Like most hikers I have a bunch of gear. Some is new, some is old, some is light, some “not so” light. It’s true, you pay more for less weight. You pay a lot for crazy light gear.

When the force acts on an object to change the way it is moving, work is done and energy is transferred. (No movement by force means no work is done) A “0 day”.
The amount of work done (energy transferred) to the object is found by: W = F x d
Work (Joules) = force (N) x distance moved (m). Ie……. it takes less energy to move lighter gear.

Whats in my pack

Pack : Osprey Exos 58

Sleeping system : Featherfriends – Swallow 20, Therm-a-Rest sleeping pad, Big Agnes Pillow, Smart wool top & Bottom

Tent : Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 2 w/ footprint

Puffy jacket : Mountain Hardware .

Cooking : MSR PocketRocket 2 Mini Stove kit w/ a TOAKS titanium spoon. .

Water : Katadyn Hiker Microfilter, 2 x 2L Platypus, 1L & a .75L SmartWater.

Rain gear : Outdoor Research jacket and pants

First aid kit : Bug net,

Bathroom kit:. TP, wet wipes, toothpaste and toothbrush

Sitting pad : Therm-a-Rest

Electronics : Garmin inReach Explorer+, Pocket Juice 12000 mAh, power cords,

Camp shoes : KEEN Clearwater sandals w/ carabiner

Food : Zpack bear bag + food ( breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks)

***** The next BIG QUESTION *****

What else do I need? It just needs to be light.

What do I need to get rid of?

   The things you do on your day off. As early season trails go, this one wasn’t too bad. Trekking poles and micro spikes made this “easy”. 

   A friend (old 2’s guy) and our kids got an early start for this one. In Gold Bar and on the trail, the weather was almost great. A cool 56 degrees, cloudy and little wind. The dodge got us to the trail head w/o a problems. I never used the 4×4 on the way up. But the parking lot still had some snow. While “turning around “ we hit snow”. I always carry an ax, shovel and a saw. We didn’t use them, but it was close.

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   We started early enough that things weren’t too bad. We ran into hard packed snow & fog.  The fog took away our views on the way up. The snow and blow downs made the trail challenging. Out came the micro spikes.

  Lunch at the top was 1/2 a can of “cold” hard cider, hot coffee, gluten-free fennel pollen salami, Reese’s sticks, and some dog food. 

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    And then it started to clear up. WOW, what a view. On the way down we would take ten steps, stop, turn around, and take pictures. Repeat…….