Landscape hikers – “10 essentials” or not? [Archive]

Heroique

29-Apr-2012, 18:01

A walking stick is an essential for me.

Me too, especially if there are rushing creeks to cross.

BTW, the original “10 essentials” list was developed in the 1930’s by the Mountaineers Club, the Seattle-based climbing/outdoors outfit that’s still going strong today.

I don’t think they had LF photographers in mind – or their heavy burdens...

Just for fun, here’s their “Classic List” from the 1930’s (Note the absence of “Shelter”):

1. Map
2. Compass
3. Sunglasses and sunscreen
4. Extra clothing
5. Headlamp/flashlight
6. First-aid supplies
7. Firestarter
8. Matches
9. Knife
10. Extra food

A few years ago, the Club updated their “Classic List” & renamed it “Ten Essential Systems.”

1. Navigation (map & compass)
2. Sun protection (sunglasses :cool: & sunscreen)
3. Insulation (extra clothing)
4. Illumination (headlamp/flashlight)
5. First-aid supplies
6. Fire (waterproof matches/lighter/candle)
7. Repair kit and tools
8. Nutrition (extra food)
9. Hydration (extra water)
10. Emergency shelter (tent/plastic tube tent/garbage bag)

-----
Note to Mountaineers Club: where’s the insect repellant?

Kimberly Anderson

29-Apr-2012, 18:35

Your list is nine items too long. Extra food/water are all you really need. Most of the other stuff is just dead weight IMO.

Brian Vuillemenot

29-Apr-2012, 19:13

The only essentials I need are plenty of water and a flashlight to find my way back to the trail after dark

tgtaylor

29-Apr-2012, 19:16

One thing that you should always carry is a lens wrench. Last friday the rear element on my 300mm Nikkor-M came loose while setting up for a shot but I was prepared with a "BadgerBrand" wrench which covers Copal's 0 and 1, and Copal and Compur 3 lens. That was the second time that happened to me while setting-up for a shot - couriously both time with the 300mm Nikkor-M.

Thomas

Vaughn

29-Apr-2012, 21:31

I tend not to take many of the essentials. At first, because I was young and dumb and fairly tough. Now, because the 8x10 and age determine how far I can get away from the car...but I do tend to go off in weird directions by myself, tempered by having a good sense of knowing when to turn around (I chicken out easily, but I still get to some cool places.)

But there is room for some emergency food in the pack -- a few food bars, an apple, turkey jerky, and perhaps some of that wonderful new survival ration, micro-brews in cans (always room for a couple). And I always have my rain jacket/hood, and a wool cap in colder times. I love topo maps, so that is more than just an essential. But oddly rarely have a compass -- the sun and terrain tells me how to align the map, weather and cover permitting. I might take the water filter and only a partial bottle of water if I will be out all day and near water through out the day. A flashlight should live in my camera pack, but one doesn't. A Leatherman tool I found along a creek is usually in the pack (I often need to tighten a few screws on the 8x10) as well as a lighter. A needle and heavy thread usually are with me on long (week+) hikes...I have had to do some major sewing on equipment. Those old Kelty Tour Packs were not designed for the weight I use to put in them!

But if I am just going out for the day, I might as well toss in an extra couple 8x10 film holders (6 or 7 total) and pull out one of the external pockets of the pack to put in a sandwich, another apple and perhaps another can of beer. So it is no wonder I only get a few miles out before the 45 to 50 lb pack and 17 lb tripod/head point out that the light right here right now is beautiful and I should set up the camera, expose some film and drink a beer...if only to reduce the weight of the pack and to enjoy where I am at (oh -- and to rehydrate, of course!)

Vaughn

sun of sand

29-Apr-2012, 23:21

I take guns and bullets
rod, tackle, hammer and nails, god,
Snapple
gps to geocache, a poncho
Rodinal for nighttime and a lob wedge
walnuts
swiss army knife to play with in case my legs are broken
trust me on the sunscreen
and a Hallmark card cause when I'm about to go my own words just won't do me justice

jose angel

30-Apr-2012, 02:21

I think the "ten essentials" are a bit far from reality... by a 40%:

1. Topographic map >>many times
2. Compass >>if needed; specially on unknown, large territories or with bad weather
3. Flashlight/spare parts >>always a headlamp; a must if we`re too late (dusk)
4. Extra food/water/clothing >>obviously, if needed; but not a full change...
5. Sun protection >>always (hat, long sleeve t-shirt in summer, etc.)
6. Matches >>never; you will be even fined for using them
7. Knife >>always, to cut tomatoes, cheese and bread - BTW, swiss army ones are the worst for almost everything...
8. Signal mirror >>never
9. First aid kit >>never
10. Emergency shelter >>never

In my experience, I`d change the latest (marked "never") ones as follows:

6. Evacuation plan (where to find help -emergency numbers, stations, helicopter, refuge-). Don`t be confused or waste time if there is a problem.
8. Buddie (never go alone, for obvious reasons)
9. Mobile phone with charged battery It must be placed as #1
10. Extra car keys (if there must be "10" on the list - give them to your buddie).

Steve Smith

30-Apr-2012, 02:47

Water should be at the top of the list.

Steve.

Doremus Scudder

30-Apr-2012, 05:07

I carry what I consider to be essential survival gear when out in rugged terrain far from roads in case of emergencies. Here's my list, not in any particular order. It's a bit updated from the 1930s one:

1. cell phone (most places now have reception. I got a call from Europe on the top of Mt. Rainier once...)
2. signalling mirror (the best way to signal if the sun is out)
3. flashlight(s) (I have a very bright halogen light plus a bunch of little led lights. I once hiked down an icy trail from the top of Yosemite falls in the dark by the light of a Photon led light...)
4. 2 disposable butane lighters (matches get wet)
5. hand-held GPS (for longer trips... I once almost had to spend an unprepared night out in February in the Grand Staircase NM because I was disoriented in the canyons and almost didn't find my way back to the car. I was on a long day hike. Since then, I just set a waypoint when I begin the hike: "car" or "camp" and then add a few essential ones on the way. Now I don't have to blaze trail like I used to, or worry about where I am; I can concentrate fully on finding images. For multi-day trips, the GPS and the map are all I need for navigation.)
6. my Swiss army knife is always with me.
7. first-aid kit with basics for deep cuts and broken bones (if I'm in real rugged, dangerous territory, I'll carry splinting material and a walking stick as well. I've got wrapping for casts too.)
8. shelter stuff: several heavy-duty garbage bags (I can make anything from a rain poncho to a tent) space blanket (I've never used mine, but it takes up very little room.)
9. a small roll of 1" gaffers' tape, nylon parachute line and a few shoelaces, etc. for fastening stuff. (this works for building shelter, making splints, etc. plus doubles as tie-backs for pesky branches.)
10. proper clothing, etc. for the situation (hat, bandanas, sunglasses, sunscreen for hot and desert situations, warm hat, windproof shelled fleece jackets, gloves and liner gloves, extra wool socks, parka, etc. for cold winter situations. One has to decide based on the circumstances.)

Much of the stuff I carry does double-duty. For example, My dark cloth is large and made of Gore-Tex material. I works well for a poncho too. I've got a coated nylon drawstring bag I use as a camera cover that doubles as a collapsible bucket.

For me, the dangers are mostly:
1. Falling and injuring myself (breaking a bone, spraining, or worse.) and not being able to walk out. I usually don't go alone, and always have signalling devices with me. I really think a cell phone is the best piece of survival gear I can have (as long as there is reception). Letting people know where you are and when you plan to be back is essential too. If you don't return, they can organize a search.
2. Getting lost and having to spend the night unprepared in the cold. I work a lot in the winter, and spending a night without enough shelter and warmth is not my idea of fun. That's why the GPS. I often do carry a map (I was good in orienteering in university), but since most of my hikes/trips are of the in-and-back nature, a map is often not needed. When I'm backpacking from one location to another, or in a loop, then the map is always there. GPS doubles as a compass. Extra batteries come too.

Water is, of course essential in really desert climates, but when hiking around streams or in the snow, I don't worry too much about "emergency water." Extra food is non-essential.

I carry a telescoping hiking stick in very steep terrain. It seems that going down is always a lot harder than climbing up (I always seem to be in some life-threatening location for a shot...). With that and my tripod, I can get down some really steep and slippery slopes.

My survival strategy is simple: the Rule of 3s and the following priorities.

The Rule of Threes:
1. First Aid: You can live 3 minutes if you don't treat a serious bleeding injury
2. Shelter / Clothing: You can live 3 hours if you are exposed unprepared to extremes of temperature (hypo- hyperthermia, etc.)
3. Water: You can live 3 days without water.
4. Food: You can live 3 weeks without food.

General Guidelines for Emergencies in the Wilderness
1. Call help immediately in case of emergency if possible.
2. If you are lost, remain where you are and wait for rescue. Make a signal or be ready to signal rescuers.
3. Prioritize your survival needs according to the Rule of Threes

Best,

Doremus

cdholden

30-Apr-2012, 06:12

Prioritize your survival needs according to the Rule of Threes

I learned this the hard way when I was young, and it's stuck with me since. I wasn't hiking or camping (bicycle accident), but hypothermia is a good lesson in any outdoor activity.
The list of essentials will vary depending on who you ask. Most people pack for comfort. I pack for survival. Go with lightweight options when you can. The only things I don't skimp on are clothing and water. Less weight in your pack will mean more comfort, and more miles per day if hiking. Always filter and treat drinking water. Micro-critters in your digestive tract can slow you down more than a broken appendage. Every hour or so, take a moment to assess your location/heading and weather conditions and make a plan for how to deal with worsening conditions if they should arise. Do this more frequently if the weather is less than ideal, more frequently as those conditions get further from what you would consider good.
If not using the buddy system, let someone know where you will be so a rescue party can find you before the buzzards do if you don't come home on schedule.

John Kasaian

30-Apr-2012, 07:03

Common sense is essential.

E. von Hoegh

30-Apr-2012, 07:24

1. Topographic map- No.
2. Compass- Rarely.
3. Flashlight/spare parts- No.
4. Extra food/water/clothing- Yes.
5. Sun protection- No.
6. Matches- No.
7. Knife- Yes.
8. Signal mirror- No.
9. First aid kit- No.
10. Emergency shelter- No.

Carry a notepad. If you left behind something you need, write it down.If you brought something you don't need, write it down. You will very soon come up with a checklist of things you will actually use and need.

Bill Burk

30-Apr-2012, 07:40

E. von Hoegh

30-Apr-2012, 07:46

Since I'm involved in scouting, I recommend being prepared any time you head into wilderness.

Do your best to take the essentials. The unexpected happens on every adventure.

I highly recommend an online community hosted by a small commercial outfit called Backpacking Light.

My "essentials" kit weighs about seven ounces and fits in a pocket.

The most important piece of equipment weighs about 3 pounds and is mounted between your ears. Bring and use it, you'll be surprised what else you can do without.

Scott Walker

30-Apr-2012, 08:55

Do you always carry the famous 10 – or just this or that item, depending on hiking terrain, distance & duration?

If you have to make a choice, does your photo gear trump the essentials, or do the essentials trump the gear?

What lessons can you share for the over-burdened LF photographer? ;^)

1. Topographic map (rarely, GPS has taken over in this department, but I still use topo maps on occasion)
2. Compass (always)
3. Flashlight/spare parts (flashlight with extra bulb & batteries, always)
4. Extra food/water/clothing (extra water and Potable water pills, always)
5. Sun protection (never)
6. Matches (never, I carry a flint)
7. Knife (always, I have a skinner attached to my backpack harness plus I almost always have my SOG folder in my pocket)
8. Signal mirror (always, it's attached to the compass)
9. First aid kit (always)
10. Emergency shelter (never)

A few other things that I always carry are a cable saw, fire-starter, and flint. I usually have a GPS with me as well.

Drew Wiley

30-Apr-2012, 09:01

Yes indeed! When things get rough, the most important piece of equipment is your brain.
Think; don't panic. But experience sure helps. Most of the places I go a cell phone is worthless. You can't get reception in the mtns or even much of the coastline. And if you're worried about getting fined for use of matches, then why don't you just ask the Ranger giving you the ticket to rescue you! No first aid??? I wouldn't even travel in the
truck without that.

ROL

30-Apr-2012, 09:02

I highly recommend an online community hosted by a small commercial outfit called Backpacking Light.

Having followed a number of links over the past few years to "Backpacking Light", I am continually pissed off by their marketing scheme requiring payment to read information which can be found elsewhere, written first hand. Others have found more open ways to monetize their web-based passions. It is IMO, the most egregious of a "spend more to carry less" bologna paradigm.

E. von Hoegh

30-Apr-2012, 09:15

Scott Walker

30-Apr-2012, 09:30

So guys, which essential items do you pack when going into a big city? Any major metropolitan area is infinitely more dangerous than the woods.

You're going into the woods to take pictures, not on an expedition into the Gobi desert.

The only time I take the essentials out of my pack is to test them or use them, that way I can't need them someday and discover that they aren't there.

Drew Wiley

30-Apr-2012, 09:37

In this era of techie gadget obsession I find it ironic that people who don't even know how
to read a topo map think a GPS will make them safe. I've run into flatlanders on the verge
of heading right to a cliff or toward some massive goge by following those devices without
sufficient experience with the terrain in general. And even in autos they've been know to
lead folks down some deadend backroad or across the gang-infested part of town. Several
well publicized tragedies in that category. I have a compass in my first aid kit but have never actually had to use a compass in my entire life. If you're a beginner it's best to tag
along with someone with actual experience before entering backcountry. Someone who
doesn't want to carry what I call the essentials ain't traveling with me, that's for sure.
Just one hike last fall to me where two search & rescues ended by finding the hypotherimic
bodies, just because someone forgot their parka that day.

Bill Burk

30-Apr-2012, 09:39

Having followed a number of links over the past few years to "Backpacking Light", I am continually pissed off by their marketing scheme requiring payment to read information which can be found elsewhere, written first hand. Others have found more open ways to monetize their web-based passions. It is IMO, the most egregious of a "spend more to carry less" bologna paradigm.

I also have a similar aversion to Consumer Reports. But when I try using alternative, free sites to obtain the same information I find exceedingly poor organization of info. For example... Went to buy a washer and found "desired feature" categories are organized by the feature as named by the manufacturer. There are about a hundred "features." You can't just pick "steam clean" you have to know it's called "SanitizeTM".

I subscribed to Backpacking Light for two years and enjoyed it immensely. Got my value out of it. Now I don't subscribe. But I know what you mean. The paid articles were fun while I had a premium account. But that's not where their site's greatest value comes. I sometimes miss having free access to the paid articles, but I know they are the "value added" part of the site. It's like the Gallery on a site many of us also participate in. Worth the price but not necessary for participation.

Their online forum is free.

E. von Hoegh

30-Apr-2012, 09:51

Interesting that none of the "experts" have mentioned the second most important equipment, after your brain. Adequate footware, that is.

Steve Smith

30-Apr-2012, 09:57

Interesting that none of the "experts" have mentioned the second most important equipment, after your brain. Adequate footware, that is.

That's true. I wear walking boots all the time (except in bed) so I have an excuse!

Steve.

Heroique

30-Apr-2012, 09:58

...I find it ironic that people who don't even know how to read a topo map think a GPS will make them safe...

And if you’re “stuck” w/ a real compass (I carry two), be sure to check your area’s magnetic declination – the difference between true north and magnetic (compass) north. It’s usually stated on any good topo map.

In my local Washington mountains, there’s an 18-20º (E) declination!

I’d get lost real fast if I didn’t subtract that amount from my compass readings.

(To apply correction: “East is least, West is best”)

sun of sand

30-Apr-2012, 10:31

One of my most disliked "essentials"

Now
If you were to say
adequate footware FOR YOU
that's OK

But not everyone needs to be wearing boots or hikers

seems every grandmother believes to go walking anywhere besides a groomed trail or mall one needs boots on

I can play basketball in sandals well
another time when everyone seems to believe you MUST wear certain activity-specific supportive shoes "high tops"
cant stand em

Interesting that none of the "experts" have mentioned the second most important equipment, after your brain. Adequate footware, that is.

Drew Wiley

30-Apr-2012, 10:33

A few years back when we had unusually heavy snow in early Oct virtually every high country rescue was due to inadequate footwear - folks hiking back in those glorified tennis
shoes they sell at REI etc - allegedly waterproof with Goretex linings etc but utterly worthless in even two inches of fresh snow. My own feet are so messed up from birth that
I have to wear good boots even for daily wear, and expensive custom boots for hiking.
But good boots are worth it in general, and can be life-saving in a mtn storm, or save you
a broken ankle in steep terrain. The difference between fun and suicide can sometimes
simply be a matter of planning and gear. The weather can change incredibly fast up in the
hills.

Greg Miller

30-Apr-2012, 10:49

And if you’re “stuck” w/ a real compass (I carry two), be sure to check your area’s magnetic declination – the difference between true north and magnetic (compass) north. It’s usually stated on any good topo map.

In my local Washington mountains, there’s an 18-20º (E) declination!

I’d get lost real fast if I didn’t subtract that amount from my compass readings.

(To apply correction: “East is least, West is best”)

Your maps aren't marked with both true north and magnetic north? I don't recall seeing a map in the past 20 years that didn't have both.

tgtaylor

30-Apr-2012, 11:00

30-Apr-2012, 11:01

As a former boyscout who did lots of adventuring as a teenager, I think being prepared is an excellent excellent concept, especially if it's an all day or longer adventure, and if lists help you do that, great.

However as a photographer more and more inspired by Eliot Porter's and Paul Caponigro's east coast intimate landscapes, I think there is little need to go more than a couple miles round trip to get all the photos you could wish for. Porter's island was only 1/2 x 1 mile. You're ignoring lots of great woods if you only have a destination in mind. I realize this doesn't apply to the big open west so nicely.

