pad
• Package of steri-strip wound closures
• Package of Moleskin
• Pen light
• Sharpie
• 4 pairs gloves
• Antimicrobial hand wipes
• SAM splint
• S-rolled gauze
• Fabric athletic tape
• Latex-free tape
• Full-sized trauma shears
• Super glue
• Razor blade
• 6 large safety pins
• Small pencil
• Hypo- & Hyper-thermia thermometers
• Tweezers & sewing pins (ticks and splinters)
• CPR pocket mask

Medications

(does not include my prescriptions)

• 5 pkts Diphenhydramine HCL (antihistamine)
• 5 pkts Loperamide Hydrochloride (anti-diarrheal)
• 6 ‘BC Powders’ (500mg Acetaminophen + Caffeine)
• 10-15 Hydrocodon-Acetaminophen
• 40 Dexamethasone
• 20 Nifedipine
• 40 Odenestrone
• 5 pkts Hydrocortisone cream
• 5 pkts Triple antibiotic ointment
• Albuterol metered dose inhaler
• Pepcid Complete

Final Thoughts

Use a checklist. Pack the car the night before. Recheck the car and checklist in the morning. Long-story-short — don’t forget your boots.

I need a lighter weight backpack. That change alone could drop five to seven pounds off my total load. There are some ‘ultra light’ backpacks out there that are essentially frame-less. Though I can’t imagine carrying 35-45 pounds in a frame-less sack.

After this trip I visited the REI flagship store in Seattle, WA to return the boots. While there decided to look at a few backpacks. I asked about this fancy looking Arc’teryx Aerios pack, a Gregory (don’t remember the model), a Granite Gear Crown3, a new version of the Osprey Exos, and a Mystery Ranch Terraframe 3 zip 50.

Following the very helpful salesperson’s lead, I flexed the Arc’teryx from top to bottom and the “anti-barreling” frame sheet snapped in half. Needless to say, that’s off my list — not further research needed. I hope the salesperson didn’t have to pay for it…

The Osprey was upgraded with the frame now hitched to the waist belt. Both the Gregory and the Granite Gear seemed well constructed, low weight, decent volume. I liked the frame and apparent durability of the Mystery Ranch, but I’m not sold on the three-zip design.

The tent was great. I need a footprint and a thin ensolite pad that fits the floor. Maybe some adjustable poles. Big Agnes doesn’t make the Insulated Air Core mattress series or the Zirkel bag but they made good on their guarantee. They sent me a new, lighter ‘Divide Insulated’ pad with ‘inflation sack.’ Just as the helpful customer service said it fits in the sleeve on the back of the bag.

In the “closet” I’m considering a kilt. I own several and have day-hiked in my Utilikilt ‘Survival.’ Its durable, heavy canvas can take a beating but it’s hot. Add a pack belt and I’m sweating in all the most unattractive areas. I used to own a ‘Sport Kilt’ and did some obstacles course races and local CrossFit events in it. I’m exploring those options. On top of that would be a rain kilt.

I’m also giving thought to something I used to carry when I hiked the Appalachian Trail — an umbrella. As mentioned I’ve used an umbrella and poncho/tarp as an emergency shelter. This is a trick I picked up from TBR Walsh at Stone Hearth Open Learning Opportunities in Conway, NH. I attended their “Advanced Leadership & Emergency Care” course in the winter of ’96-7. The biggest downside to an umbrella is heavily wooded areas such as unmaintained trails and off-trail routes. A proper umbrella though can serve double duty as a hiking stave.

Speaking of hiking staves/poles, I’m considering those too. Jason let me borrow one of his for several creek crossings and I was thankful for the balance assistance it provided.

The chest kit doesn’t make the cut. As discussed above it is hot and frankly unnecessary. Stuff in there could have been in pockets or pouches elsewhere.

