Re: Complete Backpacking Preparedness
Posted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 8:40 pm
I'm probably going to get shelled for this...but here goes. One of the primary problems with both Sierra peak bagging and backpacking in general is that (ahem) a lot of it is pretty trivially easy for people with ordinary to decent fitness. Bagging Sierra peaks and getting all caught up in lists of peaks that most plucky twelve year olds could summit (I said most, not all, but the vast majority) introduces a mental state that one is indeed a bona fide 'climber' and assumes some internal stance of authority and judgement as a result, aka the 'Tom complex'. I've always been a bit bewildered by the obsession with peak lists, given how little real objective hazards (compared with many other ranges in the world at similar elevations) there are and how little real mountaineering skill and experience is required for most Sierra summits. If you don't buy it, test your mettle in the Andes, Alaska, British Columbia or our own North Cascades.
Whether one is rolling the dice by going ultra light or a clueless group with tube tents, blue jeans and nothing but matches, it all converges on the fact that despite the high absolute elevations, The Sierra is extremely forgiving *a lot of the Summer.* So one gets away with a lot of poor preparation, whether it is in a calculated decision by going ultra light or simply by old fashioned duffass good luck. We can get lulled into thinking that s-t can't happen.
So this brings me to Mav's excellent advice. Don't forget the survival basics. And that includes packing for it too.
Whether one is rolling the dice by going ultra light or a clueless group with tube tents, blue jeans and nothing but matches, it all converges on the fact that despite the high absolute elevations, The Sierra is extremely forgiving *a lot of the Summer.* So one gets away with a lot of poor preparation, whether it is in a calculated decision by going ultra light or simply by old fashioned duffass good luck. We can get lulled into thinking that s-t can't happen.
So this brings me to Mav's excellent advice. Don't forget the survival basics. And that includes packing for it too.