Drew Wiley

30-Apr-2012, 11:24

Eliot Porter might surprise you. I recall reading about his argument in Antartica when he was going to take a 6-mile dayhike in his 70's with a 4X5, and it ended in a compromise in
which he agreed to carry a half-bag "elephant's foot" instead of the full sleeping bag which
was mandatory regulation for anyone leaving the mechanized convoy. I'll agree that great
shots don't necessarily require great distances, but for me at least, the hunt is just as
important as the kill. I walked nine miles Saturday for a single 8X10 shot, but even more
for the privilege of having an entire spectacular estuary all afternoon with nobodoy else in sight. It's about life, not just about the damn piece of film. So that shot - if it ever does
get printed (probably 30X40) - will hold a special memory for me.

Heroique

30-Apr-2012, 11:38

Your maps aren't marked with both true north and magnetic north?

Yep (why did you think they aren’t?)

However, occasional national forest district maps (as opposed to USGS quads) of excellent & useful scale fail to specify declination. Strangely, this is true of a few Olympic National Forest district maps of the 1990’s.

What’s really fun about my volcanically active region are the intermittent magnetic fields that are strong enough to make compass needles shake, rattle and roll. A good example is the beautifully forested Big Lava Bed near Mount Adams.

E. von Hoegh

30-Apr-2012, 12:03

Yep (why did you think they aren’t?)

However, occasional national forest district maps (as opposed to USGS quads) of excellent & useful scale fail to specify declination. Strangely, this is true of a few Olympic National Forest district maps of the 1990’s.

What’s really fun about my volcanically active region are the intermittent magnetic fields that are strong enough to make compass needles shake, rattle and roll. A good example is the beautifully forested Big Lava Bed near Mount Adams.

In which case your declination figures are as useful as last month's lotto number.

Struan Gray

30-Apr-2012, 12:25

I carry most of the ten essentials, but the OP's list is biased towards US practice. For example, a signal mirror is most use if you know you are going to be able to see your rescuers (and there is going to be a clear sun to reflect back at them). The places I hike neither is true, and having a whistle with you is more important so you can broadcast a cry for help without going hoarse.

When I used to hike and climb regularly I would always have companions. When I go out with LF I tend to be on my own. I carry first aid to treat life threatening injuries that must be handled before help can get to me, and for chronic issues that are not worth abandoning a trip to treat. Everything else can wait until I get home.

Traditional navigation is a useful skill, even with a GPS. Following a get-the-hell-out-of-here bearing I wrote down or memorised (or set on the compass) before the trip started has saved my life on a few occasions, and got me home in time for whisky and bullshit by the fire more often than I care to count. I always carry a compass.

Oddly, despite my love of maps, I don't always carry one these days. That's really just a reflection of the fact that I tend to hike in areas I know very well. I either just know the rescue routes off by heart, or can picture the map well enough in my head to decide a bearing from memory. Knowing the flash/occultation patterns of the local lighthouses helps too.

Heroique

30-Apr-2012, 12:26

...Following a get-the-hell-out-of-here bearing I wrote down or memorized (or set on the compass) before the trip started has saved my life on a few occasions...

You’re not going to share any exciting details? Did it start raining?

In which case your declination figures are as useful as last month's lotto number.

I think the forest service should superimpose a skull & crossbones over this area for cross-country, traditional-compass hikers.

Unless they’re as good as Vaughn at reading the sun and terrain (post #11). ;^)

But even if you get lost, 9 of the “10 essentials” still might save you in this Devil’s Triangle area of the woods.

E. von Hoegh

30-Apr-2012, 12:33

I think the forest service should superimpose a skull & crossbones over this area for cross-country, traditional-compass hikers.

Unless they’re as good as Vaughn at reading the sun and terrain (post #11). ;^)

But even if you get lost, 9 of the “10 essentials” still might save you in this Devil’s Triangle area of the woods.

If you can read a map, and are somewhat observant, and have most of your faculties, you won't need a compass.

There's a deal of iron ore scattered around here - the High Peaks of the Adirondaks - so I learned long ago to take anything a compass says with a truckload of salt.

Drew Wiley

30-Apr-2012, 13:00

Even in the High Sierra there are significant areas of complex iron-rich "roof pendant" geology which will drive a compass batty. GPS units aren't totally reliable either, esp in a
really bad storm (and are obviously battery dependent). But I'm wired more like a squirrel
and subconsciously memorize topographic features. Guess that comes from being raised
with huge tracts of steep wilderness right across the road. Leave the driveway and enter
the second deepest canyon on the continent. Rarely even use the map. Those things
are more useful for learning the names of distant peaks etc.

sun of sand

30-Apr-2012, 13:11

adequate footwear/gear for plausible conditions
appropriate preparedness

a jet pack would be great in many possible circumstances but
a signaling mirror? cmon
that's going too far

A few years back when we had unusually heavy snow in early Oct virtually every high country rescue was due to inadequate footwear - folks hiking back in those glorified tennis
shoes they sell at REI etc - allegedly waterproof with Goretex linings etc but utterly worthless in even two inches of fresh snow. My own feet are so messed up from birth that
I have to wear good boots even for daily wear, and expensive custom boots for hiking.
But good boots are worth it in general, and can be life-saving in a mtn storm, or save you
a broken ankle in steep terrain. The difference between fun and suicide can sometimes
simply be a matter of planning and gear. The weather can change incredibly fast up in the
hills.

Struan Gray

30-Apr-2012, 13:36

You’re not going to share any exciting details? Did it start raining?

True life saving - as in, I would have died had I not had a compass - has happened twice in Ben Nevis blizzards, and once on the Eiger. That last sounds super-dramatic, but in fact we'd taken the easy way up, and towards the summit it turns into a maze of little steep paths, some of which can lead you badly wrong when descending in cloud.

The Ben is different. It's a bit like I understand the White Mountains in NH to be - you treat them with respect, even in benign conditions. I wrote about my first time here:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.climbing/msg/ac6bb2e26db76de6?

The second time was also on Tower Ridge, but with a long-standing climbing partner who I could trust and rely upon. We had a blast, grinning goodbye to a group of special forces soldiers on exercise as they sensibly bottled out, letting go with our hands on the steepest sections and allowing the wind to plaster us to the rock as we traversed, and emerging on top into the most complete sensory-deprivation whiteout I have ever experienced. Visibility was one yard, with a wind that erased communication beyond one foot. We paced off the distances and bearings, with Ian out in front and me with my compass laid on the rope, tugging once for right and twice for left. We had great fun - truly - but other climbers died that night, several in the avalanche-prone gully that snares you if you don't get the bearings right.

Heroique

30-Apr-2012, 14:39

And Struan’s “Ben Nevis” key lesson for our purposes:

“...all those things I had lugged around and never used, I used.
Spare clothing, food and drink all made a small but vital difference; in
Paul's case the bivvi gear too. When people laugh at me for always
carrying a bivvi bag in winter, no matter how trivial the route, I remind
myself of my reasons and shrug it off. I'm just grateful the first aid
kit was superfluous...”
You don’t need an “essential” until you need it.

tgtaylor

30-Apr-2012, 14:40

If you can read a map, and are somewhat observant, and have most of your faculties, you won't need a compass.

There's a deal of iron ore scattered around here - the High Peaks of the Adirondaks - so I learned long ago to take anything a compass says with a truckload of salt.

Clearly this person has never been in the wilderness for any significant length of time and probably has never traveled far from home. Reminds me of “Miss Marie” who had never been outside the city limits of her home town.

As a quick example of the kind of information a compass is able to tell the savvy:

Suppose you know what the true magnetic declination of a given area is suppose to be and further suppose that you line yourself up with an object/landmark that your map shows to be directly true north of where you are standing. Then,

Let X be the true magnetic declination and Y be the declination that your compass says the landmark is. Then the absolute value of Y-X is the strength of the local magnetic field (e.g., your iron ore) and the position along the real number line indicates the direction of the field (east or west).

It's a serious error of judgment to travel even for short distances in the wilderness without at least a compass and preferably a map as well.

Thomas

Greg Miller

30-Apr-2012, 16:14

Yep (why did you think they aren’t?)

Mostly because of this statment "be sure to check your area’s magnetic declination".

If you orient based on the magnetic north line, then no need to factor in declination.

Drew Wiley

30-Apr-2012, 16:14

Yep. The only reason why millenia of native Americans never traveled with a compass is
because Amazon.com would deliver a GPS unit right to their bark hut. They also had the
ability to download maps from the USGS right onto their inkjet printers. John Muir preferred to travel light si would stop at the nearest Mini Mart to ask directions, at least until he had
a GPS of his own. Whatever happened to, "the moss grows on the north side of the tree"?
Maybe they don't sell moss anymore since Kodak raised the prices.

Greg Miller

30-Apr-2012, 16:51

Magnetic Declination changes over time and it's a good practice to check the current declination tiwh the USGS online. Once, while on a bicycle trip to Greece and Crete, I forgot to check the declination for Greece and asked the pilot who was standing at the exit door wishing everyone a good trip. He didn't know but went inside the cockpit to check and came back and told me it was 2 degrees west IIRC.

Thomas

Ignoring the poles, most places on this planet will change less than 2 degrees over the course of a lifetime. And 2 degrees is probably less than the error in my sighting ability. So its not something I care to worry about, and has never proven to be a factor in the real world. Besides, when I reach a point with visibility, I corroborate my compass bearing with what I see on the topo map and in front of me, and adjust as necessary.

Plus there are other corrective measures that are utilized in the real world. Such as we know that when summiting a peak, we need to keep going up until we summit. Or we know that certain features, such ridges, valleys, knobs, and streams are indicators that we are on or off course. Ridge lines and valleys are often the easiest lines to follow and are the surest way to get from point A to point B, minimizing the need to be super accurate with the compass. Here in the northeast, we don't get that many opportunities to visually corroborate over long views. But I have not been lost despite many bushwhacks through dense forest (which prevents sighting more than a few feet ahead, or visually corroborating).

Drew Bedo

30-Apr-2012, 17:42

Read "Deep Survival" by Laurence Gonzales. You will never leave your font porch without everything on the list. Some days, you won't go out he front door.

Seriously: its a great book. His analysis of how people get "lost" is profound. As someone who is visually impaired, I found this information alone to be helpful every day.

Heroique

30-Apr-2012, 17:47

If you orient based on the magnetic north line, then no need to factor in declination.

I can assure you that you’re factoring it in this way, too, but I also understand what you mean. Remember that excellent topo maps can also have their declination line in the bottom corner, making it easier to orient a line of travel against true north lines & doing the simple math step if necessary. Orienteering maps of course have meridian lines drawn for magnetic north, but they may not be the best idea for long distance navigation.

Bill Burk

30-Apr-2012, 17:59

So many stories to tell about being prepared, I don't know where to start. So I'll pick one I don't think I've told on this forum before.

One time I went off-trail to investigate a bubbling sound because... you know... that's where the shots are. I slipped just a bit. My shoe was impaled by a piece of rebar sticking up next to the culvert. Ripped a piece of skin between toes, nothing serious at all.

I was glad I had two gallons of water in my pack to cleanse the wound.

Why would anyone carry two gallons of water? It was just dead weight... this was a training hike. I was getting used to a 35-pound pack. But it also meant I could pour it all out and have practically no weight for the hike out.

Greg Miller

30-Apr-2012, 18:03

I can assure you that you’re factoring it in this way, too, but I also understand what you mean. Remember that excellent topo maps can also have their declination line in the bottom corner, making it easier to orient a line of travel against true north lines & doing the simple math step if necessary.

I did not suggest that it wasn't factored in. Just that there is no need for the navigator to consciously factor it in. (other than to use the magnetic north line instead of true north line). In fact the navigator doesn't need to know the declination value at all. Nor take extra steps to account for it.

tgtaylor

30-Apr-2012, 19:34

Ignoring the poles, most places on this planet will change less than 2 degrees over the course of a lifetime. And 2 degrees is probably less than the error in my sighting ability. So its not something I care to worry about, and has never proven to be a factor in the real world. Besides, when I reach a point with visibility, I corroborate my compass bearing with what I see on the topo map and in front of me, and adjust as necessary.

The earth, and its magnetic field, is a very dynamic and ever changing place. In fact, many people believe that the earth is currently entering a period of magnetic reversal (north becomes south on the compass) which has occurred many times in the past. But for the sake of argument suppose you could navagate between distant points A to B without the use of a compass and arrive with just a 2 degree margin of error - which would be quite a feat if the distance between A and B is appreciable. My last long distance hike was 165 miles long. A 2 degree error translates to being just shy of 6 miles off target and your map wouldn't help you much being that far off the mark. What would you do then?

The best policy is to constantly reorient yourself as you go and the best way to do that is to factor in the MD. Sometimes the terrain appears isotrophic - especially in the winter - and you can't always navigate by the way things look around you. Have you ever encountered two different landforms that appear identical from a distance? Imagine yourself as a soldier calling in artillery or air support or an injured hiker calling for rescue. You want to be able to state exactly where you are and not have them going several miles away.

Thomas

Greg Miller

30-Apr-2012, 19:48

The best policy is to constantly reorient yourself as you go and the best way to do that is to factor in the MD.

We agree that re-orienting when reaching obvious landmarks is a good policy. I think traveling 165 miles without doing so would be exceedingly rare for the vast majority of us. So being 6 miles off target is just a straw man. Perhaps you can see far enough in your area where 2 degrees can be a factor, but where I travel, you can't typically see far enough where it would matter. And when you can see far enough, you can generally see obvious landmarks to correct your bearing, assuming you are good enough to sight with less than 2 degrees of error. And, again. all of this only matters if you are not using other navigation tools such as following ridges, valleys, streams to confirm your line of travel. And perhaps it is just me, but I have never accounted for any drift in declination over time, and it has never affected my arrival at my destination in any way. YMMV.

Renato Tonelli

30-Apr-2012, 19:50

A dog that knows the way home... I am only half kidding.

Several years ago I went into the woods not far from where I grew up. I was scouting for some possible shots for the next day. I knew the trails, shortcuts and features (some particular tree, a particular rock, etc.). It was drizzling and looked like it was going to clear up at any minute - the sun was out here and there. About two hours later, a heavy fog rolled in - I couldn't see two feet in front of me, couldn't recognize the land features but soon ralized that I was going in circles. In some places the trail was not well-worn and wasn't sure if I was still on it. Late afternoon turned into early evening... My cosin's dog always came along on my treks and at one point I said to the dog (in Italian:) )Let's go home".I just followed her and about an hour later the fog was fading behind me. I also realized that I had been no more than 1km away from home. Since then, i always carry a compass...

tgtaylor

30-Apr-2012, 20:25

Perhaps you can see far enough in your area where 2 degrees can be a factor, but where I travel, you can't typically see far enough where it would matter.

I was going to respond but Renato brought up a common situation:

A dog that knows the way home... I am only half kidding.

Several years ago I went into the woods not far from where I grew up. I was scouting for some possible shots for the next day. I knew the trails, shortcuts and features (some particular tree, a particular rock, etc.). It was drizzling and looked like it was going to clear up at any minute - the sun was out here and there. About two hours later, a heavy fog rolled in - I couldn't see two feet in front of me, couldn't recognize the land features but soon ralized that I was going in circles. In some places the trail was not well-worn and wasn't sure if I was still on it. Late afternoon turned into early evening... My cosin's dog always came along on my treks and at one point I said to the dog (in Italian:) )Let's go home".I just followed her and about an hour later the fog was fading behind me. I also realized that I had been no more than 1km away from home. Since then, i always carry a compass...

If you know the azmuith of whence you came you can, with a compass, retrace it. A serious pathfinder will notate on the map or in a notebook the distances traveled and azmuiths taken. Only then could you retrace your path in such circumstances with a degree of confidence. Travel under heavy canopy is best acomplished by azmuiths. But that requires you to keep track of the distances traveled both along the line of azmuith and off of it when making detours. You must return to the correct azmuith after each detour. If the distance between point A and point B is large, you're going to be a little off mark but not as you would without striking out on a path by azmuith.

Thomas

Thomas

Greg Miller

30-Apr-2012, 20:43

I was going to respond but Renato brought up a common situation:

Do me a favor, and calculate how many hundredths of an inch that 2 degrees represents for one mile on a map where one mile is represented by 1.5 inches. The let's talk about how likely the map maker is to have that level of accuracy, how likely the map is printed to that level of accuracy, how likely it is that, in the wilderness, you can orient your map that accurately, and how likely, in the wilderness, you can walk one mile with that level of accuracy, and how likely the cumulative error in the whole system makes any sense at all to talk about that level of accuracy.

Bill Burk

30-Apr-2012, 20:54

Steve Smith

1-May-2012, 00:06

The let's talk about how likely the map maker is to have that level of accuracy.

Cartographer's licence. Something I discovered many years ago.

Steve.

Doremus Scudder

1-May-2012, 02:01

Some thoughts about map and compass:

A topo map is a good tool, but often woefully inadequate. A map with 10m contours won't indicate a 30-foot cliff. More than once I've had to come up with a long walk-around for what looked like a good route on the map.

If you are in a landscape with lots of easily recognizable landmarks and a good topo map, you don't need a compass. I can look around, look at the map and locate my position really accurately without a compass, even when being led to a spot blindfolded (done that). Even two or three landmarks is enough to do this. On the other hand, if you are in canyons, dense forest, can't see the sun, or the landscape is confusing (Is that Mt. Adams, or... it that it over there...?) then the compass is really handy.

If you go out without map and compass or GPS, then the entire approach to finding your way is different. You follow contours, stream beds, etc., blaze trails (I used to carry flagging tape with me for just that reason), re-orient yourself often, memorize your route, look behind you a lot and know how not to get into situations where you lose your bearings. And, you rely on your knowledge of a particular area (the map in your head). These skills are easily developed, but many do not have them. And, traversing terra incognita to get from one place to another you have never been requires some kind of orientation. Lewis and Clark followed rivers (but, they had what maps they could lay there hands on and compass too, not to mention surveying tools and Sacagawea!).