That’s a Wrap

If you’ve followed along through this whole multi-post debriefing thanks for indulging. If there’s something you missed or want to go back to, you can jump to there via these links:

1. Introduction — Debriefing the Odyssey
2. Foundations — what was on my feet?
3. Walls — which pack did I use?
4. Kitchen — what did I eat and how?
5. Bedroom — my tent and sleep system
6. Closet — clothing
7. Furniture & Appliances — all the other stuff

For clothing I ascribe to the three-layer system. This consisting of a base, an insulator, and an outer layer with a few caveats. The selection of course is (predicted) weather-dependent plus some extras based on experience. For example, the ten-day forecast may predict no precipitation, but in the high Sierras it could rain, hail, snow, or thunderstorm any afternoon. If you are caught high with naught but your shorts and tee-shirt, you are asking to die of hypothermia. During which you apparently fall asleep, so maybe that’s not so bad, but your last thoughts are probably “I could have prevented this,” so there’s that…

“To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

Shakespeare

Most days I was wearing Fjällraven shorts, Under Armor boxer briefs and undershirt, ‘R1’ capilene long johns, and a Columbia long sleeve sun shirt. I also wore an OR ball cap with a sun drape that covered my neck. I first used the long johns for morning chill. Later I was glad to have them to defend against the sun. One in the party that wore shorts burned the backs of their legs (around the knees between the shorts and gaiters).

On day one due to the possibility of rain, I wore my wax canvas Fjällraven pants. Once it started raining these were soaked through within the first hour. I’ll need to re-wax them before winter time. The rest of the trip they were dead weight.

I had forgotten my neck gaiters and wish I hadn’t. The hat with drape was hot, and I think the sun blocking hoody would have worked better. In fact, I purchased a similar shirt by ‘Free Fly’ and wore it in Glacier — it worked great. It wasn’t as hot as the hat and still protected me from the sun burn. Better would be something like Jason’s with a quarter-length zipper to allow ventilation.

Further insulation was provided by my hooded Patagonia ‘Puff Ball’ jacket. The beanie and gloves mentioned here were also easily accessible while hiking. In the future I’d carry a second lighter insulation layer, like a vest or lined wind breaker for cold morning starts or windy lunch breaks. But that would be in addition to the ‘Puff Ball.’ Its versatility makes it too useful to leave at home.

What’s Left?

And that’s everything in the closet. Last stop: “Appliances and Accessories” Or you can [re]visit one of these:

1. Introduction — Debriefing the Odyssey
2. Foundations — what was on my feet?
3. Walls — which pack did I use?
4. Kitchen — what did I eat and how?
5. Bedroom — my tent and sleep system
6. Closet — clothing
7. Furniture & Appliances — all the other stuff

When Kathleen and I met we discovered we had the same tent (destined to be?). The Sierra designs ‘Clip Flashlight’ two-person tent. She had the newer, lighter ‘CD’ version (4 lbs. 6 oz). We eventually got rid of my older model. Several years later we bought a four-season, double-walled, three-person tent.

The Black Diamond ‘Squall’ is heavy (8 lbs. 7 oz) but when car camping we can put a queen-sized air mattress in it and still have room for gear inside. I’d carry it on canoe/kayak trips, and it would more than suffice for winter camping.

I also have an old but still useful bivouac sack. I’ve camped in it using a large golfer’s umbrella and a tarp to build a shelter over the head of it. I could sit up and read or cook in the rain that way. When I worked backcountry patrol jobs that bivy sack was on every patrol and SAR. On patrol as a backup to the tent, and on SARs in case I got stuck overnight.

Given all those options…

Of course I opted to buy something new instead!

The TarpTent ‘Notch’ weighs in at 27.95 ounces (1 lb. 11.95 oz) which includes the polyester fly, with ‘solid interior,’ stakes, struts, stuff sack, bags, and guy lines. The poles are another 3.8 ounces. So all together an ounce shy of 2 pounds.

The tent requires two poles and only four stakes. You can use trekking poles. Since I wasn’t planning to use trekking poles, I opted for their poles.

There are two vestibules. These turned out to be plenty of space for my pack on one side and boots on the other. It opens to both sides. I could make it taught on one side where I stored the pack, and still easily get in and out on the opposite side.

Downsides?

Only one: a few mornings there was a fair amount of condensation on the inside of the fly. None of this dripped onto the interior. There are a few ways mentioned out on the interwebs to avoid this problem. I’ll need to experiment in various conditions and report back.

I need to upgrade with a ‘footprint’ and two adjustable (lighter) carbon fiber poles. I don’t use trekking poles right now though I’m exploring those as a future purchase. If I go that route, it’s good to note that TarpTent makes attachments specifically to accommodate them.

