High Sierra Topix

Carry a small fire-starter spark stick under my cook pot (stuff bag) for 15 years and never needed to "spark" a fire as Bic lighters always work. Still - lightweight and possibly life-saving.

Carried long pants (makes a nice pillow) but until this year (early season South Yosemite snowstorm) when hiking with Mike, never put them on.

Speaking of hiking with "dead weight items"...and Mike...nope, too easy.

I always carry a spare pair of eyeglasses since I’m so nearsighted (20-200+ in each eye). I would be in rather dire straits if mine broke. I think I could manage to follow a trail without glasses, but off-trail travel would probably result in a serious accident. I’ve never had to use the spare though one time I thought I might when one of the lenses popped out as I was hiking. Immediately I stopped, got down on my knees and found the lens by the side of the trail. I used the tweezers on the Swiss Army knife to retighten the screw on the glasses frame so the lens wouldn’t pop out again.

I also carry a 50 foot or so length of rope/chord in case I need it for lowering my pack on a cliff or some other use like cutting off a short piece for tying something. I haven’t had to use it for years. The last time was at Sky Camp in Point Reyes with my wife and son. A horrific storm hit in the middle of the night. The gale force winds pulled out the stakes on the side lines of the tent fly so the fly was flapping like crazy in the wind and the rain was getting in under it. For one side, I tied the line to a bush. For the other side, I got out the chord and tied the line to the picnic table 15 feet away. We stayed dry, slept through the night, and awoke to a beautiful sunny morning.

While I never carry a deck of cards solo, my wife and I always bring one so we can play cards, look at the view, and drink Wild Turkey - its been our late afternoon ritual for 40 years.

I do notice some people staring at my pack because of the Gitzo tripod laying on top and obviously wondering about the extra weight. There's no way I would consider not bringing it.

LMBSGV wrote:I always carry a spare pair of eyeglasses since I’m so nearsighted (20-200+ in each eye). I would be in rather dire straits if mine broke. I think I could manage to follow a trail without glasses, but off-trail travel would probably result in a serious accident. I’ve never had to use the spare though one time I thought I might when one of the lenses popped out as I was hiking. Immediately I stopped, got down on my knees and found the lens by the side of the trail. I used the tweezers on the Swiss Army knife to retighten the screw on the glasses frame so the lens wouldn’t pop out again.

I carry prescription eyeglasses as well as a spare. I'm also nearsighted. I also keep a 3rd backup pair in the truck.

A few years ago, I was at Puppet. I sometimes take off my glasses to tie on lures. Guess I was tired because I set my glasses down on the ground rather than on the daypack. The knot was problematic, and my back hurt from throwing lures all morning, so I stood up mid-knot and turned a bit, and there was an odd crunch. Stepped right on them and it broke at the screw.

My back-ups were bifocals, so i spent a good deal of time readjusting to why my legs suddenly appeared shorter. It took a couple hours to get used to it. Even if not needed, the spares come along.

Nothing I carry is dead weight. The closest I come to that idea is the things you bring and might never use them. Such as a first aid kit and a small gear repair kit. Although both I have used.

The spare tire residing around my waist for starters. I also carry the Light My Fire Mora knife, which is "clutch" as far as knives go and it even has a sparker, but I always wind up using a pair of orthopedic scissors for cutting and a book of matches to start the stove.

sparky wrote:...I dont believe in gun control, but carrying a .357 or any gun in the sierra is just strange...

I only occasionally feel the need to carry a firearm on the trail, but in the last 10 years or so I used a firearm in the backcountry (2x) more than a first aid kit.

I used a firearm in the backcountry

Aw c'mon Dave, inquiring minds want to know; give us the scoop/details on why you had to use a fire arm in the backcountry. I'm not trying to stir anything up, I'm just genuinely curious. (maybe this needs its own thread?)

guess I'd like to know as well. The smallest snubnose 357 might weigh 12oz, but it's inaccurate and each bullet weighs an ounce at least.

I have carried a Rifle and hunting pistol before, but that was in Trinity during hunting season. The Rifle and the 7 bullets weighed over 9lbs, not including the makeshift sling to carry it on the pack. The 44 pistol weighed over 6lbs with 6 rounds. I carried the pistol and a friend carried the rifle.

I did carry a S&W 686 4" before in Emigrant. Not sure why, but I did. Truly dead weight. I was young.

I'd like to hear why the discharges, too. I don't have a negative opinion, just find it interesting. I know on one trip up a canyon of the Encampment River in Wyoming I was freaked by the ledges we walked under and the number of mule deer bone and hair piles we kept encountering. I know gun shot reports can carry enormous distances; far more than a whistle or shouting can.
Another piece of gear I seem to overcarry on is tarps/raingear. This may come from my early experiences as a teen and student that loved the outdoors , but was pretty well broke most of the time. I had a lot of wet, physically miserable trips, lacking in equipment. I now seem to go way out of the way to have dry, comfortable rain gear and shelters. We use pack covers, have a groundcloth for the entrance of the tent, and a tarp for shelter we can set up to cook/hang under in rain, besides personal rain gear.


Charlie

TahoeJeff wrote:

I used a firearm in the backcountry

Aw c'mon Dave, inquiring minds want to know; give us the scoop/details on why you had to use a fire arm in the backcountry. I'm not trying to stir anything up, I'm just genuinely curious. (maybe this needs its own thread?)

Nothing quite so melodramatic. The first time my wife and I were in our RV out in the woods, and a persistent black bear kept coming around. The usual methods of chasing him off (yelling, waving arms, and throwing pine cones) were unsuccessful. A couple of rounds in the dirt in front of him finally convinced him to leave.

The second time was just precautionary. My wife and I were returning from a day hike, and as we approached the trailhead we saw a couple of guys nosing around my pickup. We were the only vehicle parked there. They were looking in the windows and trying the doors. As we approached I yelled at them, words to the effect "That is my truck". They said they were admiring it (it was new) and were thinking of buying one (yeah, right). I confronted them about trying the doors and they denied it, of course. They way they were eying us it was obvious they were sizing us up. My wife was beside and little bit behind me, and I saw her reach her hand behind her back. Her day pack has a concealed carry compartment and that day she had carried her revolver. All of a sudden, the two guys backed off and mumbled something have a nice day, jumped in their truck and drove off. My wife had the gun half withdrawn with her hand on the grip.