Taking a compass bearing and trying to keep to it in rough country is often impossible, not to mention impractical in most cases except in the flatlands. This greatly reduces the usefulness of the compass practices the Boy Scouts teach. I'm going around those pinnacles, not jumping off that cliff, not wading that river, and not climbing that mountain to get from A to B. I'm goin' around. I use the object I'm going around as a guide. I skied out of a blizzard at night (4-day ski-touring trip) once by knowing basically where I was and trying very hard to ski the contour of the mountain, neither gaining or losing altitude. It was uncomfortable, but we had no trouble ending up where we were going. It certainly wasn't a straight route.

Determine direction with your watch (which I should have put on my list too). No matter where you are north of the tropic of cancer, the following is true (taking daylight savings time into account, of course): At noon, the sun is directly south in the sky. At midnight it is directly north (yeah, I know, you can't see it, but bear with me...). That means: at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., the sun is exactly east and west respectively (halfway between). Taking this further, 9 a.m. = SE and 3 p.m.= SW. Dividing further, 4:30 a.m. = ENE (if the sun is up then), 7:30 a.m. = ESE, 10:30 a.m. = SSE, 1:30 p.m. = SSW, 4:30 p.m. is WSW and, if you can see the sun still later, 7:30 p.m. = WNW and 9 p.m. = NW. You can figure down really accurately if you just keep dividing.

Getting lost in the details of map and compass without getting a feeling for the overall terrain is also an invitation to get lost.

Where I live in Austria, we joke about finding help if you get lost. We say, "just climb the nearest mountain, there will be a Gasthaus on top." Even in the States, where there is still a lot of public land and wilderness area, one is never more than 20 miles from a road (an interesting statistic I read somewhere). Knowing where that road is before you set out is the trick :) Injury and being unprepared for the elements presents the greatest danger these days.

And, yes, footwear is really important. I stumbled once and got my foot wedged between boulders. I broke a bone in my foot, but was still able to hike the 17 miles out, with my pack, with the support of my Asolo boots and a turn or two of gaffers' tape. Walking around the next day was not very fun, though...

Best,

Doremus

jose angel

1-May-2012, 02:15

This thread has gone to the wild.
We are at the LF forum, so no need of being accompanied by the Marines to take a couple shots... don`t make it a survival test! :confused:

Steve Smith

1-May-2012, 02:51

I broke a bone in my foot, but was still able to hike the 17 miles out, with my pack, with the support of my Asolo boots and a turn or two of gaffers' tape. Walking around the next day was not very fun, though...

I have a book at home written by mountain climber Chris Bonington. There are some pictures in it which he took on Baintha Brakk. One is of one of his friends, Doug Scott, crawling back down the mountain with two broken legs - it looked painful.

EDIT: Here is that picture: http://www.seekernews.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/1977_Doug_Scott_with_2_broken_legs_Ogre1.jpg

Steve.

Heroique

1-May-2012, 03:55

Lewis and Clark followed rivers (but, they had what maps they could lay their hands on and compass too, not to mention surveying tools and Sacagawea!)

Here’s Clark’s actual compass from the Lewis & Clark 1804-06 expedition.

One of the few surviving “10 essentials” from the trip.

No record in the journals whether Sacagawea was impressed or not – but we all know what L&C would have decided if the teenage girl had disagreed with it. ;^)

Darren H

1-May-2012, 05:32

Always take them. Have never needed them in the field. The point is though to have them in case you need them. One of the things in my first aid kit is one of those mylar survival blankets. I have had it 25 years and the package has never been opened. Hopefully I will never need it, but I have it because I am often out alone in winter conditions.

goamules

1-May-2012, 06:14

How many essentials I bring depends on where I'm going. I don't need a compass in flat, desert basin between 9,000 ft mountains. I navigate by keeping the ranges in sight. I could reliably walk from Tucson, AZ to Las Cruces, NM about 250 miles, without a compass. But I know this terrain very, very well. I always take water, unless just taking a morning or evening desert walk. Any hike in unfamiliar territory, or going further from my truck than an hour, I bring a pocket knife, ball of parachute cord, lighter.

Any hike that could conceivably get cold, I have a Polartec fleece with me. They are good insulation and water resistant. But again, we get only 9 inches of rain here a year, and for 6 months of the year it's warm even at night at low elevations. So I don't take those things, those times. It's the heat that kills people around here, and only water will save you from that.

In the mountains or forest with canopy, I add most of those essentials. It's very hard to navigate by feel in the mountains when you can't see the landmarks around you. Storms come suddenly, so you need insulation and shelter or a good way to make it quickly.

E. von Hoegh

1-May-2012, 07:31

Clearly this person has never been in the wilderness for any significant length of time and probably has never traveled far from home. Reminds me of “Miss Marie” who had never been outside the city limits of her home town.

As a quick example of the kind of information a compass is able to tell the savvy:

Suppose you know what the true magnetic declination of a given area is suppose to be and further suppose that you line yourself up with an object/landmark that your map shows to be directly true north of where you are standing. Then,

Let X be the true magnetic declination and Y be the declination that your compass says the landmark is. Then the absolute value of Y-X is the strength of the local magnetic field (e.g., your iron ore) and the position along the real number line indicates the direction of the field (east or west).

It's a serious error of judgment to travel even for short distances in the wilderness without at least a compass and preferably a map as well.

Thomas

You really should check your conceit at the door.

I'm talking about going into the woods to take pictures, (what this thread is about) not travelling cross country.

Alex_B

1-May-2012, 08:30

Wow, this thread has gone amok in a way. I think it started about day hikes and such.

On day hikes, even north of the Arctic circle in the wilderness, I might not always take everything from that list with me. I do make sure however, to have everything with me to survive a night in case something goes wrong.

I usually always bring a compass along though. In particular in sudden fog/mist it can be quite handy, even on well known and heavily frequented tracks. I remember once on Ben Nevis in Scotland, a very touristy mountain, I found some people in dense fog who got completely lost because the day started fine and they went up the mountain without a compass. They were just half a mile from the summit, but walking totally in the wrong direction. They were VERY happy I found them and could lead them with my compass ;)

Drew Wiley

1-May-2012, 09:14

What is amazing is the way even domesticated animals can navigate. Back when I was a kid, when the high meadows were not yet well protected as formal wilderness, cattle drives would take place in early summer and go way way back, over a hundred miles in cases. The cattle would then be rounded up in Sept, but a few old cows were known to
walk back by themselves a month or so later, clear down the mtns, down the highways,
clear down to the valley floor, right into the correct barn! This happened year after year.
Now you explain to me how they held a topo map or compass in a hoof.

tgtaylor

1-May-2012, 09:29

Some animals have a built-in navigational device. In the case of pigeons it has been shown to be a magnetic orientation due to the iron molecules in their brains. Ever notice that pigeons are fond to congregate on a power line? Surrounding that power line is a magnetic field.

Thomas

Renato Tonelli

1-May-2012, 10:00

Wow - this thread has gone AMOK!

I am proposing to take a dog along...
Drew is proposing to take a cow along...
...and now, Thomas is suggesting pigeons!

What next?
:D

Drew Wiley

1-May-2012, 10:16

I have walked out of a terrible blizzard by dead reckoning. But that's in steep terrain where you can at least tell which way the streams run. I keep a compass in the back only
because of the possibility of a winter-style whiteout on level terrain, where you can't see
past the immediate forest. Having made geological maps in my youth, I know how to use
such gadgets; but just like the deer, coyotes, and cattle, learned how to navigate back
country way back when I actually hiked barefoot (lower elevations of course). There will
still Indians alive walking down to the tiny store who didn't even own a pair of shoes, and
who had in fact crossed the high passes barefoot. But around here, following the terrible
Oakland fire, there were cats that found their way home even after the entire neighboorhood had been rebuilt. In one case, the cats wandered back from clear across the country, where it had been accidentally shipped in a moving van. So some of these
critters evidently have a GPS in their head.

E. von Hoegh

1-May-2012, 10:35

Most LF landscapers who hike away from their vehicle have enough trouble finding room in their packs for camera, lenses and accessories – let alone the “10 essentials” you always hear about:

1. Topographic map
2. Compass
3. Flashlight/spare parts
4. Extra food/water/clothing
5. Sun protection
6. Matches
7. Knife
8. Signal mirror
9. First aid kit
10. Emergency shelter

Do you always carry the famous 10 – or just this or that item, depending on hiking terrain, distance & duration?

If you have to make a choice, does your photo gear trump the essentials, or do the essentials trump the gear?

What lessons can you share for the over-burdened LF photographer? ;^)

Any reason why you chose the map of Lake George?

Drew Wiley

1-May-2012, 11:19

Just one more reason for owning a real backpack instead of one of those silly camera gear only things - but that's on a different thread run amok. But all depends where you are headed. On the weekends out here at Pt Reyes I might hike 7 to 11 miles, and certainly don't bother with anything extra except a light overshirt, canteen, and snack. In the winter I'll obviously include a raincoat too. Totally different ballgame up in the high Sierra,
where blue sky can turn black and start snowing within 15 to 20 min, and where the nites
get seriously cold. I've done plenty of ultra-minimalist travel up there in my youth, just like
the Indians did, and it's definitely not always comfortable. The Indians were conditioned for it, and nobody knows whether or not any of them died from exposure. I'm too old and
lazy to try that lifestyle again. But which comes first? You can't eat a camera, or protect
yourself from freezing rain with a bellows, not unless it's really, really ULF!

BrianShaw

1-May-2012, 11:36

This is why I photograph from the car trunk rather than hike. If I were to hike I'd have to bring along a jackass to carry all of that gear... but my little brother is still recovering from back surgery.

Two comments: I'm surprised that there was no support for personal hygiene supplies (specifically toilet paper). That comes in handy at times. Also, the watch technique discussed several pages ago by Doremos doesn't work well with a digital watch.

Drew Wiley

1-May-2012, 11:59

Brian - you're not being logical at all. If you have a jackass along you don't need to worry
about carrying anything - they'll do it for you. (Where is Garrett when we need him?). Cats
have good homing instincts but are less useful as pack animals. Homing pigeons only carry
letters unless you increase the number of postage stamps on them. And you can always find substitutes for toilet paper in the woods ... things like poison oak leaves, nettles,
or prickly pear pads out in the desert.

Heroique

1-May-2012, 12:25

“Why isn’t [X] or [Y] on the ‘10 essentials’ list?” :(

A perfectly natural question, so it might make sense to show the two questions the “Classic List” (post #7) was designed to address – according to the Mountaineers, the outdoor club which originally created the list back in the 1930’s:

1) Can you respond positively to an accident or emergency?
2) Can you safely spend a night – or more – out?

The “10 essentials” list – very helpful & potentially life saving, even for LF day hikers – naturally betrays the biases of its developers, but the two strategic questions it tries to address will help explain why items like insect repellant or personal hygiene didn’t make the cut.

Any reason why you chose the map of Lake George (in post #1)?

Because I knew you lived in NY state and would appreciate it. :)

Brian Sims

1-May-2012, 13:25

The best water treatment system I've ever used is Polar Pure, a small 1-2oz bottle with a temperature gage on the side containing pure iodine crystals. You keep water in it, and the temperature of the water affects concentration of iodine which determines how many capfulls you put in your water bottle. It doesn't taste bad like the tablets and is not as bulky and heavy as a filter. I used in for a month-long walk up to Everest base camp in Nepal. Never got sick.

Read more here
http://www.polarequipment.com/index.htm

Unfortunately, iodine crystals is part of one of the many recipies for meth. So, DEA and the state of California has essentially put this company out of business. Has anyone heard the news that the Meth epidemic is over? No. Tweekers are still destroying their lives and Meth cookers are still in business. This is just one more story about the silliness of the war on drugs.

Doremus Scudder

2-May-2012, 06:41

.... Also, the watch technique discussed several pages ago by Doremus doesn't work well with a digital watch.

Brian,

Sure it does! You don't even need to look at a watch if someone can tell you the time reliably (even a radio...). You just have to know what time it is.
And, you can do it with a stick in less than half a day's time if you like by making yourself a sundial. When the shadow is shortest, it's noon, and you know south... You can extrapolate from there.

I'm surprised that there was no support for personal hygiene supplies (specifically toilet paper). That comes in handy at times.
Even though it's not on my list, I carry toilet paper and a pocket full of those moist towlette thingies that you get at ribs joints :) Non-essential, but really convenient.

I think it's important that the emergency kit is really lightweight and easy to carry. My kit contains lots of things that do double duty. Water is always the heaviest.

Best,

Doremus

Scott Walker

2-May-2012, 06:59

Brian,

You just have to know what time it is.
And, you can do it with a stick in less than half a day's time if you like by making yourself a sundial. When the shadow is shortest, it's noon, and you know south... You can extrapolate from there.

Doremus

Reminds me of a commercial that is shown on Discovery or PBS or a similar channel.

If you are lost in the woods put a stick in the ground and place a rock at the end of the shadow the stick casts. Wait a half hour then place a second rock at the end of the shadow. Now stand facing the two rocks with the first rock to your right.

Congratulations you are now lost in the woods facing south. :p

E. von Hoegh

2-May-2012, 07:03

Kirk Gittings

2-May-2012, 08:38

Is it just me or.......I find the farther I hike the fewer good images I get and the likely hood of getting a really killer image approches 0 farther than a couple of miles. Its almost a predictable inverse relationship. Now understand that I am not much interested in "pristine nature" and maybe that explains it, but for example on longer hikes in Canyon de Chelly and Betatakin/Keet Seel etc. it just doesn't ever come together. I've done well at White House Ruin (2.5 miles RT). Maybe it has to do with planning and "being there" when the light is great-easier to plan when distance is shorter. For example at WHR I once discovered a potentially killer shot one summer afternoon, but I was there at the wrong time-actually needed to be there in the winter and went back later that year and nailed it.

Carterofmars

2-May-2012, 08:50

10 essentials for shooting in NYC:

1. Starbucks coffee card.
2. A small but solid wrench for the creep who's been eyeballing your camera bag for the last thirty minutes.
3. Favorite tunes on your mp3 player or a good talk radio show from the night before (preferably Mark Levine).
4. Good rangefinder (preferable a Leica) for that inevitable great street-shot developing behind you and your 4x5.
5. Pack of sugared gum. None of the suger-free crap.
6. Good pair of sunglasses (to impress the ladies).
7. A bag of pork rinds or pop corn to distract the pigeon that will sit on your head as you make adjustments beneath your dark cloth.
8. A cell phone to call in a chow delivery to meet you at the door when you return home.
9. An app on your cell that locates clean restrooms in the area.
10. And extra ID somewhere on your person, in case the wrench doesn't work and you regain conscientiousness in the ER; minus wallet and gear.

tgtaylor

2-May-2012, 09:02

Scott Walker

2-May-2012, 09:46

Many photographers have made their reputation by photographing landscapes that were well off any road. For example William Henry Jackson, Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell and more recently Rodney Loughe. Ansel Adams photograph of Banner Peak from Thousand Island Lake in ~1923 propelled him into the national attention.

But just hiking and hoping you'll run across something is not very productive in my experience unless you're very lucky like Galen often was. The best success comes with a carefully planned trip to a specific location for photography and once there waiting it out for the right moment(s).
Thomas

I really agree with that last part, I do a bit of hiking and snowshoeing in the mountains and it is rare to just go out and find everything perfect. More often I am going back to the same location at a different time of day/year in order to get the image. One thing I know about hiking and snowshoeing is that it is way more fun in good weather and unfortunately most of my better photography seems to happen when the weather is crap :confused: so needless to say it is a bit rare for me to just happen across that perfect scene while strolling through the hills.

E. von Hoegh

2-May-2012, 10:47

Drew Wiley

2-May-2012, 13:20

I'll bet you couldn't figure which of my shots were taken three feet from the car and which
were eight days out. Of course, if there's something architectural in it, or a road or barbed
wire fence, you'd have a clue, or maybe some bigger landscapes recognizable to another
backcountry veteran. Hiking is for the sake of the hike. The 8X10 is for the sake of making
the hike fun. I lobbying congress at the moment for stricted trails regulations and signage
on Federal lands: Trail Access Forbidden unless Carrying Regulation Size View Camera and
Authentic Ries Tripod ... Possessing a digital camera is a felony punishable by caning with
poison oak vines and being forced to drink a sixpack of Keystone beer.

Steve Smith

2-May-2012, 13:23

Trail Access Forbidden unless Carrying Regulation Size View Camera and
Authentic Ries Tripod ... Possessing a digital camera is a felony punishable by caning with
poison oak vines and being forced to drink a sixpack of Keystone beer.

It's hard to believe but that's not the most ridiculous law we have seen proposed recently!

Steve.

Heroique

2-May-2012, 13:44

I’m involved in scouting. ...my “essentials” kit weighs about seven ounces and fits in a pocket.

Did everyone else miss this like I did? Here’s a Scout leader who has us all beat.

Bill, if you carry “10 essentials,” that’s .7 ounce per item.

Please break this out, so the rest of us can carry more lenses!

Greg Miller

2-May-2012, 14:07

Here in the Hudson Valley, the only big views you get are on mountain tops or around water. That often entails a hike of some length to get a view that hasn't been used by a million other photographers (a really big population with a limited number of roadside vistas; and most people won't take the trouble to get to remote locations for the golden hours). So if the weather is favorable for the big vista (which means NOT a blue sky day) then I probably will be hiking quite a ways to get to a specific view. But more often than not, the weather does not follow the forecast, so my big vista busts, I am looking to salvage the trip with more intimate scenes based on what the light is giving me. On bright overcast days, I will go and just meander around for several hours looking for intimate photos that work well in that light. In the end, I think I probably pre-plan 50% of my photos, which involves a hike of more than 1 mile (in the dark going in or going out). Less than 50% of those I actually shoot what I had planned because the light doesn't happen the way I wanted. So in the end, my keepers are 25% pre-planned with a hike more than a mile, 50% unplanned more than 1 mile, and the remaining 25% are either planned or unplanned and close to the car. The planned roadside vistas usually entail many visits in order to get a shot with very special light - I refuse to show images that look like copy-cats.

Peter York

2-May-2012, 14:17

Is it just me or.......I find the farther I hike the fewer good images I get and the likely hood of getting a really killer image approches 0 farther than a couple of miles. Its almost a predictable inverse relationship.

