Boulder Lake, Trinity Alps Backpacking

C

Cappy2cap

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My brother-in-law and I took our kids backpacking over the weekend. Previous week it was in the 90s and lows in the 50s. Our weekend predicted 60% chance of rain with highs in the 60s and lows in the upper 30s, low 40s.

And then nature happened! Got hit with a mini snowstorm

Good thing I had the BB13. That beast allowed me to take wood off of fallen trees that hadn't been water logged. Other backpackers would have only had the option of wet ground wood or small branches. I blew through huge thick branches that were relatively dry. It allowed me to split thicker wet logs to get to the dry insides. Fantastic weight to performance ratio.









Then we got hit with a surprise snow storm and sub 25 degree nights... The big fire we had all day and night was essential. That BB13 is a beast and a great survival tool!



This is the before and during. It snowed for 5 hours wth a high of 31 at 1pm..We decided it might get worse and we didn't have the equip for sub 20 temps..So in the safety of the kids, we packed up




 
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Being from Australia it's amazing to me that you can get weather like this in summer. You obviously have to be prepared for anything. Good thing you brought a serious knife with you. Must have been a good lesson for the kids!
 
Cappy2cap said:
This was only a 2 mile hike in and we got great views. Trinity is some serious wilderness though.
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Yes it is. Never got into hiking. We always went on horseback.....until I got old enough to move out and never feed or ride a horse again. Lol!
 
Hammock camping the only way to sleep in the woods! It doesn't look like you have an underquilt. Are you using a pad?
 
Sethrotull said:
Hammock camping the only way to sleep in the woods! It doesn't look like you have an underquilt. Are you using a pad?
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I didn't bring an underquilt. I though it would be in the high 30s and I have had no problem in my hammock with my 20 degree rated bag and some foil covered bubble wrap (the stuff used for insulation on heaters) which I get from ACE hardware for like 5$. I make a pad out of that stuff. Reflects heat really well and has bubbles which trap heat.

I have used an underquilt when it was low 30s, high 20s and it helps for sure. I usually don't use the hammock if it's lower than that. It just becomes too heavy with thicknunderquilt. You can get the same warmth from a 12oz inflatable pad and a tent so sometimes weight makes the decision for me.
 
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Currawong said:
Being from Australia it's amazing to me that you can get weather like this in summer. You obviously have to be prepared for anything. Good thing you brought a serious knife with you. Must have been a good lesson for the kids!
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Thanks! My brother in law thought I was crazy when I brought the 1311 to Yosemite last year. We didn't end up needing to chop much to make fire. So it seemed overkill. But I think he realized why I bring it on trips after this one. It's the just in case. He was having a blast chopping.
 
Cappy2cap said:
Thanks! My brother in law thought I was crazy when I brought the 1311 to Yosemite last year. We didn't end up needing to chop much to make fire. So it seemed overkill. But I think he realized why I bring it on trips after this one. It's the just in case. He was having a blast chopping.
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Kudos to you for being prepared and for showing others how to be self-reliant in nature. I'll bet your brother-in-law--and kids!--won't soon forget that lesson.:thumbsup:

I've gotten looks even for wearing a B8 for off-trail day hikes--some think it's overkill. But if a storm rolls in or someone becomes incapacitated, being able to fashion shelter and gather/process firewood quickly is the difference between being inconvenienced or being in danger of hypothermia--or worse. Those who haven't been there just don't know.
 
I was just doing the same thing (googling Trinity Alps) and ran across the following story from The Trinity Journal, dateline today, June 14.

Headline: Missing hikers found, two deceased, one hospitalized

Here's the lead paragraph:

"Two missing hikers were found dead of apparent exposure in the Trinity Alps Wilderness Tuesday while a third was airlifted out for medical care, the Trinity County Sheriff's Office said in a news release."
 
Looks like a lot of family fun with beautiful scenery! Thanks for sharing the pics!
 
Good stuff C2c :thumbsup: Doesn't look like the cool weather phased those kids one bit

Did you give those logs a shot?
 
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