1981 Dusy basin overlooking Le-Conte Canyon. Got me through a memorable thunderstorm.
1981 Dusy basin overlooking Le-Conte Canyon. Got me through a memorable thunderstorm.
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).
By far the most common used item is the sting relief and Band-aids
Excellent Bill
This is what lives in my backpack at all times
Small skinner clipped to shoulder harness
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.
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.
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.
This is amazing, I never realised just how much gear I needed to go a few miles into the woods and take some pictures.....
One man's Mede is another man's Persian.
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.
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:
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
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.
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.
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