The more I hike the more tired I get. And the more tired I get, the more my photography suffers. Plus the spots I reach often have the wrong light when I arrive. I actually prefer backpacking over long hikes these days because I can stay at a location and divide my days between hauling and shooting.

Thanks for this post Heroique! It came just in time, reminding me that I need a whistle and some other odds & ends before I head out backpacking again, which will probably be this weekend. I've dealt with knee and ankle issues for over a decade, but my new orthotics seem to be magic and I'm dreaming of 20-30 mile backpacks by mid-July. A return to the Wind Rivers is also long past due.

John Kasaian

2-May-2012, 14:50

It all depends on the terrain, attitude and lattitude. What is essential in the Mojave Desert likely won't be whats essential in Denali National Park.
I spent 18 years on a Sheriffs Posse SAR team in the Sierras and I've got a story for you:
Once on a mounted patrol, there was a group just sitting around banging their spoons against those near-worthless sierra cups.
"One of our party got seperated and so we make noise so she'll hear us and know which direction she needs to go to find us" They said.
A couple of miles down the same trail there was a lady sitting on a rock banging away at her near-worthless sierra cup with a spoon. "My party got lost and I'm making noise so they'll know which direction to go so I they can find me."

Also, lost children nearly always will travel uphill. Lost adults will nearly always travel downhill.

I've never gotten lost while aboard a horse or mule. Give them the reins and they'll head straight back to camp every time (unless they come across something tasty to sample)

Vaughn

2-May-2012, 15:03

...But just hiking and hoping you'll run across something is not very productive in my experience unless you're very lucky like Galen often was. The best success comes with a carefully planned trip to a specific location for photography and once there waiting it out for the right moment(s).Thomas

Luck comes to the prepared, true...

But for my way of working, I am 180 degrees from "careful planning and waiting it out" folks for some of my work and 82.8 degrees from it for the rest of my work. I don't want to wait for it -- I want to hike out and meet it...maybe walk along with it for awhile before I get out the camera. Or take the 8x10 pack off, lay the pod down and rest -- and enjoy where I am (In my family it is called "Stopping to enjoy the view." I like to pick a place on a map, or to see an interesting area from the road and go see what is there...might as well take the 8x10, too. Might never get back there, or I might return time and time again. I'm out there to enjoy the process, not to be "productive". YMMD...

John -- Near worthless Sierra Cups?! Mine is gold plated...;)

David Lobato

2-May-2012, 19:12

A lot of times I'm guilty of purposely leaving a flashlight at home. But if photographing during the evening "Golden Hour" one will likely hike back to the trailhead in the dark. I guess that's why I prefer getting up early and stumbling in the dark to hike to a location before sunrise. Btw, has anyone ever made a rudimentary shelter with an extended tripod and a tarp?

Bill Burk

2-May-2012, 21:33

Did everyone else miss this like I did? Here’s a Scout leader who has us all beat.

Bill, if you carry “10 essentials,” that’s .7 ounce per item.

Please break this out, so the rest of us can carry more lenses!

I'll lay it out tomorrow... Please don't be disillusioned, it's not a miracle kit. Like it doesn't include food and water.

Struan Gray

3-May-2012, 02:39

Is it just me or.......I find the farther I hike the fewer good images I get .

My seeing definitely gets worse as I become physically tired. That's true 500 yards from my car too.

But I don't really go on hikes to take photographs, and I don't go back having planned for the right weather and phase of the the celestial clock. The only time I tried to do the latter, when I wanted sunset and the tide and the moon to realign, I found I'd have to wait nineteen years, with no guarantee of clear skies.

Instead I collect impressions: patterns of islands, trees, rock formations; assemblages of plants or types of geology; atmospheric effects and their times of day. When out with my camera I attend to the specifics of the day, with an attention informed by the list of phenomena I've previously gathered. It's not a shoot list as such, more a mental weighting that helps me decide if a good view will make a good photograph.

The advantage of a long hike is that it gives me the chance to find new impressions - refinements of the old lists, new configurations of old ideas, and entirely new things to think about.

I also just like doing long hikes.

Ole Tjugen

3-May-2012, 03:04

1. Topographic map often
2. Compass almost always
3. Flashlight/spare parts Not needed in Norwegian summer
4. Extra food/water/clothing Clothing yes, food maybe, water never. It's a wet country, this!
5. Sun protection applied before starting
6. Matches Lighter. I smoke...
7. Knife Usually
8. Signal mirror No, there's one on my compass.
9. First aid kit No.
10. Emergency shelter No, the map shows the locations of cabins and other shelters

I've spent weeks and weeks doing geological mapping, so I know how to use a map and a compass. I trust them more than a (battery-powered) GPS.

Brian Sims

3-May-2012, 09:08

Kirk, "Is it just me or.......I find the farther I hike the fewer good images I get ..."

I backpack in the wilderness because I like the solitude, the simplicity of the trail, and the surprising beauty of the wilderness. I bring my gear along because once I establish a camp site and stay there a couple of days I find subject matter that is worth the burden of hauling 30 lb of photo gear and film. I used to try and shoot as I hiked, but it is such a pain to unpack and repack that it wasn't any fun. Now, I wait until I get to a spot I'm going to live for 2-3 days, spend some time getting to know the place and the lighting, and then go out on small side trips with just my photo gear. It's much more enjoyable and I make much better time on the trail not stopping to consider making an image.

cave.natalie

3-May-2012, 10:59

Agree with Brian.
for many of my outdoors adventures its just much more relaxing and lets you get more stuff done to set up a base camp.
If there is a few people, especially with non-backpacking types on the trip, this is even more advantageous, as the "expert" don't have to do as much work.

Bill Burk

3-May-2012, 19:04

Bill Burk

4-May-2012, 06:43

http://www.beefalobill.com/images/tarptent.jpg

1981 Dusy basin overlooking Le-Conte Canyon. Got me through a memorable thunderstorm.

Bill Burk

4-May-2012, 07:09

Did everyone else miss this like I did? Here’s a Scout leader who has us all beat.

Bill, if you carry “10 essentials,” that’s .7 ounce per item.

Please break this out, so the rest of us can carry more lenses!

Map and Compass
Sunglasses/spare glasses
Whistle
Signal mirror
Eraser
Pencil
Gloves
Level
Cable release
Toilet paper from an MRE shrink wrapped
Poncho
Steel and flint
Needle and heavy duty thread
Emery board
Nailclipper
Scissor from swiss army classic
LED flashlight
Duct tape
Vivarin
Leukotape
Moleskin, Q-tips, Floss, sting relief and cleaning wipes, various bandages and Band-aids, steri-strips
-Not pictured: Single-edge razor blade in protective shield (always take it out for travel and misplaced it).

http://www.beefalobill.com/images/essentials.jpg

By far the most common used item is the sting relief and Band-aids

Scott Walker

4-May-2012, 08:10

Excellent Bill

This is what lives in my backpack at all times

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg90/Beecool/7029fac0.jpg
Small skinner clipped to shoulder harness

http://i246.photobucket.com/albums/gg90/Beecool/a31d33d2.jpg
Clockwise from bottom left; GPS, duct tape, cable saw, compass with mirror, first aid kit, steel & flint, flashlight, drinking water disinfectant pills, the SOG folder that lives in my pocket, and fire sticks.

The first aid kit is Coghlans Trek III and contains the following; Instant Guide to First Aid, one Cohesive Gauze 1” x 10 Yards, eight Gauze Pads 3” x 3”, four Butterfly Closures, 12 Fabric Bandages 1” x 3”, four Fabric Knuckle Bandages, four Povidone - Iodine Pads, six Antiseptic Towelettes, one Needle, one Moleskin 2” x 3”, 10 Mini-Strips, one Combine Dressing , one Triangular Bandage, two Safety Pins, one Roll Tape 1/2” x 2 1/2” yards, one Pair Latex Gloves, one Eye Pad, two Pill Vials 6 Dram.

I have added the following to the first aid kit; bug bite stick, topical anesthetic stick, tweezers, crazy glue, 6 motrin, 4 sinutab, and a better needle and stitching thread.

Drew Wiley

4-May-2012, 08:25

Bill - I was fairly cozy one Oct nite in Dusy Basin right below Mt Winchell and Thunderbolt
Pk during a horrendous thunderstorm with some light snow and hail. Wondeful echoes off
those huge vertical rock faces. Finally about two in the morning the sky cleared and the moon came out, then all off a sudden something hit my tent. Two dazed half-frozen guys
were stumbling around and tripped over my guy lines. Turns out there had been up there
roped to the side of appropriately-named Thunderbolt thru the whole ordeal.

Heroique

4-May-2012, 10:50

Bill and Scott, your photos are worth a thousand essentials.

A hiker’s first aid kit deserves a thread of its own.

Scott, I especially like the steel & flint.

E. von Hoegh

4-May-2012, 11:04

This is amazing, I never realised just how much gear I needed to go a few miles into the woods and take some pictures.....

Drew Wiley

4-May-2012, 11:12

Some of you guys should study up on what Norman Clyde (aka Mr. Sierra) considered the
essentials. I had a big hiking buddy back in my youth who had a similar list of essentials.
It would include a cast iron skillet with grill, a double-bit axe, full fishing tackle, and plenty
of fresh food. I remember him once pulling out of his pack a full ham, a slab of bacon, about twenty zucchini, three cantaloupes, and a small watermelon. He carried that load
27 miles and up 7000 ft grade, right up to the last lakes below the summit of Mt Ritter.
Norman Clyde was reported to still be carrying a similar huge pack right into his early 80's,
along with his three ancient rollfilm cameras. Don't know how fast he moved at that age,
but he was last seen with that pack about 40miles from the road.

tgtaylor

4-May-2012, 11:16

Speaking of Dusy Basin, here's a photo that I took from inside my tent (over my feet) with a Pentax K1000 sans tripod. IIRC the exposure was 1/2 second on slide film:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7142607681_71b3e7cd5d_z.jpg

I got a late start from Bishop and rather than continue to LeConte Canyon below and setting up in the dark with the mesquitos I decided to camp on top of the pass. The lighting was teriffic when I took this exposure but back then I wasn't as interested in photography as I now am and took a camera along merely to document my travels. Also camped on top of Bishop Pass that night were several guys humping kayaks over!

Thomas

Drew Wiley

4-May-2012, 11:35

I see Mt Agassiz and half or Winchell there, Tom. Lovely spot. There's some incredible mineral stain on rocks around that tiny creek there. I recently talked to one of the whitewater guys who carried a kayak over Bishop Pass down to LeConte, then rode it all the way down to Pine Flat Res on the other side, clear down the Middle Fork. Too bad those guys are so busy trying to stay aright in rapids etc that they can't take in much the view etc. He didn't even recall much about Tehipite. More of an adrenaline sport thing.
But he did remember that wonderful 45-degree waterslide running almost the whole way from Dusy down to Leconte Can. I used to like camping right at the edge of the canyon
there before the area got popular, with giant Langille Pk across the canyon resembling a
higher-altitude version of El Capitan. Glad you were able to capture your memories.

David Lobato

4-May-2012, 12:33

A common thought among these posts is the importance of resourcefulness and preparation. As has been said, what's between one's ears is the best thing to use. I did, and occasionally still do, solo hiking and climbing. Good judgement and awareness of one's limitations are important. I've turned around several times after seeing conditions to be too risky to keep pushing forward and up. I've sat out thunderstorms under my tarp listening to the echoes of thunder between peaks looming over me. The desert constantly reminds us of our necessity for water. Many of us cannot resist the allure of raw wilderness and challenging terrain. Mother Nature is not always merciful, she exacts her price at times. The mountains, deserts, and forests will await a return trip.

Heroique

4-May-2012, 13:07

...Good judgment and awareness of one’s limitations are important...

A slight tweak to this critical point: Putting together (or thinking through) an “essentials” kit – in advance of any particular hike – is a great way to condition greater awareness, and, therefore, safer behavior in the land you’re headed for.

That is, being resourceful = developing awareness.

Especially wise is the awareness that Mother Nature doesn’t care what you’re prepared for. (Source: Stephen Crane)

Bill Burk

6-May-2012, 22:01

Map and Compass
Sunglasses/spare glasses
Whistle
Signal mirror
Eraser
Pencil
Gloves
Level
Cable release
Toilet paper from an MRE shrink wrapped
Poncho
Steel and flint
Needle and heavy duty thread
Emery board
Nailclipper
Scissor from swiss army classic
LED flashlight
Duct tape
Vivarin
Leukotape
Single-edge razor blade in protective shield
Moleskin, Q-tips, Floss, sting relief and cleaning wipes, various bandages and Band-aids, steri-strips

http://www.beefalobill.com/images/essentials.jpg
...

Replaced underlying photo to improve image quality. Also replaced the single edge razor. It's a "mini scraper" from Ace hardware with excess plastic cut off of it.

David_Senesac

16-May-2012, 20:47

Signal mirror? Seriously?

No but I have brought all those items (except signal mirror haha) at times and in each case I would say...it depends. Hiking and backpacking is a complex activity with a broad list of possible situations, weather, and conditions. I've been a backpacker for decades. That is a good simple list for the inexperienced and novices but will make enthusiasts yawn.

http://www.davidsenesac.com/Backpacking/david_backpacking.html

Bill Burk

16-May-2012, 21:44

Bill Burk

16-May-2012, 21:51

OK a declination story.

My buddy Tom (Mr. Search and Rescue) and I were the only ones of the group who wanted to bag a peak on our first trip of many in the Sierra. We were camped at one of the Mills Creek Lakes and headed on a day hike to Mount Abbott for a nice walk-up. We got to the saddle and I aimed my compass at the appropriate bearing and started towards the mountain.

It seemed like a really long approach, but with the top in sight, Tom decided to take a break. I did a bit more scrambling. It was a bit dicey but nothing worse than climbing the fireplace next to my house to get on the roof. So I get up and find the register.

I yelled down... Hey Tom, this is Bear Creek Spire.... I'm NOT climbing down a Class 4 mountain without ropes.

I took out the compass and map last weekend and checked the memory of this story with the facts on the map.

It would be impossible for me to make this mistake due to any declination correction error. At the saddle, Mt. Abbott was 90-degrees to our left.

I think the plausible explanation is that we set the bearing at camp. Then, having reached the saddle, continued on the original bearing. Not realizing we were on the correct bearing and had made the correct distance already... Now all we were supposed to do was turn left and walk up.

NancyP

27-Feb-2014, 20:34

This is an entertaining thread, but I must take exception to the signal mirror. If you are hiking in largely wooded terrain, that signal mirror is pretty useless. A loud whistle makes more sense. Headlamp with irritating "strobe" setting also works at night - carry extra set of lithium batteries for the headlamp.
I like to carry the reusable silvered bivy bag, "just in case". A super-light hollow-fiber water squeeze filter (Sawyer) is great, also - 3 oz plus the plastic input water bag. At least 1.5 L water in bottles (there are streams), duct tape, a few foot bandaids and bigger bandages, tiny vial of soap, tiny towel, a knife, waterproof matches and and one or two stinky Esbit cubes, a few energy bars and gorp, the map and compass, dry socks, lightweight dry undies appropriate for season, large plastic bag, trash plastic bag, paper towel/TP in ziplock bag . 99% of the year is three-season hiking/camping in Missouri.

tgtaylor

27-Feb-2014, 22:06

Carry a "good" compass - one that has a mirror for azimuth plotting. The mirror will serve for shaving and looking at your pretty face and singling (rescue helicopters don't land in wooded terrain). I also carry a whistle on the packs key lantern.

You don't need extra lithium batteries for the head lamp unless you are on a very loooong trip.

I stopped using water filters. You have to carry an iodine back-up anyway so I now just pack the iodine w/ neutralizer. Works every time and is light with zero bulk.

Unless there will be a scarcity of water sources, 1/5 liters is too heavy. A 1-liter bottle is sufficient with an empty 1-liter bottle for cooking water or if the water supply unexpectedly dries up and you have to pack more. Figure 2.5lbs per liter.

Foot Band-Aids? You're kidding, right? Wear liners and pack 2d Skin, or whatever they call it, for treating "hot spots" that develop on your feet. Wearing liners will prevent most blisters from forming but having your feet pre conditioned (toughened-up by pre-hike hikes) and wearing liners is best. Take your boots and socks off at regular intervals and examine your feet carefully for developing hot spots. It's also good to "air them out" at regular intervals. You take care of them, they take care of you.

Thomas

Darin Boville

27-Feb-2014, 22:26

Foot Band-Aids? You're kidding, right? Wear liners and pack 2d Skin, or whatever they call it, for treating "hot spots" that develop on your feet. Wearing liners will prevent most blisters from forming but having your feet pre conditioned (toughened-up by pre-hike hikes) and wearing liners is best. Take your boots and socks off at regular intervals and examine your feet carefully for developing hot spots. It's also good to "air them out" at regular intervals. You take care of them, they take care of you.

Thomas

You sound like a military person so you are the one to ask--are all liners the same? If not, what do you use? All-season?

--Darin

tgtaylor

27-Feb-2014, 22:37

As far as I know the military doesn't use liners - at least they didn't when I served. Outdoor suppliers like REI carry an assortment of liners. I buy the REI brand - they're cheaper than the brand names and do the same job. The liners are designed to whisk moisture away from your skin. Moist skin slipping backwards and forwards on a sock is what causes hot spots and eventually blisters to form. Removing your boots, socks, and liners and letting everything air (dry) out at intervals during the day will prevent blisters from forming.

Thomas

Bill Burk

27-Feb-2014, 22:52

This is an entertaining thread, but I must take exception to the signal mirror. If you are hiking in largely wooded terrain, that signal mirror is pretty useless.

I've read Colin Fletcher's "The Complete Walker" where he explains the futility of the signal mirror. Red tarp was no good either against the red rock of the Grand Canyon. Smoky fire was what finally caught the pilot's attention. And Colin was only a few thousand feet away from the pre-planned drop-point. "Saw the smoke immediately, but you probably weren't moving the mirror enough. You have to wave the mirror wildly to be seen", said the pilot when they talked later.