The Sleep System

The “system” consists of:

• the sleeping bag
• sleeping pad
• other insulation layers you might use overnight, be they:
• ‘long johns,’
• socks
• hat
• gloves

Sleeping Bag

For this trip I used my Big Agnes ‘Zirkel SL’ — not made anymore. This is down-filled and rated to 20^o. It’s mummy shaped and has a bag sewn into the hood. This is for a pillow or any clothing you may want to use for that purpose. There’s no fill on the bottom side of the bag saving weight — with a caveat. See next.

Sleeping Pad

The ‘Insulated Air Core’ mattress is designed to fit inside an sleeve on the back of the bag. The bag doesn’t slide off the pad. Since there’s no fill on the bottom side of the bag you save a few more ounces on the total weight. Big Agnes also does not make this anymore.

Arlyn carried two sleeping pads. Open open-cell (inflatable) foam pad and one closed-cell foam (by Thermarest, I think). I’d like to follow his lead to upgrade my system. I’m looking into a piece of ensolite sized to the floor of the notch.

The bag was warm enough that I frequently left it open. Plus being a side sleeper, I’d wake up with parts of me — a leg or arm — on the cold ground. Not to mention the bonus of a back up to my mattress, which sprung a leak on night three. I woke up every two or three hours with cold or painful shoulders or hips and have to re-inflate the mattress.

I haven’t been able to find the leak to patch it. Big Agnes replaced it free of charge, with a comparable item. Thus securing my customer loyalty.

Pillow

I forgot to take one of my many camping pillows. Truth be told I’ve never found a perfect camping pillow. As previously mentioned the Big Agnes bag has an attached bag at the head and in that I stuffed clothes and my Patagonia ‘Puff Ball’ jacket. Arlyn had an inflatable pillow. I might look into something like that for future trips.

Other Insulation

I’ll discuss clothing in the next post but for my sleep system I had:

• ‘long johns’ consisting of long capilene pants and shirt
• socks
• a beanie
• gloves

None of this I needed on this trip but wouldn’t leave home without. You never know if or when weather might take a hard turn.

What’s In the Closet?

That’s it for the “bedroom.” On to the “clothes closet.” Or check out one of these other links if you prefer:

1. Introduction — Debriefing the Odyssey
2. Foundations — what was on my feet?
3. Walls — which pack did I use?
4. Kitchen — what did I eat and how?
5. Bedroom — my tent and sleep system
6. Closet — clothing
7. Furniture & Appliances — all the other stuff

Before I left I went around and around on my backpack choices — Osprey ‘Exos’ or Mystery Ranch ‘Crew Cab?’ I haven’t written about either of these, so first a word or two about each.

Osprey Exos 58

The Exos 58 is 15 to 20 years old. I bought it on sale back when I was still working in Yosemite National Park. But then I never used it. It is very light weight. Oddly, the bottom corners of the frame are not attached to the hip belt.

Mystery Ranch Crew Cab

The ‘Crew Cab’ by Mystery Ranch is built on the “NICE” frame. It is no longer available unless you can find a used one. It was purchased for wildland fire investigations where I might need to carry heavy, over-sized equipment and personal gear.

For the trip in the Winds, the Mystery Ranch Crew Cab won out. I just had more confidence in it. That said, I used the Osprey in Glacier where I would be carrying much less weight (no tent, less food).

How Did They Work Out?

The Mystery Ranch ‘Crew Cab’ carried well throughout the Bridger Wilderness. Having a central bag to hold the gear in the middle would have made it better. The day we crossed Knapsack Col is the only time I wished for a lighter pack and more flexible frame. At one point I tried looking up for my route and felt I was being pulled backwards. Had we chosen to take the slightly longer but less technical route this probably wouldn’t have been a problem.

I used the Osprey for the six plus miles in and out of the Belly River Ranger Station in Glacier. Again, though I didn’t weigh it, this was a very light load — less than 20 pounds. When I lifted it out of the car I was elated. When I cinched down the first side compression strap and the hardware snapped, the elation evaporated. I tied a ‘taught line hitch’ to keep it cinched down.

An aside for my fellow knot nerds: a ‘taught line hitch’ is a rolling hitch tied with the bitter end back onto the standing or running end to create an adjustable loop.

The light load carried okay. The lower corners of the frame slopped around and irritated me. As previously mentioned these lower frame corners are not attached to the waist belt. I’m glad I didn’t use it on the seven day trip. The sway and slop with 35-40 pounds would have sucked.

