A shout-out to the 64year old studs of HST

[Harlen]

Fascinating post, with segues smoothy this way and that. We've delved into fitness, weight training, pack weight, and on to esoteric science paper publication issues, and their reputed relation to extra-terrestrial factors, and, or the bias of cliques in the field. John even considered a martial response along the lines of Guan Yu, the historic figure, who thanks to him-- I know.
To be sure that I knew who he and Cameron were on about, I opened wikipedia, and indeed, Guan Yu was the same famous general of the late Han Dynasty period, later deified for his great loyalty and dignity. Okay then, how to contribute my own segue onward into the post?

I reckon it's this-- Guan Yu can inspire us all as our iconic model of courage.... to challenge us not to fear the great weight, but rather the weakness of spirit to carry that weight. After all, Guan Yu's long sword alone weighed over 100 pounds, and He swung it proudly!

Guan Yu's weapon was a guan dao named Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and was said to weigh 82
catties (about 49.2 kg or 108.4674 lbs)

[cgundersen]

John: I had to google cabezon (it's not typically on the menus of restaurants I visit), and it's enough to get me more serious about fishing.

Brad: Fly rod, kindle and chair; that sounds pretty luxurious to me though if you are a competent fisherman, it can lighten your load profoundly (ask Ian Harlen). Well, here's to keeping it going as long as Mick/Kent did!

Dave: gotta say, it sounds like your load has not diminished very much. Once you take your pack off after a long slog, do you get that temporary feeling of floating? The absence of all that extra weight often induces that illusion for me. But it vanishes way too quickly!

Michael: I've implemented some of the switches you mention, but I think I need to be even more aggressive. That my namesake (cameronm) got away with under 20 kg on his week-long trip sounds almost impossible to me, but good for him!

Ian: Touche! I get the distinct impression that there were warriors of yore who would make a mockery (in terms of physical capabilities) of folk who are celebrated today. Tough eras breed tough folk?
Cameron

[giantbrookie]

Hi all,

Not to get us too far afield of the thread...

A bit more on Guan Yu and the metaphor. Guan Yu was a historical figure and he was subsequently deified. Many Chinese restaurants I've been have a Guan Yu icon. He is usually depicted the way he is described in Three Kingdoms: he has very long hair, a very long beard. He has these long eyebrows. And he holds his special weapon which is this big curved blade with a hook-like thing on the back side attached to a long handle. This is the legendary Green Dragon. In legend Guan Yu is said to have vaulted into the saddle holding the great blade in one hand.

The metaphor I used in the post, was that I found a way "around the pass", to infer that I found journals where the editor or associate editor would not steer me to a reviewer who was part of that geologic Mafioso that was "guarding the pass" and not letting anyone outside of their clan in (ie rejecting manuscripts of all others). Of course most of my supporters like to think that I did in fact do what Guan Yu did in the great Three Kingdoms novel-- I don't think there is really a historical record of this--when he rode through three heavily guarded passes and cut down the captains in charge of guarding those passes and attempting to deny his passage. I think in my giddier moments (after a few pints, maybe?) I like to picture it like that too. There are many legendary Guan Yu exploits in Three Kingdoms (the novel) and that is one of them. For those that want to explore that more, I highly recommend reading an English translation of Three Kingdoms which is my very favorite novel (OK, it's a bit of an obsession with me).

On the subject of aging, though, one of the most memorable passages in Three Kingdoms in this regard features Guan Yu. In many novels that cover a large span of time (take Hobbit + Lord of the Rings, for example) the reader doesn't really sense the passage of that time. It is different in Three Kingdoms because the characters age and die over the course of the story. In the case of Guan Yu, there is the confrontation on the battlefield with his old friend Xu Huang. As they exchange small talk before leading their armies into battle against each other (as opposing generals), Xu Huang says something to the effect "It has been many years since I enjoyed your friendship and instruction........but I didn't expect to see you so gray" Guan Yu is supposed to be 59 years old as of that meeting which leads off a series of battles that ultimately leads to Guan Yu's defeat and death---one of the saddest passages of all of Three Kingdoms (one that has brought many readers to tears).

Cabezon---Yes it is a crazy-looking fish, and keeper size (15" is minimum size as per CDFW regs) ones are a real prize, with much more experienced saltwater anglers than me seldom catching them (Lee and I have caught and released more 12" cabs than we can count). But most of all, it is, for the tastes of me and my family, the most tasty of all of the central and northern California coastal fish and one of the very tastiest fish anywhere. Much of this is because of the texture of the flesh which is sort of lobster like. Monkey-faced eels have a similar texture with smaller flakes, but they have an odd seaweed note to their flavor that is off putting to some (an acquired taste of sorts for others). Cabs have the lobster-like texture with bigger flakes (than MFEs) but also with a finer flavor that does in fact have some subtle notes that reflect their diet----crabs are their main diet. Their guts are always full of crabs when you catch them. Lee is still the family champ for his PB cab (a mind-blowing 22" ) but that is his only keeper cab, whereas I've been fortunate enough to catch at least 5 of them (I think the total is 6 but I can't place one of them; 5 for sure). I think Lee and I will be back at it Friday and that will be my last saltwater gig before turning my fishing focus back to High Sierra targets for fall fishing trips that I hope to last into early November.