Now I hear SAR can pick up your cell phone trying to contact a tower... even if you can't get reception, they can find you from your signal. So keep those phone batteries charged and powered-up if you are lost.

Bill Burk

27-Feb-2014, 22:56

Removing your boots, socks, and liners and letting everything air (dry) out at intervals during the day will prevent blisters from forming.

Haaa, I was on a hike with my son and was carrying the Colin Fletcher book for entertainment. On a break I read him the page where he described changing socks throughout the day... Your comment reminded me of the kind of attention to detail...

Jmarmck

1-Mar-2014, 14:25

Just keep in mind that survival depends upon three things; water, shelter, food; presented in order of priority. The 10 essential item fit into these catagories.

Any of you younguns ever read "My Side of the Mountain"? It is a great story for the naturalist/survivalist.

Liquid Artist

2-Mar-2014, 10:28

Interesting that none of the "experts" have mentioned the second most important equipment, after your brain. Adequate footware, that is.
Although I do agree with this statement, what is Adequate footwear?
In North America most people swear you need the newest most expensive shoes to run a marathon. However some people now are starting to run them barefoot and getting less long term injuries.
My wife is 1/2 Maasai (African Tribe). Her fellow tribes members are some of the longest distance runners in the world, either running barefoot or with worn out car tire pieces strapped to their feet. People running in modern shoes just can't keep up, however what is interesting is some white folks who ditched their modern shoes are able to.

With this in mind, in my opinion we are often being mislead when we are told that this is the shoe we Need for this activity.

In my case I prefer snowshoeing long distances over traditional hiking. Although I have always used regular, or purpose made boots for it I miss the freedom of being able to wiggle my toes around. So I am planning on ordering a set of moccasins while I am working in the Canadian North West Territories. Made of nothing but warm furs and a tough water resistant leather sole. I figure that the Inuit were able to treck around for weeks while hunting with similar footwear. So why can't I do the odd day trip here and there with them.

Leszek Vogt

2-Mar-2014, 14:08

I'll just second what John said in another thread....about taking common sense with you. Sure there are things that make life easier on the trail (or essential). We all have slightly different needs.
Oh, and we learn what to take from experience what to leave in the vehicle/home. Some of us learn from our own epic failures or from others.... Indeed, books can be written on this stuff.

Les

light-spigot

2-Mar-2014, 17:36

if you include a cell phone on this list you may as well include your last will and testament...

Brian Sims

2-Mar-2014, 17:58

Here's an "eleventh essential" I've been using: Trip reports before you leave.

There is a lot of crap on the internet, but backpackers' trip reports are pretty remarkable. You can learn about trail wash-outs, updates to way-trail landmarks, where to find good water, all kinds of good info to help you prepare and in some case change your mind where you want to go.

Drew Bedo

2-Mar-2014, 20:57

don't know about TEN non-photography essentials, but a Persian philosopher listed a number of them several hundred years ago:

"A book of verse beneath the bough
A loaf pf bread, a jug of wine—and Thou
Beside me singing in the wilderness
And wilderness becomes Paradise e'now!"
Omar Khayyam

paulr

3-Mar-2014, 09:44

Back in 1978, in his alpinism book Climbing Ice, Yvon Chouinard advised, "leave the 10 essentials and other impedimenta behind. If you bring overnight gear, you will use it."

He was being deliberately provocative. And was speaking to people engaged in endeavors where safety depends on speed. And he didn't mean it, in absolute terms... he would never go anywhere serious without a headlamp or water, for example. But his basic point was reasonable, and has been followed more seriously in recent years than it was at the time: don't weigh yourself down with so much crap!

A long list of safety stuff probably makes sense for a boy scout or a beginner. But really, once you have some experience, you can judge what you're likely to need. Overnight bivy gear? I never consider it. What a buzz-kill to have to carry on a day trip. First aid kit? Sure, a small one, on a serious climb. A biger one on a multiday trip to someplace genuinely remote. On a day hike, I might just bring a square of moleskin, if I don't have complete faith in my shoes.

For me, a hat and sun block are always mandatory. Others with darker skin can go without in many settings. Like some of you, I often go without a map in familiar places, and never bring a compas. But there are settings where I'd like to have both, and my phone's GPS as well.

The point being, it all depends. You're always weighing cost and benefit, and in most cases this is a kind of gambling. It's always possible for that once-in-a-century storm will swoop in right after you've twisted an ankle. But then again, it's even more possible to be killed in a car wreck on the way to the trail. It's a matter of perspective.

Drew Wiley

3-Mar-2014, 11:12

In the mtns, those storms can hit fast and hard. Totally blue skies can turn totally black in about fifteen minutes. In fact, that happens almost every day during
certain storm cycles every summer, not to mention autumn. A simple rain parka and sweater in a belt pack can easily make the difference between life and death to a day hiker. The weather can also vary drastically with significant changes in altitude, which something routine hiking in the high Sierras. I'm kinda getting sick of encountering crews doing body recoveries even midsummer, or of having my trips ruined by following someone out who had naive stereotypes about the weather. Now out here on the coast in the summer I rarely worry about such things, though I do just tend to keep the pack fully geared all the time just to keep the training wt up (other than tent, slpg bag, food etc - the 8x10 gear easily substitutes for that kind of wt). But I've also known my share of famous moutaineers, and just this morning learned another one had succumbed to the elements. I know a guy who turned away from the summit of K2 just a few hundred yard shy on
three different occasions. But he's still alive and at it. But I'll sure agree with that freeway statement.... more close calls on my daily commute to work than ever
in the mtns!

Drew Wiley

3-Mar-2014, 11:15

Footwear ... Most people don't know what real boots are anymore. They walk into a REI or some place like that an see some glorified tennis shoes and think those
are boots, but end up needing a rescue with only two inches of snow on the ground. I won't even allow someone to take a backpack trip with me wearing those
silly things. Not to mention risk of a twisted ankle. Fine for casual wear. But there's nothing casual about hopping half a mile across talus blocks with a heavy pack.

Andrew O'Neill

3-Mar-2014, 12:58

Any of you younguns ever read "My Side of the Mountain"? It is a great story for the naturalist/survivalist.

Excellent book. Read it when I was in elemental school.

NancyP

3-Mar-2014, 13:20

Boots that fit well and give support - details will be different for each person, because feet are different. My all-leather Asolo TPS 520 (women's) were expensive but well worth every penny. They are good for day hiking and essential for pack hiking. Good socks, several pair! A lot of people do use the "trail running" shoes seen at REI for non-pack-bearing use on easy (non-rocky) trails, and this seems legitimate to me, because the trail running shoes are 2# lighter than my 3.5# Asolo pack-hiking boots. Wide-brimmed hat in the summer, plus sunglasses - hat does double duty of protecting face and neck from sunburn, and enabling me to see magnified "live view" focusing on small-format camera.

paulr

3-Mar-2014, 13:33

Boots that fit well and give support - details will be different for each person, because feet are different.

Absolutely. When I backpacked into the Cirque of the Towers in the Wind River range a few years ago, for ten days of alpine climbing, my partner and I chose completely different shoes. I wore very light, low-top approach shoes (http://skihaussteamboat.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/fivetenCampFour.jpg). I know from experience that I can get away with this, and the advantages in weight and comfort make it worth it. My partner was younger than me and in great shape, but knew that his old football injuries meant he needed ankle suport. He wore mountaineering boots. Given the chance to do it over again I think we'd both wear the same things.

For day trips I almost always wear trail running shoes. Even in the winter. A friend who's an ultra runner turned me on to Seal Skinz waterproof/breathable socks, and microspikes (superlight, slip-on crampons for soft shoes) ... they let you go anywhere, and at great speed. Assuming the snow's shallow enough that you don't need skis or snow shoes.

Drew Wiley

3-Mar-2014, 13:38

I've done my share of fast light travel in my youth. Now you've got a fad of these trail runners in their sneakers of even traction sandals that GOTTA get from Point
A to Point B or they could be in real trouble. People seem to forget that the Indians had centuries of learning where little caves and so forth were, that they were
genetically matched to the mountains, and had a lot of true technology of their own for getting around. But we don't have any record of how many of them might
have gone hypothermic over the passes. A runner who has just cleared a twelve or thirteen ft pass and then has another one to get over before he can drop down
at the end of the day might have second thoughts stuck out in the open for a night or getting injured. It's their sport, and I pity them for missing so much of the view just to say they covered the distance in so many hours. Muir Trail mentality. But that doesn't match anything a view camera user is going to do anyway. I'd like to see someone run under our circumstances! I'd be thrilled if Quickloads came back.

paulr

3-Mar-2014, 14:08

"Fad of trail runners in their sneakers ..."

What else would you wear when running a trail? And I don't think you can call something a fad after 30 years.

I'm indebted to trail running. I only do it a few times a year for fun and training, but its popularity means there's an endless variety of great shoes to choose from. By far the best hiking shoes I've used.

Drew Wiley

3-Mar-2014, 14:37

The fact they're stuck on a trail defines it. But I did it before anyone ever thought of the term, and most of it "off trail". Grew up doing that. Never thought of it as "trail running". We'd charge down canyons thousands of feet deep then grunt our way back out. Ordinary weekend. And I wore real boots. Had to. My feet have always been messed up. Once walked out 35 mi with an 85 lb pack and both ankles sprained. Those boots acted like a cast. But when I took em off, things hurt like hell for the next six weeks. But as kids we also made our own "trail bikes" for getting around before anyone ever heard of that term. The roads were so slow that we had all kinds of shortcuts, sometimes on abandoned logging trails or old narrow-gage RR trails. Couple weeks ago I ran into one of the pioneers who was involved in turning that home-made trail bike thing into the commercial giant it now is - over in Marin, of course, where it all began on Mt Tam.

paulr

3-Mar-2014, 14:59

Ok, your feet are messed up. And my climbing partners ankles are messed up. Lke Nancy and I were saying, it's a completely indivdual choice. No reason to impose your special needs on everyone else.

Drew Wiley

3-Mar-2014, 16:23

Nobody's imposing anything. I did have such bad feet that I personally went either barefoot or real boots. Shoes were torture. But what might seem a little uptight
when I say that I won't travel with anyone not wearing real boots and carrying sunglasses and mittens etc, is based on a lot of real-world experience. I always ask
them to bring along two pair of sunglasses, for example. The last guy that didn't listen to that lost his crossing a stream and would have ended up snowblinded on
the hike out, except for the fact I carried a spare myself. Those Oct snowstorms are the worst out here. You get those Indian summers where its blue sky and 70
degrees, then all of a sudden a whole bunch of people trapped in the backcountry cause their feet would freeze if they try to hike out, and rescue crews overextended getting to so many of them. Sometimes they're never seen again until they thaw out the next summer, if even then. Usually fishermen out on a dayhike in shorts and a T-shirt. Sky goes black and a couple feet of snow fall. Difference between fun and death that time of year can just be a little common
sense gear.

Drew Bedo

3-Mar-2014, 20:19

Check out this book.

Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why

by Laurence Gonzales

paulr

4-Mar-2014, 09:46

For me a goal of outdoor activities is to avoid the "survival" situation. If I'm ever forced to cut down a tree, trap a marmot, or eat grubs, I would consider it abject failure.

Drew Wiley

4-Mar-2014, 10:29

Lots of us locals were used to living off the land. Trout is one thing. But my biggest mistake when I was totally out of food and getting really hungry was to stumble
upon a meadow of wild onions. Indians ate them. But I'm not very good with hot food to begin with... and for me, that was a whole other league of hot. Didn't sleep
well that nite. Reminds me of how the Lewis and Clark party survived at one point on camas bulbs given to them by the Nez Perce, and wrote how they would have
almost preferred dying, until their systems got accustomed.

Drew Bedo

4-Mar-2014, 15:26

For me a goal of outdoor activities is to avoid the "survival" situation. If I'm ever forced to cut down a tree, trap a marmot, or eat grubs, I would consider it abject failure.

Couldn't agree more. After reading Gonzales' book, "Deep Survival", I pretty much decided to avoid being another case study by adopting Edward Weston's philosophy.

"Anything more than a hundred yards from the car just isn't that interesting."

Heroique

4-Mar-2014, 15:38

For me a goal of outdoor activities is to avoid the "survival" situation. If I'm ever forced to cut down a tree, trap a marmot, or eat grubs, I would consider it abject failure.

What happened to that great quote you shared?

"Good judgment comes from experience. "Experience" comes from bad judgment."

I'd say a meal of grubs would lead to good judgment. Exceptional judgment!

paulr

4-Mar-2014, 15:42

Ha! I'd rather keep my questionable judgment and a clif bar.

Drew Wiley

4-Mar-2014, 15:49

I sometimes used my ice axe to whack rotten logs apart to look for white grubs - not to eat them, but because trout absolutely can't resist the real deal on a line,
even old and wise trout. Can't stand Clif bars.

NancyP

7-Mar-2014, 14:45

Hey, I had sauteed/fried grubs when I was a kid in 6th grade - ate one on a dare. Tasted "fried, with spices". They were canned, Lord knows where they came from... I also ate chocolate-covered carpenter ants - some 6th grade classmate handed out small oval candies to everyone, waited until most people had started in on chewing it, then said - "chocolate covered ants" - consternation among classmates. Being a slow eater, I bit the remaining candy in half, yes, there was an ant body in there. The ant was flavorless, gave the candy the texture of a chocolate-coated Rice Crispie. It's chocolate, who cares about the ant!

paulr

7-Mar-2014, 15:17

I try to be an adventurous eater, but cultural biases / heebie-jeebies are sometimes too strong. There's no rational reason why crustaceans and shrimp and roe and raw oysters are food to me, but fried ants are vermin. But there it is. I wonder how hungry I'd have to be to eat a grub.

Drew ... re: Clif Bars. No wonder we don't agree on anything.

ROL

7-Mar-2014, 16:06

I've had Clif bars. Grubs have to be better than those.

Drew Wiley

7-Mar-2014, 16:24

Time to go into business: Grub-bars. At least they'd be moist n' chewy, and not chalky like Clif bars.

tgtaylor

7-Mar-2014, 20:31

Couldn't agree more. After reading Gonzales' book, "Deep Survival", I pretty much decided to avoid being another case study by adopting Edward Weston's philosophy.

"Anything more than a hundred yards from the car just isn't that interesting."

Edward Weston at Lake Ediza:

http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/edward-weston/charis-lake-ediza-california-1937

This was taken...maybe 40 or so miles from the car.

Thomas

Jmarmck

7-Mar-2014, 21:51

That is the main thorofare between Half Dome, Yosemite and Mammoth Lakes. :cool:

Drew Bedo

8-Mar-2014, 06:54

Thomas: Thank you for pointing that out. Weston and Adams stood side-by-side on so many subjects. I was just making a flippant remark using a quote I have often seen attributed to Weston.

Ten Essentials: (in case something goes wrong?) I would rather not place myself in a situation where any number of essentials were needed.

At this time in my life, I am more cautious about where I go and what I do. As a younger man I have gon off, alone or with friends, and placed myself in situations that could have ended badly with little more than a missed step. When I was twenty years old, I went up Long's Peak with a small group. We camped at tree-line and went up the next morning using The Cable Route — now closed to non-technical climbers. We didn't know any better in 1970.

I no longer do that kind of thing out of the caution that comes with a few years and lessened physical ability. Cheers to all who can.

tgtaylor

8-Mar-2014, 10:06

I know what you mean Drew. The sea-cliffs in California are very hazardous and are constantly eroding landwards. I have hiked many times on the cliffs lining the south shore of the Golden Gate and there was one spot where you could only get one foot in with a shear drop-off on the left. It wasn't a very long strip you had to negotiate but one in which you had to plant one foot in and use that “foothold” to quickly catapult the other foot to the other end where the path widened out and the ground was more stable. The first foot was usually accompanied by some ground give.

Well one day I decided to climb over some large boulders on Baker Beach with P67II in a rather heavy backpack to shoot the GG Bridge from the other side. It was college finals time and two guys were sitting at the base of the boulders studying when I started climbing over them. I got all the way up when suddenly I lost foot traction and decided to butt scramble but quickly ran out of traction there too. I was just clinging to the rock by static electricity and found myself incrementally slipping down to a 30 foot fall into a black hole that I couldn't see into. Then I remembered the two students studying for their finals and called out for their help. They pondered it for seemingly a long minute but both came up and took the pack (“Jesus this is heavy”) and gave me the hand that enabled me to get upright and stabilized so that I could get out of there.

After that experience I became overly caution when negotiating trail obstacles. Then one day me and another were doing that same hike along the Golden Gate and came to that same spot that I have negotiated several times as noted above. He went first – exactly as I use to do – and I noticed a little ground give way as usual. When it came to my turn, I couldn't do it. Instead I managed to climb around it and got that “Scaredy Cat” look of disdain.

Sometimes you are lucky and get to realize your mistake before you have to pay for it.

Thomas

Bill Burk

9-Mar-2014, 10:23

Heroique

9-Mar-2014, 14:01

I have to add coffee to this kit ... caffeine withdrawal is my most frequently encountered emergency.

Yes, I too belong to this group of caffeine-addicted hikers.

The ultimate nightmare – caffeine deprivation during an emergency.

An emergency within an emergency!

Jerry Bodine

9-Mar-2014, 16:35

Edward Weston at Lake Ediza:

http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/edward-weston/charis-lake-ediza-california-1937

This was taken...maybe 40 or so miles from the car.

Thomas

And it's interesting, though the location looks to be about 10 miles from today's road at Mammoth Lakes.

ROL

9-Mar-2014, 18:25

Caffeine used to be a required part of every climbing guide's kit, before the introduction of more exotic and injectable solutions. It was used to get tired client's asses in gear. Not a coffee drinker, I began carrying it in my first aid kit in the '70s, and have since added strong emergency painkillers, like unused Vicodin – none of which, BTW, I carry in my camera pack.

And it's interesting, though the location looks to be about 10 miles from today's road at Mammoth Lakes.

