Hiking out of the Russian Wilderness yesterday. A 4-day trip with friends. I carried the 5x7 on the pod on the way in -- in the pack on the way out. Mt. Shasta in the background.
And added a photo of me on the way in -- the 15 lbs or so of tripod/camera did get too heavy. It was only suppose to be 2.4 miles! About 4 instead.
Last edited by Vaughn; 16-Aug-2019 at 10:10.
"Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China
Cell phone photos of the Mt. Yonah cliffs. This rock face can be seen for miles away and is used for rock climbing, including training for Army Rangers. I look like I'm in a much more precarious position here, but I'm not. I used the swing panorama mode on my cell phone and twisted the phone while making the photo to get this effect (notice the sideways horizon to the left). This was an absolutely brutal hike - 2.5 miles and straight up, an ascent of over 1600 feet. I camped on top of the mountain and brought my Chamonix 45n1, but haven't developed any film yet. I was almost too tired to even make photos.
One of the few hazy afternoons on the 9 day Tour du Mont Blanc. My son & daughter carried a Canon 5D and a Fuji x100. I carried my Rolleiflex T
Wehman or it didn't happen, bro... At any rate, that's some significant grindage for this part of the world--I've found that the steeper the grade, the more likely it is that the trailside flora will be fascinating every 15 to 20 minutes.Originally Posted by Corran
I can guarantee that camera is not going to be anywhere near that mountain! I think this is officially the hardest hike I've done here. The ascent to Blood Mountain was the previously-hardest hike I've done but it is a few hundred feet less elevation change and a bit more gradual overall.
I should go back in spring, apparently there are lots of wildflowers in different parts of the trail. Spring is hard for me due to my freelance work schedule then though, but you are right I am sure it is an interesting collection of flora.
Probably stick with just my camera and a good flashlight, and not camp though. I'm thinking about trying a bivvy bag though...
A lot of UL guys roll with a bivy/tarp combo, but as always here in the Southeast, condensation can be really tough to deal with. To be honest, I'm not sure that the hammock/tarp/quilt approach can be bettered in this AO, at least for three season use--once I get my photo gear rationalized, I might head in that direction.
At any rate, I'll look forward to the photo's...
I tried to roll with just a hammock and no quilt last summer, thinking surely it wouldn't be cold...but that was a huge mistake. Then I bought a tiny A-frame tent but only used that once, as I won a nice REI tent in a charity auction for about half the retail price. That's what I used this time, and tried going with no sleeping bag, just a pad. Used an emergency blanket for warmth. I was not cold, but the pad wasn't enough really (though to be fair, I was on rock). Anyway, I'm just trying different things and figuring out what works for me, especially with a lot of pack space dedicated to a LF camera. I can't afford to get the space-age UL stuff.
Here's my tent:
Actually, I used that same line just last week when my wife called me a "gearhead." (Pro Tip: if you happen to have four different tripods, don't expect to have them all set up in the living room without having given some thought to plausible deniability.
As for pads/bags, you might look into the Therm-a-rest "Neoair" series of inflatable pad (or Big Agnes' insulated air core line); likewise, you can get a nice 30-degree down bag that compresses to the size of a Nalgene water bottle. I've been happy with my Montbell bag, though I'm curious about Enlightened Equipment's quilts..see "gearhead," above.
Thanks! I am pretty ignorant on what's out there, especially brands and such. Actually, I had never heard of bivy / bivvy bags till yesterday. My weakest link is my backpack though - I am using an old military-style backpack that is just a big open bag, with a frame on the back. I really would like to go down to REI with a decent budget and try a bunch of stuff out and spend a good chunk of change to buy some really nice gear, but mostly I've been getting by with whatever deals I can find. I feel like a good backpack that I can work out of (camera-wise), with some UL setup for camping, would be ideal.
That 30-degree down bag sounds perfect...my current pair of bags I bought for me and my wife when we did some camping last year are massive and heavy (we were camping in low temps, so got 20-degree rated bags that zip together). I absolutely can't carry one of those anywhere - strictly car-camping gear.
This might be your huckleberry, then:
https://www.enwild.com/videos/settin...frame-3-zip-50
I think you can see what you might do: Wehman/DDS's/lenses in an ICU and/or drybag that goes next to the frame, then your "camp" in the 5000 cu in pack bag.
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