Conclusions

I’m on the hunt for a new backpack. Lighter than, but as durable as the Mystery Ranch, and more confidence-inducing than the Osprey. I see that Osprey has updated the Exos — still geared toward the ultra-light crowd. It seems they fixed the bottom of the frame to the pack belt.

On my way to Glacier I got to visit ‘Mystery Ranch’ for an hour or so and I’m already a super fan of Dana Gleason. I used a US-made Terraplane for trips in Denali National Park in 1997. I think you can tell where this is going, but I’ll save the details of my research for later posts.

In the Next Chapter

The next post will take a quick tour through “The Kitchen” — stoves, pots and pans, utensils, and food. If that doesn’t light your fire, you can give any of these others a read instead:

1. Introduction — Debriefing the Odyssey
2. Foundations — what was on my feet?
3. Walls — which pack did I use?
4. Kitchen — what did I eat and how?
5. Bedroom — my tent and sleep system
6. Closet — clothing
7. Furniture & Appliances — all the other stuff

First, a Confession

Actually, If you haven’t already read this, you might want to do that first. I wanted to use either my La Sportiva Makalus or my Danner Mountain Light Cascades, but … I got to within thirty minutes outside of Sacramento (almost three hours from home) and it hit me. Like a bag of bricks dropped from a second story window, I realized I had left both of my pairs of boots at home.

Well fuck me.

“There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes his whole universe for a vast practical joke.

Herman Melville

So new plan, I had to stop at REI in Sacramento. Unfortunately they did not have the non-Gortex Danner Mountain Light. Nor did they have the La Sportiva Makalu. They did have other Danner models, but not in my size.

Minor creek crossings and rain didn’t get my feet wet. The boots also dried out quickly. Thanks to the temperatures my feet didn’t over-heat and sweat beyond the boots ability to transport the moisture away (more about that problem here.)

No blisters. I did get an abrasion on my right heel, but that was from some small debris that found its way into the boot. Gators might have prevented that. I did have short, not waterproof ‘scree gaiters’ with me but never used them.

So Why Did I Return Them?

Because on the morning of day three I had pain-tenderness across the top of my right medial forefoot. That’s across the navicular and medial cuneiform bones. This is a problem I’ve had with other shoes, and I usually solve it with alternative lacing. With this boot though that caused too much slop — less sense of stability. The design feature that is causing the problem is what happens to be the how the foot is locked into the heel cup and arch. Leaving this out of the lacing pattern relieves the pain but excessively frees the heel and drops the arch support.

Socks & Blister Prevention

I always use a two-sock system — a liner made out of silk and polyester plus a Smartwool hiking sock. Based on a recommendation from Jason and Alison, at Glacier I swapped my usual liners from REI for Injinji liner-weight toe socks. These were so comfortable — and allow for other camp shoe options — it’s what I’m using from now on.

It comes in this convenient plastic case and is pre-cut. I’m able to get several alcohol wipes in the center so I can clean the area before applying. This ensures the tape will stick even where I might have previously used the ‘FootGlide.’ Just in case I also carry Compede bandages.

Camp Shoes

I used ‘Crocs.’ They are lightweight and comfortable. Unlike most sandals/flip flops/’thongs’ they are sock compatible. (Unless of course your socks have toes.) While using the heel strap they wouldn’t fall off and were stable enough for all chores in and around camp. Not the best for swift moving water crossings, but that was an unlikely event on this trip.

One word of caution, use the heel strap. Any shoe without a heel cup or strap forces the foot to do things to keep the shoe on. I’m not one to wear flip flops ‘everywhere’ (longer conversation we can have later, but if you can imagine standing at a public urinal and your foot gets wet but you haven’t started yet…). A few years ago I started wearing them around the house all day while working from home. After three months I had bilateral plantar fasciitis. I stopped wearing the flip flops and the plantar fasciitis self-resolved.

That’s It for Foundations

Next up: “The Walls”–all about my backpacks. Or you can jump around to what interests you.