That's right.

tgtaylor

11-Mar-2014, 19:41

And it's interesting, though the location looks to be about 10 miles from today's road at Mammoth Lakes.

Supposedly 14.4 miles from the Agnew Meadows trailhead if that TH existed back then. If so, then that would have been a 30 mile RT hike for Ed - way over the preferred 100 yards from the car.

Thomas

Drew Wiley

12-Mar-2014, 08:37

Back then the trail to Lk Ediza might have been far more crowded than it is today, because there were no formal restrictions in play, and Shadow Lake was a very
popular campsite on the way up (still is, but under camping quota). EW complained of his ticker feeling funny up at Ediza, which is right around timberline, but otherwise just a few miles past Shadow. I haven't been up there for awhile. The last time, some lady got thrown from a horse right onto granite on the trail inbetween, broke her hip, and there was a noisy helicopter rescue. Things get even more interesting up above Ediza, is the spectacular crossing from Iceberg over
the top, where I saw three people try to negotiate the pass without ice axes, take a terrible slide, and just barely, barely miss going into Iceberg and inevitably
drowning (no way to climb out up the glacier tongue) - they survived, remarkably without breaking any bones, but were otherwise a bloody mess. That's the trouble with these kind of popular areas. People read the guidebooks and figure out the shortcuts, but otherwise are too inexperienced or improperly equipped.

ROL

12-Mar-2014, 09:50

We used to refer to Shadow lake as the "ghetto", in the "good ol' days" before trail head quotas. It was over camped and smoky in the quiet hours. No experienced hiker/mountaineers ever stayed there, partly because it was too close to the TH compared to other, more desirable destinations. I still claim it is the only place in the Sierra where I have gotten sick from the water. It was likely from a high pollen count on the water, not Giardia, though the symptoms were similar. Coincidentally enough, it was on the way back from Ediza, where we'd spent several days climbing in the Minarets.

Shadow Lake, After the Storm
http://www.rangeoflightphotography.com/albums/Ansel-Adams-Wilderness/Shadow%20Lake%2C%20After%20the%20Storm.jpg

AA had a devil of a time convincing EW (and other respected artists) to accompany him up to the High Sierra. I believe it was just prior to the Ediza trip that EW made his famous Juniper photo on Polly Dome above Tenaya Lake, and became justifiably enraptured with the terrain. AA wrote that he had to load EW's film holders at Ediza, because he couldn't get the hang of it. If memory further serves, it was on the return from that trip that AA suffered his famous studio fire in the Valley (perhaps, I've mixed up the history a bit :rolleyes:)

Minarets, Lake Ediza
http://www.rangeoflightphotography.com/albums/Ansel-Adams-Wilderness/Minarets%2C%20Lake%20Ediza.jpg

To think that one Weston's most famous Sierra photos was of his girlfriend (at Ediza). I'm no EW.

Drew Wiley

12-Mar-2014, 10:54

That all sounds correct to me.... Shadow Lk is a stunning place, but always crowded. Ediza is never crowded; but don't expect complete solitude there. There is an
equally stunning place in the general area where you can expect zero people; but I obviously won't say where. For those of you who haven't been there, just look
at Ben's shot of Shadow Lake and you'll see a little dip in the intermediate ridge in the background where Shadow Creek comes downhill. Ediza is in the basin directly
behind that. On the skyline are Mts Ritter and Banner, which was my view from the opposite (western) side growing up. The west side of the Ritter Range is a lot
quieter and far more strenuous to get into due to the North Fork of the San Joaquin canyon intervening.

lfpf

19-Mar-2014, 17:37

Hello, Ask what you might need to get out alive; those are the essentials. Broken leg, snake/spider/bear/cougar/step-off-the-bus-and-onto-the-food-chain bite, dehydration plus cold front/rain/snow or 120F. It's your call, but the question is whether having more picture hardware or having an emergency shelter/supplies until help arrives will get you out alive.

You've seen the movie of armless. A Personal Locator Beacon/cell phone/mirror/flashing headlamp/notifying ranger of route and departure/return time might save your neck or arm. On a lighter note, what photos need taking in Central Park?

Make an essentials-list tailored to your trip, be safe out there, shoot film, have fun and I'll see you out there.

Steve

SparkoShell

11-Apr-2014, 04:36

It was just amaizing to go through this thread, Feeling bit happy to be a part of such useful thread.
I found these all tips very helpful. Keep it up guys..!

Drew Bedo

13-Apr-2014, 05:03

Read "Deep Survival" and you will think more seriously every time you plan an activity away from home.

Drew Wiley

14-Apr-2014, 13:00

Surviving the twenty minute drive to work every day is far more dangerous than anything I've done in the wilderness. Thank goodness bears, wolves, and mtn lions
don't have opposable thumbs to do texting with.

AlexGard

2-May-2014, 11:29

I never leave home without my bazooka

Vaughn

2-May-2014, 12:09

I never leave home without my bazooka

Agreed, a little chewing gum, bailing wire and duct tape go a long way! ;)

Drew Wiley

2-May-2014, 12:32

Ah yes, duct tape... I'm still kidding a buddy after he slipped in the creek a week out from the trailhead and broke two legs on his carbon-fiber Gitzo. I fashioned him
two prosthetic legs from limber pine sticks and duct-taped them on. They worked the balance of the trip.

ROL

2-May-2014, 19:03

I just replaced all my emergency repair duck tape and duct tape with Gorilla Tape, on the grounds that it is superior, particularly in water. What thinks you, tape gurus?

Bill Burk

2-May-2014, 20:21

ROL

3-May-2014, 08:52

Thought your buddy was walking on duct-taped legs...

Hey Bill, don't knock it till you've tried it. :D

swmcl

4-May-2014, 14:30

Drew Wiley

5-May-2014, 08:50

One leg did get a bit banged up, but he managed to get the swelling down by soaking it in cold water. We were still way off trail and had three high passes to get
back over in bad weather. The bigger problem was that he dented the filter thread on one of his Zeiss lenses. I carved some sticky thingy that manged to pry that
out and take filters again. But another expensive Zeiss MF lens went into the drink, and was unusable for the duration - though we got it de-fogged afterwards without having to send it in for service. He's a very experienced climber, but likes to carry his gear rifle-style, over the shoulder - not always a good idea when hopping rocks in a stream. But I can't crow, cause I dunked a light meter the year before that way. I sell miniature rolls of Gorilla tape here. It's what I'll put in the pack this summer.

ROL

5-May-2014, 09:37

An essential in anything remote is a Personal Locating Beacon - should be mandatory in fact. Too many clowns go off into the never-never endangering their own and others' lives. The rescue bill is enormous.

That may be the case in OZ, or anywhere for that matter, but we have the opposite consequence resulting from PLB use here in our wilderness areas. People over-use them, tripping them for relatively trivial circumstances, from which they could have extricated themselves. Too many clowns are setting their PLBs off unnecessarily. The "rescue" bill is enormous. The remedy is common sense and education. Unfortunately, while education may be cheap, common sense seems to be in very short supply. I don't carry one at this time, probably should, but haven't made that decision yet – insufficient common cents.

Drew Wiley

5-May-2014, 10:13

I've had several conversations with the backcountry rangers in SEKI over those beacons. In numerous instances, the devices have put people in real danger, simply because rescue personnel and resources are limited, and if they're chasing around trying to rescue someone for some trivial reason, someone else who really needs help might not get it in time. It's a real concern, now that these are proliferating among inexperienced gadget-addicted people. I might like one of those things if I am traveling alone in old age, cause I like going off trail a lot. But there do need to be penalties for those who trigger them irresponsibly, like for simply being worn out and having a leg cramp.

ROL

5-May-2014, 11:01

The SEKI situation is what I was referring to, though I couldn't find the article link of a couple years back on the their site that explained their position on the over use of beacons.

Two very specific, one concerning, incidents come to mind for me. One is postulated in The Last Season, a book written a few years back about backcountry ranger Randy Morgensen, whom I knew and shared time with from Yosemite. One of the plausible explanations for his disappearance is that he fell through a snow bridge, and was trapped under the weight of his pack, perhaps drowning immediately, but more disturbing, living for some time trapped under the snow with a broken leg in freezing water before succumbing – possibly days. It is all conjecture, but while I am absolutely certain leaving this earth will be of no consequence to anyone but me, I wouldn't want to linger under like circumstances. While I've since viewed snow bridges a bit differently, I also now see a reason to carry a PLB. (I do hope the NPS now requires rangers to carry, and pays for, them)

Secondly, a friend of my wife's carried a SPOT into the HST one October a few years ago. I was going to do a trip close by at the same time, but postponed it due to incoming inclement weather. He was very experienced. When the probable became possible, and it began snowing, a lot, he became "overdue". His wife called us to ask if she should call the park and gave us his SPOT tracking info on the net. We could see him moving, except for one 24 hour period during the height of the storm – which, was a lot of fun from our warm vantage, I must say. That all seemed perfectly OK to me and rational for an experienced hiker, so I advised against the call for reasons previously discussed. She called anyway a few hours later. She wasn't the first to do so. The NPS couldn't even begin searches until the weather cleared, which it did the next day, by which time our hiker could be seen moving again. He finished his 2 week trip in a couple of feet of snow for awhile. We found out later that he actually broke into an historic patrol cabin in the Big Arroyo to wait out the storm after his summer tent collapsed. One person died, but many others "caught" in the storm simply did the same as our friend and waited it out, continuing their trips. The crux of this is that my wife now wants to track me on my trips (also at Burning Man, but that's yet another story:rolleyes:).

Drew Wiley

5-May-2014, 11:30

I always take the snow bridges in the mornings while they're firm. And I generally carry an ice axe early season. One time I did somehow get one foot stuck in a hole very early season, and that was about as close a call I've ever had. It took a helluva long time to free, and of course reminds one of that poor dude that got his foot trapped behind the Brown Cliffs in the Winds, and wasn't discovered for about another six years. But I am getting more conservative with age, which means not being so adventurous in early season, and often having someone else along on remoter trips - which can be either a pro or con, depending on how experienced they are. I feel pretty unfulfilled on any trip unless I get clear away from trails and other people at some point, the longer the better. But scheduled vacations are about all I can do for now. Almost every year now for awhile I've crossed either rescues or body recoveries. A lot of people get in deep trouble for the silliest reasons, esp dayhikers who don't bother with even a raincoat or sweater in a belt pack. "Gentle Wilderness" or not, the Sierras are still mountains. But
I've encountered the same kind of careless hikers in the Rockies, Cascades, and SW canyon country.

muskedear

6-May-2014, 16:12

1. Healthy lumbar discs.
2. Camera
3. Tripod
4. Film
5-10. Optional

Stephen Willard

8-May-2014, 03:14

That may be the case in OZ, or anywhere for that matter, but we have the opposite consequence resulting from PLB use here in our wilderness areas. People over-use them, tripping them for relatively trivial circumstances, from which they could have extricated themselves. Too many clowns are setting their PLBs off unnecessarily. The "rescue" bill is enormous. The remedy is common sense and education. Unfortunately, while education may be cheap, common sense seems to be in very short supply. I don't carry one at this time, probably should, but haven't made that decision yet – insufficient common cents.

I have just upgraded my PLB from a Spot to the InReach SE which allows two way email up to 160 characters. When a SOS is triggered the agency can query me about my circumstances and determine the nature of the emergency. This new added level of communication could help eliminate inappropriate SOS events.

Part of the problem of misuse of beacons also lies with the very agencies that are complaining about the problem. I have purchased three different beacons over the years and none of them come with a booklet outlining what constitutes an emergency. I think the SARs and the government need to arrive at some consensus about what constitutes an an SOS event and then publish it and require that all beacons sold are shipped with the booklet. A little education can go a long ways toward alleviating the problem of inappropriate use of an SOS event.

It is clear that both parties are lacking common sense. The agencies for not providing a document outline SOS use, and the user for not exercising good judgement.

ericpmoss

13-May-2014, 21:35

But back to *my* needs... ;)

I'm going to try soloing the John Muir Trail from Yosemite to Whitney in the first 3 weeks of September. I don't have Drew's strength or tolerance of discomfort, so I could use some safety/comfort vs weight guidance from people who have spent time there.

1. How serious of a tent is *typically* needed that time of year? Hilleberg double-wall, NEMO single-wall, or a Hefty bag?

2. Given a down-filled inflatable sleeping pad (R ~ 6) and me being a side-sleeper, what level of sleep gear is smart? FeatheredFriends 10deg semi-rectangular, some sort of quilt + jacket + hat, or a hefty bag full of dryer lint?

3. Sigma DP3 Merrill and stitching software and a Hefty bag of batteries, or my Mamiya 7 and a Hefty bag full of 120?

BTW, I expect to take a DeLorme and top-notch gear, and have 4 bail-out points arranged.

John Kasaian

13-May-2014, 22:29

Bill Burk

13-May-2014, 22:33

ericpmoss,

1. That time of year is good for thunderstorms, so anything that will keep you dry in a brief downpour is good enough. I have done a week up there with a sheet of plastic in two storms, and I've had some early season snow in better tents (where honestly the plastic sheet would have been fine).

2. Down pad? Well, that's more than I use. I've used 15-degree rated bags from North Face and Marmot and never been cold. You probably won't experience nights under 30-degrees F.

3. Up to you, I'd use the big film camera and have more film waiting at Muir Ranch.

John Kasaian

13-May-2014, 23:02

The weather in the Sierra is as unpredictable as a baby's bottom.
At least you won't have mosquitos to worry about in September.
I haven't done the whole route solo, but FWIW a good 3 season tent (my current is a 6 year old worn Eureka Apex) and a down bag---I like rectangular bags, which is kind of odd (mine's a Slumberjack that's not made any more.) And a closed cell foam sleeping mat should get you there.
The best though, is sleeping under the stars at those altitudes (especially since mosquitos should be gone by then) just make sure you have something to keep you dry during the 4 o'clock-ish sprinkles. The NPs require Bear cans now, but you probably already knew that.
Drew is the expert on this stuff though. Listen to him.

ROL

14-May-2014, 08:50

But back to *my* needs...

Sheesh …so, so needy. I wouldn't dare call such a walk "soloing". Many travel by themselves these days. Better company perhaps.

I have nighted a few times in the High Sierra with nothing but a Polish bivouac (Hefty) bag. You'll be good with regular summer alpine gear. A 2 lb., 25ºF mummy should get you through just fine. The relatively new Exped/NeoAir inflatable pads are the way to go if your over 40 and you're careful with your gear. Sure, it might snow at that time of year, but it isn't that likely until the latter part of the month. Nights will be a little colder. Mossies will be gone by then even in a wet year, which this year certainly ain't. I think it is the best time of year with some of summer's visitation pressure lessened. You can bail at many places in a half day if the going gets tough.

I personally wouldn't bother with anything more photographic than an advanced digi P&S, unless the sole purpose of the venture is fine art photography and print making. That's not likely to be the case if this is a maiden voyage, so to speak. But, I no longer even carry that for such 'missions'. I use a GoPro:

http://youtu.be/Iwv3c-AKxYg

Drew Wiley

14-May-2014, 10:21

The folks who founded the Muir Trail ranch were my "next door" neighbors. ... er, I just had to hike up a very steep 3000 ft hill, then up a 300 ft dead vertical cliff (which did have my secret ledge, however - been up there many times with an 8x10), then down the other side to get there. I went to school with the gal that inherited it. I'd head up into the high country with nothing but a poncho which doubled as both a raincoat and cramped tent, and sometimes no sleeping bag at all;
and I moved around ultralight in a sense that even today's "ultralight" fanatics would consider extreme. I wouldn't even think of doing something like that today, both due to my age and the sheer fact that the weather in the mtns has become a lot more unpredictable. But even back then I managed to get in serious blizzards every single month except July. And there's a big difference between camping in timber and up above timberline. Most of my adult life I converted myself into my own pack mule, basically a self-contained two-legged motorhome, complete with full large format gear. Now difference now, except bit by bit I've acquired
lighter gear. Hope I can continue that style of backpacking at least thru my 70's, but who knows? Just glad to still be doing it, even if I do inevitably have to give
up packing LF some day. There will still be plenty of other opportunities for shooting the big gear. Growing up we never saw anyone up there sometimes, and when
we did it was usually someone from the same town. The detested Sierra Clubbers tended to travel in huge noisy, dusty horse convoys on established trails - one more reason to avoid trails back then. Things have finally changed in that respect, but now there are a lot more cumulative people in smaller groups in the Sierras,
esp in Aug - which is why I book my longer trips after Labor Day. Heading off trail alone is what I've done my entire life. Never heard of that referred to as "soloing" - thought that meant climbing without a rope (which we simply referred to as "climbing" as kids, since that's the only way we knew how to do it). Now I'm a little more conscious of having someone else experience along when I get seriously off trail, meaning back behind some remote divide in late season, or something
like that. I've had plenty of close calls, so conservatism does come with age. And I'm don't express hyperbole when I state that my daily commute on the freeway
is a lot more dangerous than typical high country travel. But you still gotta be aware of swollen streams, timing high passes for lightning, not getting soaked or getting frostbite due to flimsy boots, keeping an eye out for snattlerakes ("bellworms" as the cowboys called em) at the lower elevations, etc.

ericpmoss

14-May-2014, 22:17

Thanks for the input. I think "free solo" is the term for climbing with zero assistance or climbing aids. I only meant 'solo' in the generic sense of "no one else wanted to go with me when they realized it meant *walking* 220 miles". Ahem.

The unpredictability John mentions is a PITA since I'm taking it slow, giving me more chances to hit bad weather. I've read survey responses from hundreds of JMT hikers regarding things that went wrong for them. The top issues were bad food choices, bad shoe choices, bad backpack choices, and "I nearly froze to death in September with a 20 degree bag and all my clothes on". Others got lucky and said "I didn't need half my coat or tent or bag". Of course, the lucky ultra-light hikers spoke as though no one else should need more than what they took. Beats me. I'm not that lucky nor that tough. So, I guess that unless it blows out my joints, being in the over-packed crowd is safer than being unprepared.

