A 15 lb pack (with food & fuel) for 7 days in the High Sierra It’s been six years since Colin dropped 30 pounds from his pack. Time to drop some more pack-weight! Once again the brothers and their sons ventured into the Sierras with even lighter packs. We headed into the Southern Sierras. Our plan was […]
You can do amazing things with only 4.2 pounds of gear! Through coastal rain forest, montane forest, sub-alpine forest, alpine meadows and finally the rock and ice of Mt Olympus. We bivied in the snow in +45 bags. Link: 4.2 pound Olympics Gear List (PDF) We started our “backpacking” trip with no intention of climbing, but […]
Down to the Canyons of Utah – Another year of the spiritual spaces and beauty of the canyons and mesa. With a focus on photography.
A 100 mile rafting and backpacking trip from the headwaters of the Talkeetna River to the town of Talkeetna via the Talkeetna and Susitna Rivers. Route: Bush plane drop at the headwaters of the Talkeetna River. Float Talkeetna R to Prairie Creek. Heinous bushwack out of the Talkeetna River and cross the plateau to the Susitna River. Another challenging bushwack down to Gold Creek on the Susitna. Then float the Susitna to the Town of Talkeetna.
Killer Packs – Never again! Good planning (e.g. having a light pack) can make or break a backpacking trip, especially with kids. I found this out the hard way when I took my kids on their first extended trip to the high Sierra. Our experiences sparked my interest in ultralight backpacking
This was a fantastic trip! Even a heavy pack can’t spoil the incredible Sierras. Fabulous scenery, rugged routes, solitude, remote campsites, and great fishing. Please look at the photos of this trip as they say a lot more than anything I can write.
All weights savings are per person Food and food storage: 6.5 lbs (5.2 lbs food, 1.3 lbs bear cans) The biggest weight savings of the trip and nobody went hungry. See a special note on food and food storage. Clothing: 5.5 pounds Less clothes, no Polarfleece, no camp shoes, lighter rainwear Packs: 5.2 pounds Heavy […]
A savings of 30 pounds in 1999 – His pack was 55 pounds in 2001 – His pack was 25 pounds Sierra trip comparison 1999 and 2001 (Note: this is not a complete list) Note: 1999 trip had 3 people. 2001 trip had 4 people Food and food storage 2001 1999 Food 1.6 lb […]
30 pounds lighter! Colin and I managed to reduce our pack weights by an amazing 30 pounds each. This included cameras, fishing gear and carrying some extra food for my brother and 10-year-old nephew. Our base pack weight was below 10 pounds. My brother and nephew carried very light packs as well.
This trip marked the demise of my beloved Olympus XA rangefinder camera. Many of the pictures on this page are soft. I have since replaced the XA with a new camera, an Olympus 3.3 Megapixel C-3000 Zoom. Not as light or easy to use as the old rangefinder, but the digital camera makes loading up photos on to a […]