(Eastside Magazine) article
24Jun2009
Odyssey vs. Marathon
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
FREQUENT SIERRA TREKKERS CONSIDER THE CONTENTS OF THEIR BACKPACKS an extension of their very beings. The most famous pack identity is that of early twentieth century Sierra mountaineering legend Norman Clyde. “He carried huge packs that usually included large books of classical literature, cast iron cookware, an anvil and hammer for boot repair, multiple cameras, and guns—at least a couple of sidearms. He did not like to go hungry either, so he carried a lot of food, and he often took on extra food from others in the backcountry. All of this stuff he wrapped in a duffle and strapped onto a classic old pack frame, which is basically a board with shoulder straps,” said author and photographer Andy Selters, who curated an exhibit on Clyde for the Eastern California Museum.
For this magazine’s editor and her heeler, reading material (unlike Clyde, she leaves Homer at home and takes the latest New Yorker), two sleeping pads (closed cell foam for canine, and Therm-A-Rest ProLite short for human), a bottle of Côtes du Rhône decanted in a one-liter Platypus bladder and dehydrated, organic dog kibble are essential components of the perfect weekend trip.
Other hikers, taking advantage of the generally good California summer weather, make it a personal mission to shave needless ounces off their FSO (from skin out) weight. “There were hikers who didn’t carry a stove and only ate rehydrated hummus,” said Andrew Schurr, a Bishop resident, of his 2007 Pacific Crest Trail through-hike. Schurr was able to maintain a marathon-a-day average pace on his trek by going light: tarp instead of tent, low-top hiking shoes instead of leather boots. Still, he figured he had a couple pounds of frills, including a frisbee, a pirate flag and nip of whiskey.
Virtual hikers at
http://www.highsierratopix.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, a backpacking discussion board, debated the matter of pack weight and contents all winter and spring. Forum users’ pack weights range from nine to 85 pounds, depending on fishing apparatus, camera equipment and budget (an example: the old standby bear-resistant food canister can be rented for as little as five dollars a week, while a lighter model might cost over $200 to purchase).
Longtime Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park wilderness ranger and frequent High Sierra Topix contributor George Durkee offered the online backpackers this advice:
“Whatever happens, don’t abandon the Peet’s coffee or the french press! A man’s gotta have priorities—also, an encouraging number of outbound hikers will cheerfully offload their fresh(er) coffee with the kindly ranger.
“So my only thought here is to look at two things that people tend to carry that they can really save some pounds on. [First is] the empty pack weight—I think nowadays anything over three pounds is too much. Lots of good choices out there. Check out the Ice Sack by Wild Things Gear (
http://www.wildthingsgear.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). I’ve had one for about 10 years of fairly heavy use. Second is water. Almost everyone carries too much. A quart, at most, is all you really need. There’s very few places on the John Muir Trail you go for more that two hours without crossing water. Also take a look at the UV light pens for water treatment versus a filter...
I’d set a goal of keeping it under 40 pounds for a week of travel. (I’m a little leery of the super-light weight philosophy. I don’t think there’s enough margin of safety for a bad storm or other emergency.)”
The simplest wisdom came from a poster with the handle of “Markskor”:
My motto:
Buy the best gear;
Take what pleases you,
Hike safe,
Eat well.
It weighs what it weighs -
Nobody is asking you to carry it.
Norman Clyde would certainly agree.
–S.C.