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Poop Bags On Mount Shasta
Topped by snow and glaciers, Mount Shasta rises up above everything else when you approach it from the north.As soon as I saw it, I wanted to be up there. We were coming south from Oregon, after driving across the country from Michigan. A detour to ...
The history of bicycle rims
The first bicycle wheels were from a horse drawn cart, made of wood with a metal band round the bicycle rim, very hard and very uncomfortable to ride. Then a man called Dunlop (Scottish) invented the pneumatic tire, this along with Macadam (another Scot) ...
The Nitty Gritty to Soccer Safety
By Rebecca Blain ofhttp://www.everything-soccer.comAs soccer is one of the most well loved sports on Earth, many children and adults are lured into participating in playing on a daily basis. Due to this wide spread popularity, soccer injuries are very ...
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Lightweight Backpacking
I came to the San Juan Mountains in Colorado to try my new gear. I used a tarp shelter, and a light down sleeping bag. The first rainy night I stayed dry. A good start, but now above the trees, I was lost in rolling tundra, unable to find the trail under several inches of snow. I had my ultralight rainsuit on, though, and I was fine.
It was beautiful, with mountains appearing all around at every break in the weather. Eventually I found myself on the map. The sun came out, and there were white mountain tops rising out of the green forests everywhere. Mountain goats played on the cliffs with me.
The fourth morning, I was on my way up Mount Eolus. In Colorado you can go up 14,000-foot mountains without climbing gear. They call them "Walk-ups," but some require more than hiking. The "catwalk" on Eolus, for example, is easy, but only if it's easy for you to walk a three-foot-wide edge, with a drop to your death on either side. I made it to the top.
Sunlight Peak, a couple hours later, required a leap across a thousand foot drop to reach the summit. At least it was an easy jump. Chased off by a thunderstorm, I
didn't get to go up nearby Windom Peak.
There were no roads, but the next day I found the Silverton-Durango line, and flagged down the train to Silverton. I bought food and headed out for three more days of rainy hiking. Lightning chased me at 13,000 feet, I slept in an old ghost town building, climbed three more "fourteeners," and I'd do it all again in a second. Backpacking in Colorado is spectacular, and going lightweight made it even more so.
Why Lightweight?
I carried my backpack easily up mountains, with better balance. One day I hiked 22 miles and bagged three fourteeners. I went 110 miles in seven days, without one blister. That's what running shoes and a 12 to 16 pound packweight does for you.
Staying dry was as much technique as it was good equipment. It rained every day, and I was under a tarp, in a one-pound sleeping bag, but I stayed dry and warm. I found lightweight backpacking to be safer than hiking with a heavy load, contrary to what many say.
This first lightweight backpacking trip was years ago. When I remember running up those mountains, I know I'll never go back to a heavy load.
About the author:
Steve Gillman is a long-time backpacker, and advocate of lightweight backpacking. His advice and stories can be found at http://www.The-Ultralight-Site.com
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Recreational Tree ClimbingNorthFulton.comIntroductory tree climbing, ages 5-75+, parents & kids, coworkers, unique anniversary and birthday celebrations. Register @ Roswell Rec & Parks ... |
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