At least it's safer than my commute...

BTW, did you see the new (?) Brunton hydrogen fuel cell battery recharger? Today I saw what was purported to be the first one in the country (lots of purportin' goin' on 'round heah). $15 for an ampule that is enough for 6 iPhone charges. Then you have to send it back to the recharging station in Boulder CO where they re-pressurize the cartridge. Heavy cartridges, light fuel cell.

Drew Wiley

15-May-2014, 08:46

Thru-hikers on the Muir Trail (the "Freeway") seem to be another species. They're always in a hurry to get from Point A to B, just to say they "did it". Or you get
these trail runner types, who try to get from Whitney Portal to Cedar Grove in a straight push, with no overnight or weather gear at all. These kind of folks huff and
puff past spectacular scenery and don't even have time to enjoy it. Last year I bumped into one of the backcountry rangers who patrols a section of the Muir Trail in Kings Can NP just as he was heading in for his last round of the season, and he pretty much felt that same way as I did. He'd never done the whole trail himself, and said if he ever did, he'd want to take two or three months to enjoy it, preferably off season. A hiking companion of mine spent four weeks doing it last Oct, which allowed time to be snowed in by rather cold blizzards three times. But the Gov't and NP shutdown at both ends meant there was a lot of solitude, which is what he was after. Anyone ultralight would have long gone hypothermic under those conditions. Even an ultralight tent would have been risky in those conditions anywhere near the high passes. My friend took a $600 Hilleberg tent, hated it (condensation) and immediately sold it upon returning, and bought a true
Bibler. Cell phones aren't much use up there. No reception except on a few high peaks. I need a new zero-degree winter bag myself, but so far, if I go out in Oct
just supplement my summer goosedown bag with longjohns, since it's usually my legs that get cold. But don't underestimate the effects of weather even in Summer. Last year I had Center Basin all to myself, and was perfectly comfortable even in my Big Agnes ultralight tent for a one-afternoon hard-punch brief snowstorm. But several of the ultralight Muir thru-hikers did get in trouble when the snow triggered a big landslide up near Forester Pass. I don't know if it actually
blocked the trail at all; but it did seem to slow some folks down where weren't prepared for camping that high, and there were the inevitable expensive helicopter
rescues the following day. Hopefully nobody actually died from hypothermia, but it's always a possibility with the inexperienced, who seems to especially gravitate
to the Muir Trail.

ROL

15-May-2014, 08:52

Many of those PCT and JMT thru–hikers are not experienced either in the Sierra or the outdoors in general. In any case, you'd probably be better served by just bringing Drew with you. ;)

Drew Wiley

15-May-2014, 09:36

Gosh... who needs to tow an old slow overloaded pack mule behind them at this point in history?

NancyP

15-May-2014, 13:32

Speaking of rescues - does anyone here carry a rescue beacon "ResQLink" made by ACR Electronics, operates on 406 MHz rescue services restricted band? I have been researching beacons, and this one has more power (5 W) than the Satellite Radio one-way and two-way messengers like Spot and DeLorme InReach SE (~1.5 W or less). One of the problems of most rescue beacons is that open sky is needed, and this is in limited supply where I hike (in the places without cell service), in various National Forests. If I am out alone and break my femur, I would be happier knowing that a signal is making it through the summer leafy trees.

ROL

15-May-2014, 15:30

Gosh... who needs to tow an old slow overloaded pack mule behind them at this point in history?

I said 'bringing'. I meant 'packing'. Sorry for any confusion.

Drew Wiley

15-May-2014, 15:41

Well I am sloowwww going downhill. Gotta make those knees last. Get me off trail, however, and there's nothing quite like an experienced ole mule. But if you see
someone levitating over the Silver Divide some day with five legs (three of them Ries), you'll know I've finally perfected my helium-filled bellows patent.

ROL

15-May-2014, 16:34

Or you get
these trail runner types, who try to get from Whitney Portal to Cedar Grove in a straight push, with no overnight or weather gear at all. These kind of folks huff and
puff past spectacular scenery and don't even have time to enjoy it.

That may be true these days with faux record setters all over the place, but when I pioneered that particular activity on nearly every trail in the central and southern Sierra in the early 80s, I can tell you with absolute authority that the athletic pursuit of controlled running in such places magnified the experience, making one acutely aware of one's surroundings (by necessity), sharpening the senses well beyond the withering loads of backpackers. Retreating wistfully to those days, lungs straining in thinned air, miles under feet, appreciating the true scope of terrain, is so bittersweet in its remembrance, it is almost too much to bear. Yes, I now have the arthritic knees to show for it, but it is the one mountain bourn activity that has no close match for me. You are completely out of bounds, Drew Wiley.

http://www.rangeoflightphotography.com/uploaded/Bio%20Pics/4MileTrailPortrait.jpg

NancyP

15-May-2014, 17:41

This is a forum for large format photographers, who are notoriously prone to stopping to get the photo. ROL's trail running might be better suited to the GoPro videographers of the world.

Bill Burk

15-May-2014, 18:11

I have to say ROL, you were ahead of your time and deserve credit for being a trailblazer. Who took the shot?

Speed reading works the same way. Read something really fast - take a test on what you read. Then read something really slow and take a test. You get the same results either way...

Liked your video too, I saw lots of familiar scenery. The whole time I kept saying "I was there" "I was there"...

But as NancyP hints, taking time really lets the scenery sink in deeply. That's why I'm grateful for the three years I spent in Camp Nelson...

ericpmoss

15-May-2014, 18:46

Gosh... who needs to tow an old slow overloaded pack mule behind them at this point in history?

Umm... are you willing to carry the camera? ;)

Seriously, having someone along who knows the place and has good stories (and carries the camera) would be great.

BTW, the new record for the JMT is 3.5 days. Of course, that required running it, half in the dark, which means they also set a record for missing the point. To each their own, but it always strikes me as Type A personalities having to show someone that speed is the point, and that they have it. Just watch the Youtube videos of people trying to "do it" in 7 days and guess what they are like to be around. Oh well, whatever... as long as they pay their fees and carry their WAG bags out.

Edit: Oh, I see I may be out of bounds with Drew on this. OTOH, what ROL appeared to be doing doesn't seem to me to be the same as what I'm seeing on the Youtube. If one is a distance runner, why not run in beautiful places? But I don't see the zen in what's on Youtube.

Preston

15-May-2014, 19:02

Whether one does the JMT in 3 days, 3 weeks, or 3 months is really immaterial. What matters for each individual is the intensity of the experience.

One time, I hiked from Tyndall Creek on the JMT over Forrester Pass and down to Cedar Grove in a single night, arriving at Cedar Grove at 10 AM. It was a brilliant full moon in October, and even with a quick storm that dropped about three inches of snow on Forrester Pass while I was there taking a break, it was a marvelous experience. The memory of the moonlight on the big peaks and on the waterfalls of Vidette Creek will remain unstained as long as I live.

Whichever way one enjoys the world is OK with me, as long as they reap the reward they are seeking.

--P

Drew Wiley

16-May-2014, 08:35

Oh heck, Mr. Range of Light, I was running in the high country long before anyone called it a sport with their fancy name-brand running shoes. We just called it I ran ten miles a day during school hours, over back roads and mild hills (or down to the creek on hot days to swim - the track coach was fine with that, cause it still kept us in shape). Then after school a more serious workout, up steeper hills or to visit a friend (the nearest one my age was nine miles away, then Saturday, running into those hot deep canyons where almost nobody goes even today, and then extricating my way out. Then maybe a peak on Sunday. In the summer we'd just disappear into the canyons for days at a time, without any kind of food or shelter - just find some cave or overhanging rock, and hope to shoot a cottontail or catch some trout. So I learned about "ultralight" - moving fast and quick - long before anyone thought of it as a sport. I could literally outpace a horse in the high
country at that age (obviously not in a pasture). But now I average about a fourth that speed, so might as well be a self-contained two-legged motorhome. A
view camera kinda does that to you anyway. As a kid I only had an early Pentax, and it sure got to some precarious places. And yes, thanks for telling me about
your own long haul over Forester. I still remember that story from our campfire chat a couple years ago. Three things have preserved my knees in midlife - and I have deformed feet which complicates things - very high quality boots with prescription CF orthotics, spring-loaded walking sticks, and just plain taking downhills
slow. My training regimen up to a few years ago was to tie a full five gallon jerry can of water onto my otherwise full 8x10 pack and take on a good 2000 ft steep
slope somewhere around here (Mt Tam or Mt Diablo for example), then dump the water at the top, prior to descending. But alas, hauling close to 100 lb packs is
a thing of the past for me. The Phillips and Norma have been relegated to good long dayhikes, and long-haul packing now implies a petite Ebony 4x5. But all of us
will have our memories of the far more strenuous days in our youth. It would be nice to be a 45-year old teenager again, but ....

Drew Wiley

16-May-2014, 08:37

Ooop ... I was obviously referring to Preston with that Forester story.

Drew Wiley

16-May-2014, 08:49

Eric - the real backcountry athletes at this point of time are the club that attempts to bag the most remote class 3 peaks in the Sierra within a 24 hour period. They've been known to do 72 miles nonstop and up to 18,000 ft grade in a single 24 hr period - from parked car at the trailhead back to parked car. These particular people all seem built like Eric Shipton. Tall, thin, long-strides. Carry nothing but a water bottle, a few candy bars, a windbreaker, and sunglasses. They take high risks and often suffer from hallucinations under these kinds of conditions. But they've bagged things like Wheel Mtn, Mt McDuffie, Picket Peak. I don't know if they've got Scylla yet. But they have to time the weather very carefully. But I'm more impressed with some of the old time surveyors who had to carry their gear atop some of the same peaks, without the benefit of trails. Then there were the sheepherders before them, who even took sheep over Tunemah Pass (a Chinese cuss word allegedly so disgusting that there is no English equivalent) and over Jigsaw Pass. But trying to speed the Muir Trail - pfffft. So what? What
did they see? What did they live? Bragging rights? The old time mtn men and stream guagers could make them look like wimps, not to mention the Indians. REI
types.

NancyP

16-May-2014, 09:12

11th essential? Another try here.........Personal Locator Beacons.......anyone have experience with or knowledge of the ACR ResQLink+ PLB? It doesn't have any messaging function, but it does have more power than the alternatives. I spend a lot of time in hilly forested country with patchy or no cell reception. I need to have a PLB that can transmit past overhead (oak, pine) forest canopy.

Drew Wiley

16-May-2014, 13:30

I called a knowledgeable friend about this Nancy, and he has had trouble with all the beacons in dense cover - not that he's ever needed rescue, but uses the
monitoring feature for post-mapping trips. He knows an engineer/specialist in this kind of gear, but couldn't locate the phone number right at the moment.

ericpmoss

16-May-2014, 16:04

[...] Tunemah Pass (a Chinese cuss word allegedly so disgusting that there is no English equivalent) and over Jigsaw Pass. But trying to speed the Muir Trail - pfffft. So what? What did they see? What did they live? Bragging rights? The old time mtn men and stream guagers could make them look like wimps, not to mention the Indians. REI types.

Well, poop. I don't even rate as an REI type (though after testing pre-packaged food from REI, I may be; that is, if REI is short for Runs & Excess Indigestion). So I'll just do what little I can, and try "Tunemah" out on the new Chinese girl at work. Hah. IT would get me an extended vacation, at least. And be safer than the commute on I-40. ;)

Back to my gear acquisition syndrome -- I'm sizing a McHale demo pack so I can get lost in luxury. Oh, and a new food dehydrator so I can make something appetizing for the bears.

Drew Wiley

16-May-2014, 16:17

Just cross one of those steep canyons without a canteen. When the bears find you, you'll already be freeze-dried enough for their dinner.

Robert Langham

22-Jul-2014, 11:57

Chris Johnson and I decided to hike to the Diving Board at Yosemite one day, starting at 6AM and ended up spending the night in the fog at about 8000 feet laying on a plastic topo map with my darkcloth over us. I had a flashlight, food, water, film, changing bag, Glock 19....but I didn't have a match. Nearly froze to death and didn't make ONE photo. Been back twice since.

118737

Heroique

22-Jul-2014, 12:28

Chris Johnson and I decided to hike to the Diving Board at Yosemite one day, starting at 6AM and ended up spending the night in the fog at about 8,000 feet laying on a plastic topo map with my darkcloth over us...

I like the monolithic, brooding shot! But never mind your lesson about matches – we want to know why you and Chris had to spend the night up there! Sounds like there's a dramatic story here we can all learn from. In any case, I'd be unhappy I didn't remember #3 and #10 from the list below. (BTW, did you bring all 10 essentials on your two subsequent trips? Or did LF gear trump a few of these "essentials" due to the ambitious ascent?)

"Ten Essential Systems," from the Mountaineers Club:

1. Navigation (map & compass)
2. Sun protection (sunglasses & sunscreen)
3. Insulation (extra clothing)
4. Illumination (headlamp/flashlight)
5. First-aid supplies
6. Fire (waterproof matches/lighter/candle)
7. Repair kit and tools
8. Nutrition (extra food)
9. Hydration (extra water)
10. Emergency shelter (tent/plastic tube tent/garbage bag)

Drew Wiley

22-Jul-2014, 13:14

There's only one real essential : If you are out of shape and don't know what to do in the backcountry anyway, stay in the hotel.

bob carnie

22-Jul-2014, 13:26

I think that pretty much describes me.

There's only one real essential : If you are out of shape and don't know what to do in the backcountry anyway, stay in the hotel.

NancyP

23-Jul-2014, 10:17

11th essential: common sense. If you aren't in good shape, plan short trips in moderate weather, and work your ways into shape. I resemble this comment, and I have little excuse - I work in a building with 14 floors worth of stairwells. Excuse me - lunch calls, and then the stairwells.

bob carnie

23-Jul-2014, 10:39

no stairs here, I have a 10 hour day going for the next couple of days sitting in front of this computer and sending files to my printer. All I want to do at the end of this day is lift a beer.

11th essential: common sense. If you aren't in good shape, plan short trips in moderate weather, and work your ways into shape. I resemble this comment, and I have little excuse - I work in a building with 14 floors worth of stairwells. Excuse me - lunch calls, and then the stairwells.

Greg Miller

23-Jul-2014, 15:58

Drew Wiley

23-Jul-2014, 16:12

I go up a set of stairs about forty times a day around here, often several times between these posts. But that still doesn't do it for me. Last weekend I loaded up
my Sinar Norma so I could walk relatively fast (relative in this case means pretty slow compared to when I was a youngster). It was a beautiful drippy day over on
the coast, but I never even unpacked the camera. Wanted a good workout, cause the week before I stumbled onto something with the 8x10 that stalled me in one spot a long time, waiting on the wind and light as the fog moved in and out. This coming weekend I'll probably pack a heavy 8x10 load again and seek out a particularly steep hill, in this case to build my knees up under load. It seem to help alternating week by week in this manner. My biggest problem at this age is simply getting out of the house early enough to avoid slow traffic. Getting harder and harder not to sleep late. But there are also times when I put a priority on getting comfortable with warmer temps, so will pack very light with just a canteen and Nikon, and take a long walk without major uphills. People have different
strategies; but the key as you get older is to just keep at it - you have to be pretty routine and deliberate. Fortunately, a view camera is a vastly more pleasant
thing to work out with than some stinky gym.

Drew Wiley

24-Jul-2014, 08:29

There have been a couple instances in this part of the world too recently, though I didn't follow the details. It happens every year. But there was also one of those
success stories, where some young guy got his leg smashed way back somewhere in the high country by a falling rock, jerryrigged up some kind of splint, and managed to crawl for a week while eating bugs, until he was finally spotted and rescued. That could have happened to any of us. But like I've said many time before,
I consider the daily commute on the freeway to be a lot more dangerous than the mtns ... at least that's where I've had far more close calls.

ROL

24-Jul-2014, 09:41

Drew, that fellow, for as much as I know of the event (http://abc30.com/news/missing-hiker-from-clovis-has-been-found-alive/176362/), appears to have handled the situation as admirably as possible under the circumstances. It could have been me!

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/58217999-78/county-canyon-group-car.html.csp
A U.S. Bureau of Land Management ranger found the man’s body about 2:20 a.m. Wednesday off the trail about a mile from the trailhead. He was carrying only a camera — no food or water — and appeared to have been unprepared for the day’s high temperatures, which reached over 100 degrees, county officials reported.

Not only is this idiot stupid but he left his dog in his car!

Horseshoe Canyon is a remote island district of Canyonlands NP. For those who don't remember, the lower end of Blue John Canyon where it empties into Horseshoe was the scene of the Aaron Ralston arm amputation event a few years ago. It was many years previous to that when I went down to photograph the well known pictograph panels. My wife stayed at the trailhead while I did the shoulder season hike into the canyon to the panels. The 6 mile round trip was one of the most uncomfortably hot and dry, and not very picturesque, southwest canyon hikes I've done – and I was very fit and well heat acclimatized. There is no water available other than what one carries, and even I felt quite heat stressed on the final climb out of the canyon back to the trailhead. Once there, I discovered my wife had constructed a tarp supported on one end by our vehicle to provide the only available shade, where she and our two dogs were waiting comfortably for my return. There's just no substitute for Darwin style common sense. (Warning: the following representative image is not LF)

http://www.rangeoflightphotography.com/albums/American-Southwest/Horeshoe%20Canyon%20Panels.jpg

Drew Wiley

24-Jul-2014, 10:04

I once got a foot stuck big time during early season, punching into something below that wedged it. Fortunately, with a lot of patience, my ice axe managed to leverage things apart and free me without injury. The ultimate horror story is the guy who got his foot trapped by a boulder behind the Brown Cliffs in the Winds. There was water trickling there, but otherwise, he slowly starved to death, and left behind notes of his ordeal, which someone found along with his remains several years later. Overhead chutes with loose rocks are one of those hazards in mtn travel which are especially nice to avoid, or to cross as promptly as possible early
in the day, before any of the ice thaws that might tend to cement things together.