1. Introduction — Debriefing the Odyssey
2. Foundations — Boots, socks, & other foot-related stuff
3. Walls — which pack did I use?
4. Kitchen — what did I eat and how?
5. Bedroom — my tent and sleep system
6. Closet — clothing
7. Furniture & Appliances — all the other stuff

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

Henry David Thoreau

Introduction

This series of essays is an ‘after action report’ of sorts. It details the good, bad, and ugly of the gear I used. Furthermore, I’ll talk about the mistakes I made and the lessons I learned on my recent trip to the Bridger Wilderness and Glacier National Park. I’m choosing to follow Collin Fletcher and Chip Rawlins’ outline of The Complete Walker IV. But before I take you deep into those weeds, I should describe the trip itself. That information informed my decisions and mistakes.

“The Winds”

I went to academy with Ken and Jason. Arlyn — a detective in upstate New York — is Ken’s cousin. Greg, who also works for the Park Service, is a friend and former co-worker of Ken. We’ll hear more from them later.

Our longest day was just over 8 miles. The shortest less than two. (This was to move our camp to lower elevation in case the pending storm brought snow.) The trailhead is at about 9,000′ above MSL. Day one had us camping above 10,000′ and for the rest of the trip we were above that until the final day’s hike out. Knapsack Col, which we crossed on day three, is 12,380′ MSL.

Temperatures ranged from highs in the low to mid 70’s to lows in the mid 40’s. Thunderstorms, bringing lightning, rain, even hail in the late afternoon and evening, is always a possibility. It was ‘mostly sunny/partly cloudy’ except for day one and six when it rained. First lesson learned is wear sun protection as a rule and have it available to reapply. (More about that later.)

Last note about the area that should effect decisions is this is bear country. Both black bear and grizzlies roam here. That said, all we saw was a bull moose, a badger, pika, osprey, and a long tailed weasel.

Glacier National Park

My trip to Glacier National Park was much more mellow. There I met my friend Alison in Saint Marys. We had dinner with her retired Park Service friends Dick and Ursula. After dinner we drove to East Glacier Park and spent the night in the seasonal dormitory.

We spent the next day in Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada, after being detained at the border. (Funny story for another time.) Another night in the dorms, and then we visited several front country favorites of Alison’s. Late that day we drove back north — nearly again to the boarder — to the Belly River trailhead.

From there we hiked an easy 6.3 miles to the Belly River Ranger Station cabin(s). Alison patrolled and I hiked and fished for the next two days. I hiked out solo on the fourth day. Then, via the ‘Going to the Sun Road,’ drove west. I eventually meet my wife and friends on Whidby and Bainbridge Islands in the Puget Sound, Washington.

Since I was staying in a ranger cabin, pack weight was very low but there is still some information to gleaned. There I used a different pack. See full details in ‘chapter 2.’

I ended up driving a total of 3,574 miles over eleven days.

The Trip Numbers

8/20: drive to Elko, NV

8/21: drive to Pinedale, WY

8/22: 6.14 miles from the Elkhart/Trails End trailhead to Barbara Lake (about a half mile shy of our target, Hobbs Lake)

8/23: 8.59 miles to Titcomb Lakes (we camped between #3 & 4) beneath Fremont Peak

8/24: 5.18 miles up and over Knapsack Col

8/25: 1.66 miles dropping roughly 1,000′ elevation, just above Peak Lake (late afternoon hail, and then rain, and then rock fall off Cube Rock)

8/26: 5.56 miles over Shannon Pass back to and then south on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail to Lower Jean Lake

8/27: 7-8 miles estimated (more details later, but my watch was dead until I could charge it at lunch)

8/28: 6.83 miles back to Elkhart/Trails End trailhead

8/29: drive to Bozeman, MT

8/30: drive to East Glacier, MT

8/31: short hike to the top of Bear Hump in Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada

9/1: less than 3 miles in Glacier National Park front country, and then 6.3 miles into the Belly River Ranger Cabin

9/2: hike and fish

9/3: hike and fish

9/4: hike 6.3 miles out to the Belly River trailhead; drive to Spokane, WA (where I shared an elevator with Bonnie Rait!)

9/5: Drive to Whidby Island and met Kathleen and friends

9/6-8: Enjoyed ‘island life’ and a little bit of the city — Canon, in Seattle, WA (huge thanks and love to Nettie, and Carrie and Kurt for hosting us)

9/9-10: Drove home.

The Rest of the Story

1. Introduction — Debriefing the Odyssey
2. Foundations – what was on my feet?
3. Walls – which pack did I use?
4. Kitchen – what did I eat and how?
5. Bedroom – my tent and sleep system
6. Closet – clothing
7. Furniture & Appliances – all the other stuff