Two things I learned a long time ago was
- a spoon is the only eating utensil one needs for backpacking
- if you pare away at the ounces you will reduce your pack weight by pounds.
An Ode to Spoons
Backpacking Trifecta (deserts to ocean to mountains)
This weekend I completed a May “trifecta” of sorts. Nothing epic or out of the ordinary. Earlier this month I posted about trips to the desert and the ocean, and this weekend I capped those trips with a mountain backpacking trip.
Continue reading Backpacking Trifecta (deserts to ocean to mountains)
Going back home to the Surf
After doing several hikes in the desert over the past three weeks, I decided it was time for a change. First option is usually to go up into the mountains, since our home is surrounded by mountains. But I decided to take a different kind of trip; a pilgrimage of sorts – to the beach.
Which Pencil for the John Muir Trail?
What’s Up With That?
A little satire I posted over at BackpackingLight.com.
The John Muir Trail (JMT) runs from Yosemite to Mount Whitney, a distance of 211 miles. Mile for mile, it is one of the most beautiful hikes in the US; and as you would expect, it is very crowded in the summer. I first hiked most of the JMT in 1971. At the time I had never heard of it, and hiking from Kernville to Mount Whitney I found the trail on my map. I almost made it all the way to Yosemite, but descending from Tuolumne Meadows I was put off by the crowds on the trail; turned around and hiked back to Kernville.
I didn’t plan this trip, just packed my gear and headed out for a few months. Today I am amused by the number of people posting on the Internet asking for help in planning their JMT hike. People asking what they should eat, what they should wear, what kind of a shelter they need or do they need a shelter, what sleeping system, what rain gear, how should they purify water, etc., etc., etc., not to mention all the “what if” questions.
So here is my post…