As for weight of pack, I have taken steps to try to be lighter over the years. Part of the issue is that my top backpack buddy, Dawn is a lot smaller than me (at 5'1" 120 vs 5'10+" and 160), so it's a different situation than when my dad (5'4" 140) and I (then 5'9" 170 and change) "crossed over" when he was 51 and I was 20 and I assumed the lead and the heavier pack. So I can't "pass the heavier pack" as well as "passing the torch" to Dawn. I have taken a number of steps to lighten my load without cutting out the things I like and it is clear that I had too much stuff on the Hetch Hetchy trip. Dawn and I figure that we had enough trail/snack food for a 10 day trip. The trip was scheduled for 7 days and we ended up doing a 6 day trip. Being a bit more sensible about food rations would have helped. Fishing gear--I carried three lure boxes: two of my big reserve lure boxes and my small, carry-in-vest "on deck circle". One of those lure boxes is a "special" with ginormous lures I use only at select lakes (such as that mackinaw lake in Desolation Wilderness), but never at the more remote lakes where I do not anticipate having to attract a strike from a 30" fish. So at least one of the reserve boxes was unnecessary (and those lures weigh a bit). I carried an extra reel and an extra rod. That sounds odd, but Dawn has twice broken rods on trips with me and she did it relatively early on the 2021 trip after which I had to trade off with her for the last 5 days of that 9 day trip. She ended up breaking her reel on the Hetch Hetchy 2023 trip, so it was a good thing I had a backup reel. Did I have a bit too much cold weather clothing for the trip? I did given the weather forecast, but it came in handy as padding when my sleeping pad sprung a leak. So I guess I figure that I could have taken a less lures: I needed the main backup box with how many lures I lost, but should not have brought the box of specialty giant lures. I should have been a bit more exact about per-day rations for snack food (ie 7 days instead of 10). I have very much reduced the amount of water I pack, basing it on availability of water en route but I needed to carry 2 L given there were in fact dry passages on the hot day 1 hike that we almost killed the 2L (Dawn carried 2L too). In the old days I'd routinely pack 4L. All told, better planning should have taken my packweight from north of 50lbs to somewhere in the mid 40's which would have made a difference. I do plan to giving Dawn a bit more next time out, but I don't expect her pack to exceed 35lbs (we'll test out weight redistribution schemes on our "warmup" backpack trip next summer).

[cgundersen]

John,

OK, that lengthy discourse on Guan Yu has led me to add Three Kingdoms to my reading list. I'm slow and deliberate, so it'll be a while till I get to it, but maybe by next Summer? I'm 200 pages out from finishing Annals of the Former World which has definitely improved my sense of geology, and there are a couple other tomes waiting. Still, I have a hunch Guan's story will be more along the lines of the "light" reading I'm accustomed to: Conn Igulden's series on Genghis Khan and the "Uhtred" novels of Bernard Cornwell. I could have covered 3-4 of those books in the time it's taken me with "Annals...".

I'm going to plan a couple short trips next year to try out some load-lightening schemes. Among your comments and Michael's, I'm sure I can drop several kilos, even if I replace some of the lost weight with fishing gear. For a lot of the experienced fisher-folk on HST, I suspect it's a net positive, because you can rely on fish for food rather than having to carry it in. And I'm intrigued by the cabezon intel. Thanks, Cameron

[balzaccom]

Moving somewhat back to the original post...

If you read my TR about Desolation, you know that we struggled with some issues on that hike. The good news is that M is convinced they were temporary discomforts due to unknown causes. We're going to try again next week. Fingers crossed!

[mcfarnell]

First time poster here. Wanted to put some pics of my dad in this thread. In 2020 he did a 10-day off trail trip with my family and I in Yosemite. He was 76 at the time. Last year he did a week ong trip in Frank Church wilderness with my brother at 78. Very thankful he got our family started in loving the mountains. Some of you will recognize the pass (11k ft) and the lake in the pic. Here is a video of the trip as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHuoQb_4LqU





[youtube_vid]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHuoQb_4LqU[/youtube_vid]

[balzaccom]

Great photos! Is that your dad's fishing license around his neck? Or is he still wearing the note that his teacher sent home from school? grin.

[balzaccom]

Adding another note to this thread, I spent Saturday on a trail crew in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness with eight guys all more or less my age. The oldest, I think, was 80 years old, and planning to hike Half-Dome next week, as his father did when his father turned 80.

Here's a photo of the crew at lunch. Note the trees in the background, which will provide years of entertainment for future crews.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/fuKyfaazDb5SCKqT9

[mcfarnell]

Is that your dad's fishing license around his neck?

Yep, fishing license! He can usually catch fish if they exist in the lake.

[JWreno]

I took my 72 year old brother on his first backpacking trip. I am 66 and my wife is a 1/2 year younger. The first day was a bit rough but at the end of the trip he said he had a great time. We had to scale down the trip after the first day but spent 7 days backpacking instead of 11.
When he got home he sent me a list of about 30 items that he was planning to order so he could continue to backpack with his own gear in the future. He wants to join us next September for a Hwy 120 to Sonora pass PCT segment.

I learned that my wife and I are no longer in our mid fifties. We like packs that are lighter than when we did 11-12 day segments of the JMT before resupplying. We plan to hike all the PCT that we haven't already hiked. Most of what is left can be down with 7 day or shorter resupplies. We will take several years to finish the rest and only plan to spend about 4-6 weeks each year on the trail hiking areas when conditions are most enjoyable with regard to lack of snow, moderate temperatures and non-summer crowds. We also plan to keep our daily trail miles shorter when resupply options allow. Looking forward to doing more segments that don't require our Berikade Expedition bear cans.