Landscape hikers – “10 essentials” or not?

[Heroique]

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]

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]

This 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]

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.

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...

[Bill Burk]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

a friend has a little plastic espresso maker that is made by the guy that invented some sort of
thin frisbee sort of product .. you put a little ground coffee in it and push hard.
she made me one and laughed ... it was pretty good and seemed very lightweight and easy to pack

[John Kasaian]

Cowboy coffee works for me!