Drew Wiley

24-Jul-2014, 10:12

Oh... and thanks for the link, ROL, cause I was wondering exactly where it transpired. I momentarily noticed what looked like a view of Wanda Lk on the news, so
thought it might have been in the vicinity of Goddard; but they never really said. I went up there on four separate occasions trying to get ideal light over the
Enchanted Gorge, and finally succeeded, though it meant spending the nite on a tiny ledge and shooting form a little wedge or rock barely big enough for the tripod, and certainly not fun to adjust the lens at. Took full 85 lb packs of Sinar gear up there each time. Possibly one of the most spectacular panoramas in Anerica, butya gotta earn it. I'd like to take in the view from the summit of Scylla some time, but worry about age taking ahold of me first. That's quite a hike with a view camera too.

Heroique

24-Jul-2014, 10:51

It was many years previous to that when I went down to photograph the well known pictograph panels...

The pictograph here suggests a key "Essential" that needs more discussion – namely, protection against alien abductions in the high-desert southwest.

Please hear me out with patience before moving on.

This image – along with so many others – is just one more piece of evidence clearly supporting what leading anthropologists are coming to accept: Yes, the mysterious disappearance of the Anasazi is best explained by an alien abduction.

Examine the image closely. The action portrayed here is unambiguous. We can thank the brave Anasazi artist for being quick enough to record an alien life form, a sort of cosmic cowboy, herding several of his tribal companions for safe transport to spaceships waiting above – presumably before the artist was transported himself.

The fascinating pictograph begs a question for LF landscapers working in this beautiful area: "What 'Essential' can protect me against the fate of the Anasazi whose ancient ruins I'm photographing?" I wish I had obvious tips to share. If I knew more about locating beacons, and how well they work from spaceships, I might start there.

Whatever "Essential" is best for the situation, it might be wise to sacrifice, say, a portion of your water supply, or a cumbersome emergency shelter, to carry it. ;^)

ROL

24-Jul-2014, 11:15

What total Heroique Horseshoe horseshit!*

When I was regressed several years ago I discovered that it was not the Anasazi, but I, who 500 years previous painted these images. It was an immature and subsequently regrettable act of teenage angst. I only recently (in geologic terms) returned to the scene of the defacement in order to see if it was still there, and confirm long buried memories. My signature may be discerned within the body of the main figure. I'm thinking of asking the NPS to install 'No Photography (http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?112114-Stop-by-and-copy-my-images&p=1156417#post1156417)' signs.

* alliteratively speaking :)

Drew Wiley

24-Jul-2014, 11:38

The Anasazi are still with us. They're just called Hopis nowadays; and nobdody abducted them except the Feds, back when they put em on a Reservation. There
seems to be a consensus why they moved down from the cliffs. A severe drought led to deep arroyo cutting, which made it impossible to irrigate their corn patches higher up the canyons, since they relied on passive flow through their ditches, and didn't seem to build serious dams. And the more paronoid they became, the further up the canyons and cliffs they dwelled. What caused the paranoia to begin with is a bit more of a contentious subject. I believe it was inter-clan warfare. Each canyon seems to have its own totem symbol at the head or it, apparently serving as a turf warning. Reminds me of the gang graffiti around here, marking territory.

Drew Wiley

24-Jul-2014, 12:20

The "alien" figure in the middle is easy to explain. He was obviously wearing a multi-beam LED headlamp. Only the shamans could afford to shop at REI back then.

Greg Miller

24-Jul-2014, 12:36

This image – along with so many others – is just one more piece of evidence clearly supporting what leading anthropologists are coming to accept: Yes, the mysterious disappearance of the Anasazi is best explained by an alien abduction.

Or, the Anasazi were the original inventors of Crown Royal Whiskey...

118869

ROL

24-Jul-2014, 14:57

Or, the Anasazi were the original inventors of Crown Royal Whiskey...

118869

I am trying to appreciate either exactly how hard, or how easy, that particular connection came to you.

Greg Miller

24-Jul-2014, 15:12

I am trying to appreciate either exactly how hard, or how easy, that particular connection came to you.

LOL. To be honest I'm not much of a drinker, and I doubt I have ever had a glass of Crown Royal. But the image just, oddly enough, popped into my mind when looking at the petroglyph. I'm still looking for photos of tall black decanters... ;)

ROL

24-Jul-2014, 17:19

I think I'm onto something. The Anasazi were the ultimate whiskey connoisseurs...

118874

I think I'm onto something myself: Copyright infringement. Suing for unauthorized use. :mad:

Greg Miller

24-Jul-2014, 17:47

It was done in the spirit of playful fun. But I'll delete the post if you prefer.

Drew Wiley

28-Jul-2014, 08:41

Maybe somebody considered a bottle of hooch one of their ten essentials.

paulr

28-Jul-2014, 14:43

Maybe somebody considered a bottle of hooch one of their ten essentials.

I've been trying in vain to find my copy of John Krakauer's essay on the 1st ascent of Mont Blanc. The provision list included cases of wine and brandy. I divided the number of bottles by the number of climbers and days, and found it incomprehensible that they even made it past their first camp.

paulr

28-Jul-2014, 14:50

jnantz

28-Jul-2014, 15:19

See the first-aid kit in post #102? I have to add coffee to this kit.

I was running late for yesterday's day trip, and in my rush to meet the gang I skipped making coffee for myself.

So I took one of the Vivarin tabs in my kit. It was the third of four pills which means I have now had three coffee emergencies.

I am still hammering out the details of how I will add coffee to the kit, whether I will be satisfied with four packs of Starbucks Via and if I will need to include a canister stove.

But facts are facts, caffeine withdrawal is my most frequently encountered emergency.

nice kit you showed, you have the essentials covered ..
but if you are trying to get caffeine out of the starbucks coffee / via instant
you will have better luck getting something like maxwell house or folgers
starbucks has very little caffeine in it since it is darkroasted ( full city/starbucks roast )
black tea or green tea hsa more caff. and instants i mentioned have at least 2x maybe more caffeine / cup ...

happy trails
john

Drew Wiley

28-Jul-2014, 16:09

Yeah... but Via actually tastes like coffee instead of laundry detergent like most instants. But some people do consider beverages essential. Warren Harding hauled
thirty or forty bottles of wine up the Dawn Wall of El Cap for its first ascent. Some of those bottles are still there, stuffed in a crack. A friend of mine packed two
cases of bottles of Pliny the Elder into his backpack (lesson learned the hard way).

Heroique

28-Jul-2014, 16:22

I've been trying in vain to find my copy of John Krakauer's essay on the 1st ascent of Mont Blanc. The provision list included cases of wine and brandy. I divided the number of bottles by the number of climbers and days, and found it incomprehensible that they even made it past their first camp.

By comparison...

The Lewis & Clark expedition drained the last of their spirituous supplies before they even crossed the Rockies.

I find it incomprehensible how they made it to the Pacific!

jnantz

28-Jul-2014, 16:27

yeah ...
i know of some people,who muled in 2 cases of beer and armloads of raw beef ( something like that )
up to th cabin at the top of mt katadan in maine ... i knew the strangers who were already there and greeted
them :). essentials are good :)

i agree most instant is pretty bad, via, i think, because the oils are able to come out of the bean...
is a little better i suppose ... and the placebo rush is better than wishing you brought some washing soda and vit c
to process film in the moonliht ... ;)

paulr

28-Jul-2014, 16:48

This (http://www.amazon.com/Mount-Hagen-Organic-Freeze-Coffee/dp/B00DT4ZRSE) instant coffee is drinkable ... if iced, it's actually really good. More than enough caffeine. My gf and I buy stumptown beans for weekends ($$$) and drink the mt. hagen on weekday mornings, at least in the summer.

Bill Burk

28-Jul-2014, 17:09

Bill Burk

28-Jul-2014, 17:18

Just drank some Via for the afternoon break... you are right, it doesn't provide caffeine per cup that I get from traditional drip.

Kind of like drinking tea.

On my recent trip to the forest, for a week, I shared with one adult leader, 12 ounces of ground coffee, brewed in a Snow Peak folding drip cone (have to fold under the filter or the seam will burst). I had plenty of Via with me but didn't drink any of that while I had the real thing.

Whenever possible, I'll pack the filter kit and ground beans. I have made an ultra-light (4 ounce) grinder that uses a titanium tent spike for its crank... But in practice I found it takes too long to grind and that time loss outweighs the degraded quality that you get with pre-ground beans.

Greg Miller

28-Jul-2014, 17:24

yeah ...
i know of some people,who muled in 2 cases of beer and armloads of raw beef ( something like that )
up to th cabin at the top of mt katadan in maine ...

Just for the record there is no cabin on top of Katahdin. Or anywhere on the mountain for that matter. There is a bunkhouse at one of the trailheads. There are lean-to's at some of the trailheads. And lean-to's at the Chimney Pong backcountry campsite, which is a 3.3 mile hike with 1,425 ft. elevation gain from the trailhead.

paulr

28-Jul-2014, 21:25

Have fun. Sounds like you got it covered.

This advice is just for entertainment... Study the map before you go out in case the phone dies, if trails are marked clearly enough you might not even need it. Looks like thunderstorms in forecast, I'd add a cheap plastic poncho or at least a trash bag to keep things dry assuming the shell is just water repellent. Play it smart on the passes and change plans if the weather looks dicey.

And if you pass a store, a chunk of cheese and some Dr. Kracker for snacking/sharing and save the energy gel for emergency...

Happily the trails are really well marked up there. I mostly like the phone because it creates a track and gives me all kinds of nerdy trip stats. And (gasp) it'll be my camera.

There may be some afternoon storms. Much of this route is really exposed, and in places where there isn't much of an easy escape. I'm mostly trusting an early start and speed for safety. The storms rarely come before 4pm. The energy gels are great for when I have to push hard. Really quick to digest, and little chance of upset stomach. A plastic bag for the phone is probably a good idea ...

jnantz

29-Jul-2014, 02:13

Just for the record there is no cabin on top of Katahdin. Or anywhere on the mountain for that matter. There is a bunkhouse at one of the trailheads. There are lean-to's at some of the trailheads. And lean-to's at the Chimney Pong backcountry campsite, which is a 3.3 mile hike with 1,425 ft. elevation gain from the trailhead.

darn, i wish i could remember what cabin it was ...
these guys climbed up in the middle of the rain ..
arms outstretched carrying their essentials.
next time i talk to the person who was there ill ask
and hopefully remember to update my post ..
thanks greg..

jnantz

29-Jul-2014, 02:17

John Kasaian

29-Jul-2014, 06:44

Cowboy coffee works for me!;)

Drew Wiley

29-Jul-2014, 15:25

I had a friend who brewed up some of that cowboy coffee, along with some Chili Mac, up there at Post Corral Mdws, prior to going up into the LeConte Range. I had
a sip of one and half a spoon of the other. The rest quietly got dumped behind a tree, and I went literally crawling off the other direction picking wild strawberries.
Ever after, I kidded him about a dead bloated bear that had tried eating some leftovers behind that tree.

Bill Burk

29-Jul-2014, 18:35

I know from the pictures that I drank my coffee out of a sierra cup at Post Corral Creek, but couldn't cross it (Fall 1982).

I also know the food was better... we carried in a courier box of food that didn't fit our packs... I think the box weighed 15 pounds... Not much trouble to carry a cardboard box for a few minutes... but in a couple hours we were looking for creative options with sticks on shoulders.

NancyP

30-Jul-2014, 08:29

Drew Wiley

30-Jul-2014, 09:25

My nephew would never go on a big wall climb without a little hand-cranked coffee bean grinder and a matching little filter-brew kit. Have no idea where he bought it. One of his ten essentials.

goamules

30-Jul-2014, 14:06

To remain light, I may cut out decent food when backpacking, decent sleeping pad, a decent tent, decent lighting....but I never cut back on a way to make a decent cup of coffee!

jnantz

30-Jul-2014, 14:24

Do bears like coffee? Maybe that bear didn't die, it just galloped around in circles. :rolleyes:
Seriously, "cowboy coffee" can be made to sound upscale if you call it "Turkish coffee" (or "Bosnian coffee" in St. Louis). It is good IF you have a sticky honey-filled baklava pastry that you need to counteract.

I like fresh-ground coffee, but decided that loose tea is simpler for the trail, and since the leaves are just more wet dead leaves, I send them to join their oak and pawpaw brethren quietly rotting on the forest floor. I like fruit-flavored teas, but those just seem too much like bear raspberry perfume, so I stick to the classic oolong, lapsang souchong, or green.

hi nancy

the differnce between ottoman coffee and cowboy coffee is the size of the grounds and care
given to make it. ottoman coffee ( bosnian, armenian, greek, palestinian, turkish ) requires the coffee to be ground as fine as flour
( # 1 on a burr grinder ) .. you heat the grinds .. 1 tsp / demi tasse cup then add water and sometimes equal amounts sugar
or a cardamum seed to extrace the bitterness ... you let the foam rise 3 times .. never boil ...
then pour it out into the cups ... when the drinker is done ... flip the cup, turn it 3 revolutions
then a thumbprint after the wait ( some say the most important part ! )
then the fortune is read ...

cowboy coffee ... well its course ground, boiled / heated in the campfire and consumed without fanfare :)

i would hate to have to do the bear's fortune, unless it was yogi bear and boo-boo
" you will travel far and run into a pick a nick basket and an arm and a hand that is not a hand from
a pie on a window sill, i see a man wearing a tie, angry,
but you are smarter than the average bear and get away"

no fortunes with cowboy coffee, maybe the bottle passed around and stories ?

John Kasaian

30-Jul-2014, 14:46

When I was packing stock, I'd keep my sleeping bag by the fire close enough to ease in a branch in every so often to keep the fire going through the night. A blue Mexican coffee boiler and about 1/3 pound of Yuban or Chock Ful O Nuts or Hills Bros added to water straight from a lake or stream was kept close at hand. It the cold, about a half hour before crawling out of the sack I'd reach across and put it on the coals to boil, then pour mug.
Ay carumba! Talk about a caffeine rush! I'd jump out of the sack, feed and water the critters, strike camp, get those panniers and top packs lashed down and the whole enchilada moving down the trail at warp speed all before pouring a second cup!

Drew Wiley

30-Jul-2014, 15:58

From the taste of it, I always figured that the secret ingredient to cowboy coffee was something the horses left behind.

paulr

31-Jul-2014, 10:43

I'm getting up early tomorrow to do a 24 mile loop through the tetons. If you're familiar with the area, I'm going up the start of Death Canyon, up over the static peak and buck mtn. divides, into the Alaska Basin, then over the Mt. Meek pass, along the Crest trail and the Death Canyon shelf, to Fox Creek pass, and then back down upper Death Canyon. Hoping to do it in 8 hours if there isn't too much snow.

Here's what's coming:
-very light pack
-hydration bladder
-long undershirt
-very light shell
-light fleece hat
-spare socks (waterproof sealskinz)
-water filter
-headlamp
-sun screen (lots)
-food (sandwich, energy gels, and a greasy hunk of sausage)
-iphone w/map software

I'll wear shorts, a synthetic t-shirt, trail running shoes, baseball hat, sunglasses.

Just a quick trip report ... awesome, amazing walk. I almost didn't go at all because of lousy forecast (the National Weather Service described a complex pattern which included the word "monsoon," and the peaks were socked in. But it was my last day in the mountains. I just drove to the trail head to take a look. And then I decided to hike to Static Peak Divide to take a closer look ... and kept going.

Some tiny format pics are here (https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10203522053585679.1073741829.1044421855&type=1&l=0faf20329f).

My route estimate was way off ... ended up being a 28 mile loop, which I think is the most I've chewed off in a day. Took 9 hours, 14 minutes.

I used everything listed above except the headlamp and the sandwich (forgot the latter in the fridge!). Luckily those gels are like filling up on gasoline.

The GPS on the phone was helpful in the Alaska Basin, where the trails were covered by snow. One of the trail junctions was completely covered, and the gizmo probably saved some time in finding the turn. To the phone's discredit, it's really hard to use in the rain. I started getting dumped on in the last ten miles, and had a maddening time answering my girlfriend's texts (I took an hour longer than anticipated due the extra 4 miles ... she wanted to know I hadn't been eaten by something).

Back in Brooklyn now, feeling a bit sore.

Edited to add:
Now in 3D on Google Earth (www.paulraphaelson.com/downloads/Teton_Deathmarch_2014.kml)! (right-click to download klm file. I love these toys ...)

Heroique

31-Jul-2014, 12:10

"Ten Essential Systems," from the Mountaineers Club:

1. Navigation (map & compass)
2. Sun protection (sunglasses & sunscreen)
3. Insulation (extra clothing)
4. Illumination (headlamp/flashlight)
5. First-aid supplies
6. Fire (waterproof matches/lighter/candle)
7. Repair kit and tools
8. Nutrition (extra food)
9. Hydration (extra water)
10. Emergency shelter (tent/plastic tube tent/garbage bag)

Here's what's coming:
-very light pack
-hydration bladder
-long undershirt
-very light shell
-light fleece hat
-spare socks (waterproof sealskinz)
-water filter
-headlamp
-sun screen (lots)
-food (sandwich, energy gels, and a greasy hunk of sausage)
-iphone w/map software

I'll wear shorts, a synthetic t-shirt, trail running shoes, baseball hat, sunglasses.

Welcome back, and thanks for the abbreviated 28-mile day hike report – it's fun and instructive to see a pre-trip "Essentials" list like yours, then a post-trip evaluation about its wisdom and/or shortcomings.

If you made the same hike again – same conditions – would your list remain the same?

If I'm reading your posts correctly, you elected to leave behind #3 (or perhaps enough of it), #5, #6, #10 from the Mountaineers "Ten Essental Systems" list. Of course, there's nothing wrong w/ a well-planned trip calling for essentials that differ from a generalized list, esp. if they're designed to match a specific terrain – but I'm sure I’m not the only one curious whether your hike has inspired any modifications for "next time." (I'm mostly curious whether you carried a magnetic compass and paper maps in addition to your iphone and map software.)